Ten years after their thrilling win over Moate All Whites in the Westmeath showcase, Coralstown/Kinnegad have their sights set on another tilt at the Flanagan Cup. And after their disappointing showing against St. Malachy's in last year's quarter final, the vastly experienced Jack Cooney is keen to take things a step further. By Damian Maher. Under the tutelage of legendary Westmeath attacker, Larry Giles, Coralstown/Kinnegad looked to be making steady progress last year until they encountered a St. Malachy's team on a mission. The general consensus was that St. Malachy's would continue their winning run, but with Giles in his first year at the helm, Kinnegad were intent on upsetting the apple cart. However, they produced one of their most disappointing displays of the Summer and suffered a heavy defeat, leaving them unsatisfied with their season's showing and anxious to make amends this year. "It was just alright," reflected seasoned campaigner Jack Cooney. "You're always judged on your championship run and to reach the quarter final was an improvement on the previous year, but we were looking for a better performance once we got into the knock-out stages." Operating out of Division one of the senior championship, Coralstown/Kinnegad were in a competitive group that included Tyrrellspass, Athlone and eventual champions, The Downs. Giles' men kicked off their championship campaign with a clash against their neighbours and keen rivals, The Downs at Cusack Park. It proved a tight affair, with The Downs leading by two points at half time (0-6 to 0-4), despite Kinnegad's superior start which saw Eamon Fleming, Ronan Foley, Danny Mooney and Kerry man Stevie Denihan register points. The Downs went three clear on the restart, but Kinnegad had a purple patch and duly got back on level terms. Points from Enda Leonard, Fergal Dardis (free) and Leonard again brought them level, and it was anyone's game heading into the closing stages. However, The Downs managed to go two points clear again and, despite a superb long range effort by Fergal Dardis, Kinnegad suffered an agonising 0-9 to 0-8 defeat. Round two pitted the red and whites against Tyrrellspass, always a tough proposition in championship football. Despite a Mark Gorman goal, Kinnegad were a point adrift at half time, 0-7 to 1-3 and, with Tyrrellspass showing flashes of their finest form in the early stages, things didn't look good for Giles' charges. However, the second half saw the strong midfield partnership of Fergal Dardis and Niall Kilmartin dominate proceedings and Gorman continued to be a thorn in the side of the Tyrrellspass defence. Substitute Gavin Finn proved a valuable asset also as he swooped for a decisive goal in the final minute to give Kinnegad a four points victory, 2-8 to 0-11. The third round saw Kinnegad produce their best performance of the campaign to continue their winning form, as they overwhelmed Tubberclair in a one-sided encounter at Cusack Park. Two early goals from Mark Gorman and midfielder Niall Kilmartin gave Kinnegad the edge and they led by eight points (2-5 to 0-3) at half time. An early second half goal by Alan Giles extended Kinnegad's lead and there was little Tubberclair could do to prevent the rout. Ronan Foley swooped for the victors' fourth goal in the 45th minute to complete an emphatic 4-10 to 0-8 win, and Kinnegad were now being taken seriously. However, a two points defeat to Athlone in round four (0-6 to 0-8) quickly brought them back to reality. It was another tough game, as can be expected between two of the county's leading clubs, and when Kinnegad had their noses in front at half time, 0-4 to 0-2, they must have fancied their chances. However, Athlone produced a storming start to the second half and outscored Kinnegad five points to one in the third quarter. The red and whites managed just one further point in the final 15 minutes per Mark Gorman, and were two points in arrears at the final whistle. The fifth round was a critical moment in Kinnegad's year as they faced Mullingar side St. Loman's, with qualification for the quarter final up for grabs. Two first half goals from Emmet McDonnell and Eamon Fleming gave Kinnegad a decisive lead at the interval, 2-3 to 0-3, and, while they struggled to get scores in the second half, Giles' men did enough to carve out a three-point victory (2-5 to 0-8). That qualified Kinnegad for the quarter finals and a tilt with emerging force, St. Malachy's, whose form had everyone in the county talking. But Kinnegad had their own expectations and started brightly, with Mark Gorman having an early goal chance which was sent wide. However, the concession of a goal after just eight minutes left Kinnegad chasing the game and by half time they were four points adrift, 0-3 to 1-4. But worse was to follow as their championship ambitions came unstuck. Despite a battling second half display, the concession of a second goal 20 minutes from the end left Kinnegad with an impossible task and they were nine points adrift at the final