EYUC 2009 - Ireland Juniors v Germany

There is absolutely no doubting the fact that Junior Ultimate is the base upon which the strongest international teams are built. Until last year Irish Ultimate did not have the numbers at Junior level to field a national team, but in Vienna last summer we entered not one, but two teams into the European Youth Ultimate Championships. It was our first time playing at this level and with a team made up of schools and young university players we lacked both experience and skill in comparison to the talent on display. That said, the week was memorable for all involved with the players learning more in one week on the pitch and through being a part of the tournament than they could have in a year at home in Ireland.

Two games stick out in my mind from that week. Both involve the Ireland A team (it should be noted that Ireland B also beat Poland & were an integral part of the Ireland set up. Without them Ireland A would not have achieved either of the below performances).

Ireland A vs. Germany (game 1 on day 1)
Seldom have I seen an Ireland team start a tournament with such blatant disregard for the stature of the team they were facing. Germany came into this tournament as favourites, number 1 seeds and holders of the U-20s Open European Championship gold medals. Ireland A were playing there first ever international game. Everything pointed to a pasting but instead we got a dogfight. Despite possessing weapons that any offence would crave, the Germans had great difficulty beating a fired up and aggressive Irish D epitomised in the opening point when we were narrowly denied a Callaghan (Strip!? I don’t think so!). There were turns coming from big marks, from aerial battles and even from unforced errors. The problem was our offence, which unfortunately just didn’t click into gear. Our long game was working, our handlers were throwing well and at times the patience was evident but somewhere in there the pressure was too much. The German team’s experience shone through and regardless of our memorable performance (one that took our opponents by surprise) they won comfortably in the end. From the game we might have taken few points but we took self belief, intensity and a sense of possibility in terms of what we can achieve. The marker was laid down and this performance was one the team will always hold dear.

Ireland A vs. Poland (game 4! on day 2)
The fourth game of a very long day saw Ireland A record a historic first win at Junior level. It was a relatively pressurised first half as we knew we could win the game against a younger, less experienced opposition. Poland is newer to the Ultimate scene than Ireland with this being their first ever foray into international competition at any level. They have a small team who play a fast offensive game but weren’t a match for our pace or height. A nervy first half saw the pressure show with uncharacteristic forcing of the issue. We called a time out and had a chat about our focus, our D and soon took control of the match. The second half was a much improved affair as the D shut down their long game and we used quick pick ups off the turns to score our points. We were mentally strong in this game and used that to prevent a dogfight, to win handsomely and to bring home an Irish Juniors first victory!

Blog: http://irelandjuniors2009.blogspot.com/ (photos, dates, results, squads, player info etc.)