In a year when their intermediate team proved a major disappointment, Southern Gaels had the consolation of seeing their underage section make further strides. Vice-chairman of the Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's juvenile club Eamonn Farrell explains more. Southern Gaels may have disappointed in the 2004 intermediate hurling championship, but it was by no means a poor year for the Athlone-based club. In October, Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's captured the under 14 'B' championship for the second time in three years following a comfortable victory over Cullion. On the same day, the under 12 side almost made it a magnificent double but were forced to give second best to St. Brigid's in their 'A' championship final replay. "Our underage section is going really well," Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's juvenile club vice-chairman Eamonn Farrell proudly states. "It was the third year in-a-row that the under 14 team tasted championship success, while the under 12s were unlucky to lose their final to St. Brigid's after a replay. On top of that, we were able to field an under 16 team once again and while they didn't reach a county final, they performed very well and what was also encouraging is that most of them are underage again this year," he adds. The issue of clubs merging may be a thorny subject in Westmeath GAA circles, but the concept has clearly been embraced by Southern Gaels and Fr Dalton's. Since joining forces at underage level a few years ago, both clubs have seen their fortunes revived. In 2002, a first under 14 'B' title was secured and that was followed by success in the under 14 'A' championship 12 months later. Also in 2003, the Athlone/Ballymore combination contested the under 16 'B' final which they lost to Ringtown after a replay. Although he wasn't directly involved with any of last year's teams, Farrell has played a key role in the success of the Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's amalgamation. Four years ago, he started indoor hurling with a group of 20 young hurlers in Athlone and that figure had increased to 160 last year. "Most of the lads that played on the under 12 and under 14 teams last year started out playing indoor hurling," he explains. "We started off with a small enthusiastic group in the Marist Hall, but now we use the Astroturf pitch in the new Midlands Regional Sports Centre on a year-round basis. We run a blitz for under 8s, under 10s and under 12s each year and last year we had teams from Southern Gaels, Castletown-Geoghegan, Padraig Pearses, St. Dominic's and Longford Slashers taking part. "We try to encourage the young players as best we can by providing helmets and hurls and making sure everyone gets a game. We usually have well-known inter-county hurlers in attendance who coach the youngsters in the skills of the game." Under the guidance of Fergal Ormsby, Donie Glynn and Kevin Jordan, the Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's team overcame St. Brigid's in the 'B' semi-final to qualify for a showdown with Cullion on October 2 at Shandonagh. The south county outfit were slow to settle and fell behind to an early goal from Cullion midfielder Adrian Gilmore. But after Kenneth Kincaid had opened their account from a free, Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's took the lead when Ronan Farrell finished to the net after Brian Finnerty's initial shot had been blocked. With John Gilligan in top form at midfield, the Athlone/Ballymore side went from strength to strength as the half wore on and took a 1-4 to 1-0 lead into the interval thanks to further points from Sean Egan, Kincaid and Finnerty. Early in the second half, Gilligan came to the southerners' rescue when he made a goal-line clearance to keep their four-point lead intact. Following that let-off, Sam Whooley scored a clever point and the same player added a second goal moments later to give Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's a 2-5 to 0-1 victory. The under 12 team, which was managed by Martin Carey, Fergal Ormsby and Mick Kincaid, recorded wins over Brownstown and Delvin to qualify for the 'A' final where St. Brigid's provided the opposition. A fourth minute goal from Lee Moran gave Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's a dream start and, after Ciaran Daly and Daniel Qualter added points to stretch their lead, James Connaughton and John Warburton scored goals in quick succession to leave the combination side perched on a 3-2 to 0-1 lead at the break. There appeared to be no way back for St. Brigids but, to their credit, they staged a tremendous second half fight back to earn a replay. Two goals from Sean Deegan and another from Aaron Byrne had reduced the deficit to the minimum before Jamie Gonoud sent over the equalizing point, the teams finishing on 3-2 apiece. Amazingly, neither side managed to score in the first half of the replay which was played as a curtain-raiser to the under 14 'B' final at Shandonagh. Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's suffered a major blow just after the restart when centre back Trevor English was forced to retire with a hand injury. To compound matters, St. Brigid's fired over three unanswered points and they looked set for victory until Colin Barrett forced extra-time with an equalizing goal five minutes from the end. In the first period of extra-time, Gonoud and Sean O'Kelly-Lynch exchanged scores before a Jake Byrne goal restored St. Brigid's three-point advantage. The combination side tried desperately to close the gap in the second period but their hopes faded when Conor Slevin scored a second St. Brigid's goal to help them to a 2-5 to 1-2 victory. "I thought the under 12s were very unlucky but in fairness to St. Brigid's, they seemed to find another gear in extra-time and deserved their victory," reflects Farrell, who is a native of Tang. "The under 14 'B' championship success was great, but I was a bit disappointed that we didn't try our luck in the 'A' championship instead. After all, the same team had played in the under 12 'A' final two years earlier." This year, Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's will field teams in all the underage grades for the first time since they merged. "It's over 10 years since either Fr Dalton's or ourselves fielded a minor team so this will be big step for us. But I'm confident that the minors will give a good account of themselves," Eamonn says. While Southern Gaels are clearly making great strides at underage level, 2004 was something of an annus horribilus for the club's adult side who had the ignominy of failing to win a game in the intermediate championship. Traditionally a force to be reckoned with at intermediate level, they suffered successive championship defeats to Cullion (1-4 to 2-13), St. Oliver Plunkett's (0-7 to 1-4), Crookedwood (0-11 to 0-14) and Turin (2-8 to 2-14). They also went through the league without winning a game. "The performances at intermediate level were disappointing considering the amount of effort the players put in under former Galway player Greg Kennedy and his two selectors Denis Cronin and Gerry Brennan. "I think the players got a bit demoralised by a couple of early defeats and never really recovered. This year we have decided not to field a junior team so that all the focus is on the intermediate team. Hopefully this will see an improvement in our results." Looking ahead to this season, Farrell says: "As far as the underage section is concerned, our aim is to maintain our progress and continue to expand our playing numbers. "As for the intermediate side, a big improvement will be expected. With the players we have, we should be aiming to win the intermediate championship," he concludes. The Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's team which captured the under 14 'B' championship title was: Ciaran Martin; Joe Crompton, Robert Reid, Donal Glynn; Howard Costello, Robbie Mahon, Trevor Farrell; John Gilligan, Kenneth Kincaid; MJ Kelly, Sean Egan, Ronan Farrell; Brian Finnerty, Sam Whooley, Conor Guinan. Sub used: Enda Kincaid. The under 12 team which lost to St. Brigid's in the 'A' championship replay was: Stephen Dowling; Seamus Egerton, Daniel Qualter, Ciaran Finnerty; Andrew Lynam, Trevor English, Sean Carey; Enda Kincaid, Sean O'Kelly-Lynch; Sean Kincaid, Darragh Kelly, Colin Barrett; Lee Moran, Sean Warburton, Seamus Connaughton. Subs used: Richard Dooner, Tommy Coughlan and Cathal McGrane. Tweet

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