whistle, 1-7 to 2-13. It represented a disappointing end for Jack Cooney and co. "We had set our sights and trying to make the play-offs and, when that was achieved, we expected to do better," admits Cooney. "But we were poor on the day against a St. Malachy's team that was in flying form. "When we look back on that game, we have to accept that we didn't perform to our true potential and, naturally, we will be looking for major improvement this year. "It's always nip and tuck between us and The Downs, so we wouldn't have been too despondent after losing the first round. We had a good win over Tyrrellspass and our performance against Tubberclair was one of our best last year. "We scored a coupe of early goals and, while Tubberclair came back well in the second half, we pulled away again for a comfortable win. Athlone were always going to be tough, but we had a great win over St. Loman's to set us up for a crack at the knock-out stages." While the untimely defeat is a source of disappointment to Cooney, he's optimistic about the future and is a real fan of the senior championship format. "I hope the championship doesn't come in for a radical overhaul, because having five games is great, much better than playing challenge matches," says the former Westmeath selector. Kinnegad reached the semi-final of the Feis Cup where they succumbed to The Downs. Their league form wasn't bad either and they finished among the leaders, with a defeat to St. Loman's in the latter rounds ending their chances of challenging The Downs for outright honours. At minor level, Kinnegad were combined with The Downs as St. Finian's, but their ambitions at landing back-to-back titles ended in frustration as they lost out in the semi-final against St. Loman's. Larry Giles remains at the helm this year and Cooney has his sights set on another extended run. "There's always a difficult period early in the year for training because young lads are involved in exams and it's difficult to get big numbers at training," he says. "But once that has passed training can become much better and morale builds up the longer you're involved in the championship. And we'll be hoping that can carry us further this year." Rock calls for greater effort Coralstown/Kinnegad reached the quarter-final of last year's senior football championship, but club secretary Jim Rock believes they would have gone further if the players had applied themselves more in training. Jim Rock is convinced that Coralstown/Kinnegad have greater talent at their disposal than arch-rivals and reigning county champions The Downs. But he says this isn't being reflected because the red and whites aren't as committed. "We are as good as anyone else in the senior championship and that includes The Downs. But it's all about application and that's where we are falling down. The Downs won the championship last year because they were totally committed. "They are an example to all teams and we'll have to show the same commitment in 2006 if we are to be successful," the Coralstown/Kinnegad secretary says. While satisfied that Coralstown/Kinnegad reached the knock-out stages of the championship after failing to do so in 2004, the former Tang and Ballymahon player feels they should have gone further. "If everyone had given the required commitment, I think we could have reached the semi-final at the very least. We won three of our five group matches and were only narrowly beaten in our other two games. We had high hopes of beating St. Malachy's in the quarter-final, but they easily beat us to ensure a disappointing end to the year. "It's difficult to explain why we were so poor against St. Malachy's. They were more up for it and we seemed to be caught cold." Rock takes encouragement from the youth in the Coralstown/Kinnegad team, but admits that they are a still a bit lightweight in attack. "By and large, it's a very young team with Jack Cooney and Martin Fox being the only remaining links with the side that won the championship in 1996. Our defence was very solid last year and the two lads in midfield (Niall Kilmartin and Fergal Dardis) are as good a pairing as you'll get. "But it's up front where our problems lie. We have good scoring forwards, but unfortunately some of them are lacking in physical strength. It could be a few years before this problem is rectified." Jim, who is in his third year as secretary, welcomed the appointment of former county star Larry Giles as manager last year and is confident that the young players will continue to mature under his tutelage in the coming season. "Every player in the club looks up to Larry. He was one of Westmeath's greatest players and is a hugely respected figure throughout the county. He has a great rapport with the young fellas and they have learned a lot from him over the past year. He is Coralstown/Kinnegad through and through and will be doing everything in his power to bring success to the club." Coralstown/Kinnegad suffered an agonising 0-8 to 0-9 defeat to The Downs in their opening match of the