Having had a quiet campaign in 2008, Lough Lene Gaels are determined to make a major impact on this year's senior championship, according to club chairman Matt Kennedy. While many clubs had not even contemplated going back training, the Lough Lene Gaels squad under the new managership of Brendan Williams and selectors, Ciaran and Joey Williams, were been put through their paces from early January, such is their determination to do well this year. Last year's campaign saw the Collinstown outfit go into the championship minus the services of a number of players through emigration, injury and other factors. However, that has all changed this year and they have a full compliment of players at their disposal and Matt revealed that the players are fully focused on winning the title. "We were missing about seven or eight players last year, which is a huge loss to any club, let alone ourselves. Thankfully, everyone is back on board now and things are going really well so far. The lads have been training since early January and the numbers turning out are very impressive," said Matt. With so many established players missing last year, there was an air of scepticism about their chances in the championship and Matt admitted that to avoid relegation was their number one priority, a situation that the Gaels have not found themselves in for many, many years. "There was a lot of young lads brought in last year and even though they are very good hurlers, it can take some time to adjust to senior hurling, so in that respect, our main aim was to stay up, but we also felt that if they got a win or two under their belt than it would give them great confidence." Ironically the draw for the senior championship pitted the Gaels against their fierce rivals and neighbours Castlepollard, who were eager to prove a point having just returned to the senior ranks following a year at intermediate level. The signs looked ominous for the Collinstown outfit as only a couple of weeks previously, Pollard recorded a rather comfortable win when the sides met in the league. Nonetheless, the performance of the Gaels in the championship must be commended as players like Darragh McCormack, Stephen Bardon and James Boyle really came of age as the purple and golds ran out winners by five points to earn a place in the winners' group and more importantly secure their senior status. "I suppose when Pollard and the Gaels meet, they always bring the best out in each other and it certainly did for us that evening. The young lads were brilliant and they really dug deep to record the win. It was our county final really, but it gave the lads great confidence as well." The win meant that Lough Lene Gaels were placed alongside Clonkill, Castletown Geoghegan and Raharney in the winners' group. First up, were the eventual champions Raharney and the Deelsiders ran out winners by seven points. A draw against Castletown meant the Gaels needed something against Clonkill to progress to the knockout stages, but it was a bridge too far for the young side and their year came to an end. "We didn't really perform after winning the first match. I think a lot of lads got it into their heads that it was a case of job done when we beat Pollard. However, you have to give them great credit for what they achieved; especially when you realise they were missing the spine of the team. "Last year has really given the lads the confidence and when you have the likes of Killian Cosgrave coming back from injury, Dan Carty and the Murtagh brothers and a few others coming back into the side, there is a genuine belief that we can win the championship." There is no question that Pollard have some of the most talented hurlers in the county at their disposal, and throw in the likes of Raharney, Clonkill, Castletown and St Oliver Plunkett's; this all makes for an interesting championship in 2009. Another boost for the club was reaching the under-21 final and although Clonkill were victorious by the narrowest of margins, Matt revealed that there were plenty of positives to take from the match. "It was a pity that we didn't win the under-21. We had a good young team, but we just weren't strong enough on the day. However, to see Killian Cosgrave back playing at his best is great to see. He has had a horrid time with injury over the last few years and we all hope that is behind him now. Stephen Bardon had been in excellent form in the under-21 championship, but he was carrying a hand injury in the final and you could tell it has hampering him. "All in all, the underage structure is fairly decent; we will be competing at all levels, although we will be struggling for numbers at the likes of under-16 and minor." Matt revealed that they are fortunate in the fact that they have a decent core of people to look after the various underage teams, which he stressed is of the utmost importance. "We've always been fortunate in that there have been some great men that looked after the underage teams and we've certainly reaped the benefits of that with the success the club has had at underage down through the years. There are a number of people there at the moment and they are doing great work with the youngsters." So the future looks bright for a club that many felt may have to settle for a few years in the background of the senior championship. With experience and youth on their side, Lough Lene Gaels are sure to prove a formidable side in this year's campaign. However, all involved in the club were dealt a huge blow with the untimely passing of former underage star Gearoid O'Boyle, who died at the relatively young age of 41. Gearoid won every honour at underage level with the club and was tipped for a bright future in the senior ranks, but his word as dentist brought a premature end to his hurling career. However, his impact on the club was not forgotten as Matt explains. "The amount of hurling people that turned out for the funeral was unbelievable. We had a guard of honour and it was very fitting as Gearoid was an extremely talented hurler and even though it is over 20 years since he played with us, his memory lives on." Tweet

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