Despite their defeat to St. Mary's in the intermediate championship final, 2004 will still be remembered as one of Bunbrosna's most successful years. However, they will not feel contented until senior status is achieved according to star forward Peter Tormey. Rarely has there been so much optimism in Bunbrosna GAA circles. Despite losing last year's intermediate football final to St. Mary's, the Longford-border outfit enjoyed one of their most successful years and now have their sights firmly set on achieving senior status in 2005. Bun' were arguably the most improved team in the county last season with their run to the intermediate final taking many by surprise. Their second team also made their mark by capturing the All-County League Division 6 title as well as contesting the junior 'B' final. And players from the club also made a handsome contribution to Inny Gaels' feat in winning the under 16 'premier' championship. "It was a good year overall," says star forward Peter Tormey, whose performances earned him a call-up to the Westmeath senior panel. "A lot of people around the county were surprised to see us in an intermediate final, but it had always been our goal to reach it and we were disappointed not to have won it. We rode our luck in a few of the games but I don't think anyone could say that we didn't deserve to be in the final. "St. Mary's caught us cold in the first half by scoring three goals but we showed a big improvement in the second half and they were hanging on a bit near the end. If we end up reaching the final again next year, I don't think we'll be as naive and I'd expect us to be a lot quicker out of the starting blocks," he adds. Tormey, who missed the 2003 championship after breaking his leg, puts last season's progress down to the excellent management of Edgeworthstown native John Smyth and the return of key players such as Cormac McCormack and Ray Carolan. "I would rate John Smyth as one of the best managers around," Tormey says. "It was his second year to be with us and I'm delighted to say that he will be with us again next year. He is very professional in his preparations and is also an excellent man to have on the line. And because he's from outside the club, he has no affinity to any player and this means that everyone gets a fair crack at the whip. "Another reason why I think we improved so much on the previous year was because we had everyone available to us. Cormac McCormack was back after spending 2003 in Germany while Ray Carolan - who is a former county minor - returned after a three-year absence. It means a lt to a club like Bunbrosna to have everyone available because we wouldn't have the strength in depth other clubs would have." Bunbrosna's 0-10 to 0-6 victory over traditional giants Rosemount in their opening game of the 2004 intermediate championship sent out an early warning to their rivals. Rosemount led by 0-5 to 0-2 early in the second half but Bun' staged a tremendous fight back which left their opponents shell-shocked and saw the blue and whites make the best possible start to their campaign. John Smyth's charges made it two wins from two when they accounted for Mullingar Shamrocks on a 1-12 to 1-4 scoreline at Castletown-Geoghegan in mid-July. Shamrocks led by 1-2 to 0-2 after 15 minutes and were still in front at half-time. But helped by a Tormey goal and points from Noel Kiernan, Aidan Finnan and Padraig Tighe, Bun' took control in the second half to run out easy winners. Bun' had to settle for a 0-14 to 3-5 draw with neighbours Milltown in their next outing before regaining winning ways against Milltownpass at Shandonagh. A Padraig Tighe penalty had Bun' leading by 1-5 to 0-4 at the interval and when the same player struck again late in the second half, the Longford-border side were home and hosed. Kevin Burke pulled back a goal for Milltownpass in injury-time to leave the final score reading 2-9 to 1-5 in Bun's favour. A late point from Tormey earned Bunbrosna their second draw of the campaign against St. Mary's in what was a dress rehearsal for the final on September 18. The sides finished on 0-9 apiece and Bun' were probably the happier afterwards, having trailed by 0-5 to 0-7 early in the second half. One week later, Bun' made sure of their place in the quarter-final when they defeated Ballinagore by 3-9 to 1-5 in their final group match. The result was never in doubt with goals from Aidan Finnan, Finian Newman and Padraig Tighe propelling them to a comfortable win. In what was their biggest game since beating Caulry in the 2001 junior championship final replay, Bunbrosna maintained their winning