In 2008 it was another case of so near and yet so far as the intermediate footballers were denied a place in the knock-out stages of the championship in the cruellest of circumstances. By Damien Maher. Although level on points and score difference with Kilbeggan Shamrocks in third place in Division 1, Moate All Whites missed out on qualification by virtue of their defeat to the Kilbeggan men in the second round. It followed a ding-dong derby battle against Caulry in Tubberclair and although the All Whites prevailed by a point, there was no occasion for celebration as news filtered through of another missed opportunity. Club PRO, Derek Claffey, described it as a "standstill year" for the intermediate footballers, but they remain determined to reach the knock-out stages. This year they will be re-acquainted with former boss, Eamon Mahon, as Mossy Collins has stood aside after two years at the helm. Mahon twice took the club to the intermediate championship semi-final in the past and they'll be hoping his return sparks a renewed effort. Ironically, Moate All Whites made the perfect start to their '08 intermediate championship campaign with a six-point win over neighbours, Ballymore, at Pairc Chiarán, Athlone. A first half goal by Michael Broder sent them on their way and they led at half time by 1-6 to 1-3, though they had played with the aid of a strong breeze. The second half saw Moate take complete control as they punished their opponents' wayward shooting and in the end they had six points to spare, winning on a 1-0 to 1-4 scoreline, and restricting Ballymore to just a point in the second moiety. Two late points by Mark Ennis gave the All Whites the cushion they needed and they could savour a fine start to the championship. Cusack Park was the venue for the second round, where Kilbeggan Shamrocks provided the opposition. In what proved a crucial encounter, Moate All Whites suffered a four-point reversal (1-7 to 0-6), though the match could well have gone either way. At half time Moate trailed by just a point, but the concession of a goal in the early stages of the second half seemed to unsettle them. Kilbeggan pushed on and opened up what proved a decisive lead of 1-6 to 0-3. The All Whites introduced Eric Molloy and Jimmy Gillivan to their attack as they attempted to recover, but two points from Gillivan and another from Eoin Dalton saw them get back into contention and they came close to winning a penalty when Niall Mackey was bundled over in the square, but play continued. It was a disappointing defeat, but Moate's overall display fell short of what was required. Round three took Moate All Whites to Rochfortbridge for a clash with Castletown-Finea/Coole/Whitehall, where they suffered their second defeat in succession. Things appeared to be going well for the All Whites as they led by 0-7 to 1-1 at the interval, but the concession of two second half goals took the wind out of their sails. Heading into the final quarter, Moate were still nicely placed to win this match as an Eamon McDermott delivery ended up in the net - the ball deceiving the 'Finea defence and goalie. However, instead of being the catalyst to go on and win the game, this was Moate's final score and it was 'Finea who finished the stronger to take victory. Round four proved yet another close match, but once again the All Whites were on the wrong end of the scoreline, losing 0-6 to 0-5 against eventual champions, Maryland, in wet conditions at Pairc Chiarán, Athlone. Both sides struggled to cope with the elements and Maryland's half time lead of 0-4 to 0-1 was non too convincing, although the All Whites had the more improving to do. Moate still failed to produce their best football in the second half, but two points from Eric Molloy, one of which could easily have been a goal (Maryland 'keeper, John Murray just managing to get his finger tips to a shot to knock it over the bar) left just the minimum between the sides. The All Whites had three late '45s as they enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure, but the equaliser proved elusive and it was Maryland who took the honours. In the final round of Division 1, Moate All Whites faced their Mount Temple Neighbours, Caulry, in a match that would determine their season. It was a typical derby clash; low scoring, but full of endeavour. In the end, Moate recorded the narrowest of victories on a 0-7 to 0-6 scoreline, with Nigel Adamson scoring the winning point. Despite their plucky win, Moate had no cause for celebration as word soon filtered through to Tubberclair of their elimination by virtue of their earlier loss to Kilbeggan Shamrocks. "To miss out in those circumstances is just sickening," admitted Derek Claffey. "The intermediate is a very tough grade and a lot of teams are evenly balanced. We lost crucial games early on which didn't help, while we were missing the likes of Eoin Dalton and Mark Ennis through injury at the start of the season, which was another factor." Another setback is sure to make a club, which has won no fewer than eight senior titles, even more determined to get back to the premier grade and they'll be aiming to bring through more players from the underage section once again this in 2009. Derek Claffey reports "great progress" at underage level in recent years and one of the main highlights in 2008 was the under 16 footballers reaching the 'C' championship final against Millmore Gaels. Another fine achievement came at under 14 level, with Moate All Whites qualifying for the 'B' final where they enjoyed a fine victory over Milltownpass. At under 12, Moate were strong in numbers and they had a policy where every player saw action in each of the games. In their league final, the under 12s lost to Garrycastle, but the club is very satisfied with the progress made. Aside from the Westmeath league, they also reached the finals of the Tubber and Rosemount tournaments. At under eight and under 10 levels, Moate had a busy '08, with the under 10s competing in tournaments at Castledaly and Rosemount, while the under 8s played in blitzes in Rosemount and Garrycastle. They also represented the club in a blitz in Croke Park, which proved a great honour. The Moate club wishes to acknowledge all who supported the underage area by way of sponsorship, especially John Joe and Olive Claffey of the Grand Hotel, where they held the prize giving ceremony for the successful Street League. They are grateful to the work of the 20 coaches who work in this vital area. "The Street League is a great success and over 80 kids took part. We had new rules, with the under eights getting double for each score and that made a big difference," remarked the PRO. Off the pitch, Scór Na nÓg was a great success, with the club reaching the Leinster final in the Ballad Group section. It's now a case on onwards and upwards for Moate All Whites and they are proud that former Westmeath footballer, Ger Heavin (one of their greatest ever players) has been appointed as the county's minor football manager for 2009. Moate All Whites are extremely grateful to Mossy Collins for work as manager of the intermediate side in the last two years and are hoping that the players will have learned enough from their recent experiences to take the next step. Fr Cremin receives President's Award Carmelite College, Moate's legendary trainer Fr Michael Cremin recently became Westmeath's latest recipient of a GAA President's Award. The Cork native led the famous Moate football nursery to three Hogan Cup successes in 1976, '80 and '81, as well as six Leinster Colleges senior football titles. Indeed, during a glorious period for the Moate school, Carmelite won four provincial championships in-a-row (1975 to '78) and two more Leinster titles in 1980 and '81. Now based in Gort Mhuire in Dublin, Fr Cremin also coached the Westmeath minors to an All-Ireland final appearance in 1963. This is the sixth year that the awards have been presented to members of the Association who have made outstanding contributions to the GAA in their respective fields. Speaking after he received his award from outgoing GAA president Nickey Brennan, Fr Cremin said: "The previous president of the GAA, Sean Kelly, started the awards and they have been carried on by Nickey Brennan. "It's a good thing and it gives you a good overview of what different guys from various areas of the country are doing for the GAA. It was great to see the enthusiasm of fellas from small clubs." When asked what was the secret of the Carmelite's remarkable success during the 1970s and 1980s, Fr Cremin replied: "I would say one particular aspect was dedication and, secondly, the coach has to know what he's doing. "This was the time of Kevin Heffernan and Mick O'Dwyer and I studied football very closely. You need a system of play. I used to focus a lot on free-taking and keeping possession of the ball. The coach has to get on with his group of players. I spent a lot of time with the players and we were kind of professional in our own way." Fr Cremin mentioned Vinny Henry, Aidan O'Halloran, Val Daly, John Maughan and Mick Lynam as some of the best players he worked with during his time in Carmelite College. Tweet

Most Read Stories