"So near and yet so far" could probably sum up the 2008 season for St. Brigid's hurling club, following their intermediate hurlers' one-point defeat to Brownstown in the championship final. It's a reversal that could really knock the stuffing out of any club, but St. Brigid's are keen to move on. Indeed, with the benefit of hindsight, Chairman, Jim Keegan views the loss in last October's final as something of a blessing in disguise. With such a young team at their disposal, the saints are determined to be back in a county final in the not too distant future. "Seven or eight of that intermediate team were minor only two years ago, so it would be fair to say that they need more time to mature. It was cruel luck to lose the final seven minutes into injury time, but sport can be like that sometimes. You have to bounce back and with such a young team, I think the future looks bright for St. Brigid's," the chairman told Maroon and White. Under the guidance of Niall Seery, Rom Deegan, Jay Faulkner and Liam Casey, the intermediate hurling championship campaign began for the Dalystown men with a clash against Turin at Hogan Park, Moate last May. It proved to be a frustrating day as Turin prevailed on a 2-10 to 0-8 scoreline. The sides were level at 0-6 apiece after a closely fought first half, but it was Turin who pulled away in confident manner in the second half and had eight points to spare when the final whistle sounded. Overall, a less than convincing start for the saints. Round two saw them take on Cullion at St. Loman's GAA grounds. This was an improved performance by St. Brigid's and they recorded an emphatic win in the end, on a 4-13 to 3-9 scoreline. In the third round, St. Brigid's faced Clonkill, with St. Loman's once again the venue. It turned out to be another good win for the saints as they prevailed on a 1-10 to 0-7 scoreline. It was off to Cusack Park for the fourth round and a clash with leading hopefuls, Brownstown. St. Brigid's gave it their all on the day, but suffered a four-point reversal, 1-11 to 3-9. Crucially, St. Brigid's succeeded in returning to winning ways when they met Delvin in round five. In what was a severe test, St. Brigid's prevailed by two points on a scoreline of 0-9 to 0-7. At half time St. Brigid's had a two points lead (0-6 to 0-4) and that was vital in a game that proved to a war of attrition. Dermot Faulkner was top scorer on the day with three points, while Michael Geraghty, Darren Flynn, Larry Poynton and Thomas Geraghty also got their names on the score sheet. Round six saw St. Brigid's travel to Hogan Park, Moate for a meeting with Southern Gaels. Two goals helped the Dalystown outfit record a vital win on a 2-11 to 0-12 scoreline. Philip Sheridan and Thomas Geraghty were the goal scorers in what was another tough battle and St. Brigid's were now in contention for a place in the semi-final. In their final group game, St. Brigid's took on Mullingar side, St. Oliver Plunkett's at Shandonagh GAA grounds. It resulted in an impressive win for the Dalystown side, who out scored their opponents by 4-12 to 2-5 to reach the pen-ultimate stage. In the semi-final, St. Brigid's faced former champions, Delvin, in what was a tough test of their credentials. In the end they had five points to spare over the Valley men, winning by 1-12 to 0-9, with the crucial goal coming from Michael Geraghty 12 minutes into the second half. Dermot Faulkner was a key player in this victory too as he hit seven points, five from frees, and it was back to Cusack Park in mid-October for the final showdown against former Westmeath kingpins, Brownstown. This was a keenly contested intermediate final and was decided by a late point, scored from a free seven minutes into injury time. It was sheer heartbreak for St. Brigid's, who were somewhat unlucky not to win a free out moments before the match-winning point arrived. At half time, St. Brigid's trailed by six points (0-4 to 1-7), having conceded a late goal and a point. This left them with the proverbial mountain to climb in the second half, but they performed heroically, it must be said, and when Dermot Faulkner pointed a free deep in injury time to level the match, it seemed as if the Saffrons had the momentum to push on and win the title. Alas, it wasn't to be and in the end, St. Brigid's were left to agonise as their opponents lifted the intermediate cup. Meanwhile, the underage scene was extremely busy for St. Brigid's in 2008. Their under 12 hurlers, under the guidance of Jim Keegan, showed great promise and achieved some positive results in the Westmeath league before capping off a great year by winning their own tournament. They defeated Ringtown in the final and the majority of the under side are available again for the year ahead, which augers well. The under 14 side, managed by Ger Gill, reached the championship semi-final where they came unstuck against Castlepollard. Elsewhere, the under 16 hurlers recorded a memorable victory in the league final in November against Mullingar side, St. Oliver Plunkett's. They trailed by five points at half time (0-5 to 2-4) at Shandonagh, but the introduction of Stephen Keegan at that stage proved a match-winning move as he helped shore up a defence that had leaked two first half goals. Sean Deegan's overall performance was also very impressive and he scored four points as St. Brigid's prevailed on a 0-14 to 2-6 scoreline. St. Brigid's did not have a minor team in 2008, but that's not something Jim Keegan see's a major setback. "There was too much of a stagger between under 16 and minor for us, but we have a minor team this year," he explained. Meanwhile, in the under 21 side was defeated by Crookedwood in the 13-a-side semi-final, and the junior B team were defeated by eventual winners, Fr. Dalton's of Ballymore in their championship semi-final. The year ahead will present its challenges once again, but St. Brigid's are well placed to meet them. "We can win that intermediate title in the next few years and have players good enough to compete at senior level. There's a good underage structure in place also, which is the bedrock of any club. It must be remembered that we have three big football clubs (St. Mary's, Milltownpass and Tyrrellspass) in our area, which makes it tough. "But we are doing a lot of work and feel the club has a bright future," enthused the St. Brigid's Chairman. The St. Brigid's team which contested the 2008 intermediate final was: Kevin Loughrey, Trevor John Gonoud, Damien Loran, John Peppard, Brian Slevin, Kevin Connell, Darren Quinn, Bernard Kiernan, Philip Sheridan, Sean Bagnall, Larry Poynton, Dermot Faulkner, Eanna Gallagher, Robbie Kenny, Michael Geraghty. Subs used: Seamus Faulkner, Thomas Geraghty, James Keegan, Declan Judge. Tweet

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