surge with a 2-7 to 1-7 victory over Killucan to qualify for the semi-final. Bun' led by 0-4 to 0-1 at the break and went five points clear when Tighe scored his customary goal shortly after the restart. But between the 45th and 50th minutes, Killucan battled their way back onto level terms. Crucially, though, they weren't able to get their noses in front and Bunbrosna hit back with a brilliant goal from Tormey to settle the issue. Bunbrosna were under pressure from an early stage in their semi-final clash with Shandonagh at Cusack Park, but the Kilpatrick side's problems in front of goal meant that they trailed by just two points, 0-3 to 0-5, at the interval. Shandonagh increased their lead to three points before a fisted goal from Finian Newman brought Bun' level 16 minutes into the second half. When Shandonagh regained a two-point advantage with time almost up, Bunbrosna's resistance looked to have been finally broken. But they refused to throw in the towel and two late points from Newman and Tighe sent the tie to a replay on a 1-6 to 0-9 scoreline. A dominant first half display laid the foundations for Bun's 2-4 to 0-7 victory in the replay at St. Loman's. John Smyth's men led by 2-3 to 0-2 at the interval thanks to a goal from Finian Newman and an own goal by Shandonagh corner back Andy Fox. And while Shandonagh staged a revival in the second half, Bun' dug deep to book their place in the decider. Appearing in their first intermediate final since 1971 when they defeated St. Malachy's, Bunbrosna endured a nightmare first half which saw them concede three goals and trail by 10 points at the interval. But following Aidan Finnan's switch from centre forward to midfield, Bun' ate into the deficit after the restart. It was Padraig Tighe's superb 40th minute goal that provided the catalyst for their comeback. Finian Newman's inspirational run and pass set Tighe up and the full forward's stunning shot into the right hand corner gave St. Mary's 'keeper Declan Hogan no chance. That left four points between the sides but, crucially, they failed to score again until the final minute. By that stage, St. Mary's were off the hook with an excellent Damien Gavin point two minutes from time putting them five points to the good. Late points from Tormey and Finnan left just a goal in it, but the more experienced Rochfortbridge side kept their shape to hold out for a 3-5 to 1-8 victory. "The three first half goals they got killed us," Tormey ruefully reflects. "We threw caution to the wind in the second half and played some of our best football of the year but we left ourselves with too much to do and couldn't have any complaints." The 20-year-old, who is studying PE at the University of Limerick, suggests that Bunbrosna may benefit from another season at intermediate level. "Because we're a young team and still learning our trade, I don't know if we are ready for senior football yet. It mightn't have been a bad thing that we didn't win the intermediate championship last year. Playing in the senior championship may be too much of a step-up at this stage of our development." After winning promotion from Division 4 of the All-County League in 2003, Bunbrosna had to be content with finishing runners-up to Caulry in last year's Division 3 campaign. Defeat to the Mount Temple men in the opening round ultimately cost them promotion. League promotion was achieved, however, by Bunbrosna's second team who defeated Milltownpass by 2-9 to 1-3 in a play-off to capture the Division 6 title. The same team also reached the junior 'B' final but were forced to give second best to Tubberclair on a 0-8 to 0-9 scoreline. At underage level, players from Bunbrosna played their part in Inny Gaels' emphatic victory over St. Brigid's in the under 16 'premier' championship final. Tormey was part of an extended management team which also included Aidan Finnan, Ned Flynn, John Moran, Sean Kelly, Gerry Coyne and Mick Beglan. Not surprisingly, Bun's objective for the coming year is to get their hands on the Peter Geraghty Cup. "We learned a lot of harsh lessons in last year's final and our aim now is to make amends for that. Assuming everyone stays around for the summer, I think we are capable of beating anyone at intermediate level," he concludes. The Bunbrosna team which contested the IFC final was: Damien McCormack; Conor Newman, Cormac McCormack, Ger Brennan; Kevin Tormey, JP Reynolds, Noel Kiernan; Pauric Walsh, Niall Harte; Peter Tormey, Aidan Finnan, Finian Newman; Ray Carolan, Padraig Tighe, Eoin Clarke. Sub used: Fintan Finnan. Tweet

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