At the outset, Streamstown side, St. Joseph's, would have been included among the leading contenders for the 2008 junior football championship. They emerged from a group that included senior clubs, Mullingar Shamrocks and St. Loman's, but defeat to old rivals Milltown in the quarter-final was a blow to the solar plexus. By Damien Maher. Manager, Jason Rabbitte, who was in his first year at the helm, summed the season up by remarking: "It was tough enough, but very enjoyable." A former player with the club, Rabbitte was part of the side which won the '04 junior championship, the only team from the club to make such a breakthrough thus far. He has been reinstalled as manager for 2009 and promises another all-out effort to reach intermediate level. "For me, losing the quarter final was a big disappointment last year. Okay, Milltown would be a strong junior team, but we were right in that game until the concession of two quick-fire goals," he opined. "It was a horrible day for football, but I genuinely thought we had a great chance going into the game. In fairness to Milltown, they hit form at the right time and got the necessary scores. But we'd have to look back on it as a missed opportunity," he added. Jason was joined on the management team by former players Anselm Connell and Pat McCormack. Anselm will be once again part of the set-up in the year ahead. Pat is unable to commit, but was an invaluable help to Jason in his first year as manager. "We had a good year, overall, racking up some good scores in games and generally playing well as a defensive unit. There's definitely plenty to build on," said Rabbitte. The first round of the junior football championship saw St. Joseph's take on Loughnavalley and, after a tough battle, the saints won by a solitary point (1-8 to 1-7). At half time the sides were deadlocked on four points apiece, but 10 minutes into the second half, Andrew McCormack swooped for a vital goal as St. Joseph's surged ahead. Two players, one from each side, were sent off, but it was generally a sporting contest and, despite the concession of a late goal, St. Joseph's held out for victory. In round two, they took on a strong Mullingar Shamrocks side and, after an encouraging first half display, faded after the break and suffered a four-point defeat (2-10 to 0-12). At half time just a point separated the teams, St. Joseph's trailing 0-6 to 0-7, but Mullingar Shamrocks got in for the opening goal to take control. St. Joseph's go back on level terms with six minutes remaining, but then conceded a second goal and in the end suffered their first defeat of the campaign. Round three took them to Castletown Geoghegan for a meeting with another Mullingar side, St. Loman's. This turned out to be quite a contest and, in the end, the sides finished on level terms - St. Joseph's 2-7, St. Loman's 1-10. A clash with St. Fintan's/Multyfarnham lay ahead in the fourth round and this was an opportunity for the Streamstown men to reaffirm their standing. They produced a good performance to take a well deserved victory on the day, winning by eight points (1-11 to 0-6). At half time, St. Joseph's had a lead of eight points, 1-6 to 0-1, courtesy of a goal by the roving Mark McCormack. St. Joseph's proceeded to dominate the game in the second half and points from the likes of Padraic Moran, Damien Lynam and Aidan Lennon put them well on the road to a decisive victory. The final game in the group was against Delvin. Played in Springifeld, Mullingar, it resulted in a comprehensive win for St. Joseph's, on a scoreline of 3-24 to 1-6. The first half was nothing short of a rout and St. Joseph's held a 2-19 to no score lead at the interval, at which stage the match was well and truly decided. So, after five games, St. Joseph's had seven points under their belt and finished in third place behind Mullingar Shamrocks and St. Loman's in Division 1. That set them up for a quarter-final meeting with Milltown. The sides met on a wet, miserable day in Bunbrosna and just a point separated them at half time, Milltown leading by 0-5 to 0-4. It remained a very tight game, but two quick-fire goals gave Milltown a decisive grip and they had five points to spare at the final whistle (2-8 to 0-9). Three second half points from Declan Nannery and two from the boot of Fergus McCormack were ultimately not enough to save their bacon, and St. Joseph's were out of the junior championship for another year. "It was a new departure for me, being involved as manager, although I had been a selector the previous year," reflected Jason Rabbitte. "In that sense it was a big learning curve, but I had the full backing of the committee and the support of the players, which was great. I was starting with a blank canvass and we tried a lot of new stuff in training and in games. I'd be satisfied with how it went," he said. Meanwhile, at underage level, St. Joseph's continued their amalgamation with neighbours, Kilbeggan Shamrocks, a combination that has been together for the last eight years or so. The Chairman of the underage committee in 2008 was Donal Fox of Kilbeggan Shamrocks, while Eugene Nannery of St. Joseph's was Secretary. The minor side reached the semi-final of the B championship where they lost to eventual winners, Castledaly. Despite their defeat at the penultimate stage, the team showed plenty of promise all year. At under 16 level, Kilbeggan/St. Joseph's reached the quarter-final of the championship, but once more bowed out to the would-be champions, Millmore Gaels. The under 12 and under 14 footballers had a tough year by comparison, but there was excellent progress at under 10 level. Overall, there are great prospects at underage for this combination side, but it's expected to take another few years for that potential to shine through. The year ahead could present new challenges for St. Joseph's in that the threat of emigration looms as the recession takes hold. It's something Jason Rabbitte is conscious of, but to dwell on the positive, he points to a fine blend of youth and experience in the Streamstown side. "We have the likes of Aidan Lennon, Fergus McCormack and Dara Lynam, who are very experienced, while the Nannery and Keegan brothers are promising young footballers. There's a good team there and the obvious aim is to go one better than we did last year," added the St. Joseph's manager. The St. Joseph's team which was defeated by Milltown in the quarter-final of the junior championship was: Andrew Meares, Neil Keegan, Michael Larrigy, Mark McCormack, Kenneth Keegan, Brendan Nannery, James McCormack, Aidan Lennon, Sean Lynam, Fergus McCormack, Declan Nannery, Andrew McCormack, Damien Lynam, Ronan McDonnell, Padraic Moran. Subs used: Pat McCormack, Aidan Elliffe, Wayne McCormack, Graham Corcoran. Tweet

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