Last year saw St Paul's compete in their third county final of the decade and as was the case in the previous two, defeat was the outcome. The manner of the latest defeat has been discussed the length and breadth of the county. However, 2009 captain Jimmy McQuaid believes that overall the year was a success and he explains his reasons for this to the Maroon & White.

The capitulation of the side in the junior final will live long in the memories of all involved and was a bitter pill to swallow at the end of a year that promised so much.
St Paul's have been annually regarded as one of the favourites for the junior title, and the commitment and dedication of the players last year wasn't seen in the area for many years.
This was mainly due to the management team of Cormac Davey, Gavin Dooley and Eugene Dolan whose ability to get the best out of players was evident from early on.
The first time the new management team witnessed St Paul's in action was a league encounter against Castletown Finea, which was played the night after sister club Brownstown's annual dinner dance!
"Eugene met with the lads and sold it to them about the potential that we had and they were very eager to come on board, although after our first league match against Castletown Finea, I'm sure they were reconsidering their position," joked Jimmy.
However, preparations for the rest of the year were soon back on track and the professional approach of the management team soon came to the fore.
"The lads really covered everything and unlike previous years, the players really bought into it. We had a belief last year that we never had before and I just hope that continues into this year."
Reaching a county junior final, finishing third in a league that comprised mainly of intermediate teams and still being involved in the junior cup proved that the club had taken steps in the right direction.
"It's a long time since we competed on three fronts like that especially in the league where we have struggled at times. That is where Cormac, Gavin and Eugene made a big difference, they gave us the confidence to go out and beat the likes of Moate at home and better still St Mary's away.
"They also gave every lad a chance to prove themselves throughout the year and no one can have any complaints on that front. It may be a small squad that we have, but the talent is certainly there."
As expected the Clonmellon side progressed through the group stages having lost just one match enroute to the quarterfinal. The campaign saw wins over Ballycomoyle, St Joseph's, Loughnavalley and Milltown with the latter being arguably one of their performances of the championship. In recent years, Milltown have had the edge over St Paul's, but the confidence that ran through the team that evening saw them produce one of their best displays in years.
They then faced St Fintan's/Multyfarnham in the quarterfinal, a match that they easily won. Multy had surprised many in the group stages and following a tough league encounter between these two teams earlier in the year, it was expected to be a close match. That was certainly not the case as the large Multy following were left bitterly disappointed as a ruthless St Paul's, with Philip Gilsenan to the fore, crushed their opponents challenge in the opening 15 minutes.
The semi final was a much tougher contest as Paul's faced a Mullingar Shamrocks side that had beaten them in the group stages. Nonetheless, in a game that saw both sides cancel each other out, a last gasp point from John Fitzpatrick edged it for the blues by the narrowest of margins.
Everything was set for a tough final, but Paul's did suffer a setback with the loss of Darren Henry and Robert Dugdale through injury.
However, right from the outset, it was obvious that Caulry were on top of their game. A few early scores settled their nerves, while it rocked St Paul's and unfortunately there was no way back for the Clonmellon men.
"It was great to reach the final especially after such a tough semi final, but it just wasn't our day and we were beaten by a better team. You have to congratulate Caulry on their performance. In fairness, they were far too good for the junior championship and probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.
"We had the work done and no stone was left unturned. For many years we have been saying that if we did this or did that then it might have been different. However, nothing was left to chance last year and the preparations were spot on. Of course, we had a few injuries going into the final, but so does every club, so that can't be used as an excuse. We just have to take it on the chin and move on."
Jimmy believes that if the same attitude, commitment and dedication can be shown in the 2010 campaign then there is no reason why they cannot go one step further and win the junior championship.
"The players have to have the desire to do the same again. The same effort and commitment will be required and if that is given, then I see no reason why we can't go all the way. We have to show pride in the jersey, which you only have for a short time and you have to make the most of it. Standards cannot be allowed to drop, if we want to go up to the intermediate championship.
"Milltownpass will obviously be the main team to beat after they were relegated last year, but we've shown in our league form that we can beat intermediate teams, so there is no reason to fear anybody."
For the first time since 1990 when Alan Clancy played, St Paul's will have a representative on the Westmeath senior football squad as Philip Gilsenan has made the 30-man panel. This is a great honour for the 22-year-old and indeed the club. Philip's performances throughout 2009 were exceptional and it is great to see the junior grade being represented also. For many years, the only way a player from a junior club would make the squad was if he was with a team that was relegated the previous year, but Philip's selection proves that the standard is a lot stronger than many may think. Tweet

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