championship on May 8. A few weeks earlier, the red and whites took the honours in a league encounter between the sides but The Downs avenged that loss in a typically hard-fought local derby clash. The Meath-border outfit started promisingly with Eamon Fleming, Ronan Foley, Danny Monney and Kerry native Stevie Deenihan posting early points. However, The Downs dominated the second quarter to lead by 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval. James Conroy made it a three-point game before a Coralstown/Kinnegad rally yielded two points from substitute Enda Leonard and another from Fergal Dardis. But The Downs quickly regained a two-point lead and held on for a narrow victory, despite a late point from Dardis. Larry Giles' charges put that disappointment behind them when accounting for Tyrrellspass by 2-8 to 0-11 in their second outing. A Tyrrellspass victory looked to be on the cards as they eased into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead after just 15 minutes. However, a Mark Gorman goal against the run of play kept Kinnegad in touch and they trailed by just the minimum at the break. Coralstown/Kinnegad introduced Gavin Finn at the start of the second half and he was to make a huge contribution to the victory. Tyrrellspass stretched their advantage to three points before efforts from Finn (two) and Gorman brought the red and whites level. Teenager Alan Giles - son of the manager - then edged Coralstown/Kinnegad in front and they went on to seal victory courtesy of a late goal from super-sub Finn. Coralstown/Kinnegad secured their second win at the expense of an outclassed Tubberclair at Cusack Park on July 10. Mark Gorman had the ball in the net after just seven minutes and a second goal from Niall Kilmartin all but ended the game as a contest before the break. It continued to be one-way traffic after the restart with further majors from Alan Giles and Ronan Foley propelling Coralstown/Kinnegad to an emphatic 4-10 to 0-8 victory. The red and whites were brought crashing down to earth when they succumbed to a Rory O'Connell-inspired Athlone by 0-6 to 0-8 in their next game. As the scoreline suggests, scoring chances were at a premium, although the signs looked encouraging for Kinnegad at half-time when they led by 0-4 to 0-2. However, Joe Fallon kicked two points just after the restart to bring the Shannonsiders level. Stevie Deenihan temporarily restored Kinnegad's lead, but with O'Connell now controlling the game, Athlone finished strongly to take the two points on offer. Coralstown/Kinnegad needed to beat St. Loman's in their final group match to qualify for the knock-out stages and this they achieved with three points to spare. Larry Giles' charges laid the foundations for their victory in the first half when goals from Emmet McDonnell and Eamon Fleming gave them a 2-3 to 0-3 cushion at the break. Loman's enjoyed the better of the second half exchanges, but they couldn't get any closer than three points and it was Kinnegad who progressed. In the quarter-final, Coralstown/Kinnegad came a cropper against a much improved St. Malachy's. Wearing the blue of Raharney, they were in trouble from as early as the eighth minute when Ronan Whelan blasted the opening goal. Malachy's went on to dominate the remainder of the game and had established a 10-point lead by the end of the third quarter. Niall Kilmartin managed a late goal for Coralstown/Kinnegad which was cancelled out by a similar score from Conor Daly as St. Malachy's qualified for the last four for the first time in 15 years. "It was a real anti-climax," Rock ruefully reflects. "We didn't take St. Malachy's for granted; it was just a case of them being more up for it. "Overall, I don't think we played to our potential in the championship. We beat a poor Tubberclair team and struggled to put away an understrength St. Loman's side. Our best performance by some distance came against Tyrrellspass. I was very happy with how we played in that one." Success also eluded Coralstown/Kinnegad at underage level, but this isn't a source of concern for Rock. "Our underage section is in a healthy state thanks in no small part to the population boom we've had. We have big numbers from under 8 up to under 14 and I'd say we'll have to field two teams in these grades in the next few years such is our numbers." 2005 also saw further developments carried out to the club's impressive new playing facilities on the Mullingar Road. By the end of the year, the two full-size pitches were in use, work on the four dressing-rooms and gymnasium was almost complete and provision was being made for the installation of full floodlighting. "Off-the-field we have made great strides and hopefully our senior team will be able to give us more reason to be cheerful in the coming year. 2006 marks the 10th anniversary of our last county championship success and I think that will be a big incentive for everyone involved with the club," Jim concludes. Tweet

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