The waiting game
April 01, 2010Castletown-Geoghegan are the club in question and if their underage structure is anything to go by then 2010 could be the year that the south Westmeath side lift the title once again.
Castletown's last success came in 2004 and for a club of this stature, six years is far too long to have to wait. One of the most experienced players on the squad at the moment is Derek Gallagher and he spoke to Maroon & White about his career to date and his hopes for the coming year.
First, let's take a look at last year's campaign when the black and ambers were many people's outside tip to break the dominance that Clonkill and Raharney have held for the past four campaigns.
With ten senior titles to their credit, Castletown-Geoghegan is one of the hurling strongholds in the county. In recent years they have dominated the underage scene with many of these players on the verge of making the breakthrough to the senior ranks.
Castletown's opening match of the 2010 senior hurling championship saw them pitted against St Oliver Plunkett's and following a close battle, they succumbed to the town by a narrow margin.
This meant a place in the losers' group where they would face Clonkill, Brownstown and Ringtown and with two teams going through to the knockout stages, Castletown were strong favourites to emerge along with Clonkill, although Derek stressed that they did not take any side for granted.
"We just weren't ready for the Plunkett's game and we were caught on the hop that day. I really think it thought us a lesson for the rest of the year as we took no team for granted," said Derek.
"On their day, any side in the senior championship can cause an upset. There are five or six teams that are good enough to win the senior, so you have to be at your best all the time."
The high profile appointment of Damien Fox as manager for the year sent out a message to their rivals of their clear intentions to go all the way. Fox had managed Laois hurlers previously, while he was also a member of the Tullamore side that reached last year's Leinster final.
"Damien brought a professional approach to the whole set up and he is a very good manager. One of the things that impressed with about Damien was his knowledge of all our opponents; he really did his homework on them. At the start of the year, he sat us all done and said one line to us and it really stuck with us throughout the year. He said 'be the best we can as a team' and it was something that everyone really bought into.
"Thankfully he is staying on with us this year. He got the best out of lads and everyone was delighted that he has stayed with us for another year at least."
Castletown opened their group campaign with a relatively straight forward win over Ringtown, but a defeat to Clonkill in their next outing meant that they needed to beat Brownstown in their last game to ensure qualification.
As it turned out, the black and ambers turned in a sterling performance to run out comfortable winners and the manner of which surprised Derek somewhat.
"We were worried about Brownstown as they had really put it up to the Gaels and Clonkill in earlier rounds. However, we clicked on the day and some of the lads were exceptional."
This set Castletown up with a quarterfinal meeting against Castlepollard, a team that knows what it takes to win championships in the modern era.
The match itself turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the year as play moved from one end to another as both sides gave it their all to reach the last four.
However, despite the concession of a late goal, it was Castletown that emerged victorious on a scoreline of 1-19 to 3-8 and thus booked a date with Lough Lene Gaels in the semi final.
"There was relief all round when the final whistle blew that day. Castlepollard put up to us, but we wouldn't have expected any less from them. They're a very good side and have shown that over the years."
And so on to the semi final and a chance for Castletown to reach their first final since 2006.
The loss of four key players really hampered Castletown's chances on that day. Nonetheless, the players on show put up a great fight against the Gaels, but they could never get ahead as the Collinstown outfit found their range.
Castletown fought to the very end and were it not for some staunch defending by the Gaels defence, then the black and ambers would have marched on. As it was Lough Lene Gaels held on for a 3-12 to 2-12 victory.
"It was bitterly disappointing to lose the semi final. I believe that if we had the lads that were missing then we would have won, but that's the way it goes I suppose. Hopefully the younger lads on the squad will have gained valuable experience from the campaign and it will help us this year.
"We know that we are as good as anyone in the county and we just have to believe in ourselves. This is a new year and there is no reason why we can't go all the way," added the former county hurler.
The club didn't end the year empty handed though as their minors lifted the county title following a hard fought battle against their old rivals Clonkill, which was there ninth success at this grade.
Meanwhile, the club's under-12s showed that the next batch of future stars are a decent bunch too, as they won a Leinster tournament in Dublin.
There is no question that Castletown-Geoghegan are on the verge of something historic. It is now up to the players themselves to make sure that all this hard work pays off. Tweet
