Having been one of the major forces in Westmeath football for the past five years, Garrycastle entertained high hopes of reclaiming the Flanagan Cup in 2006, after tasting defeat against The Downs in last year's decider. But while they produced a renewed drive, their championship journey came to a somewhat unexpected end at the semi- final stage, where Castledaly exacted revenge for many near defeats. John Henson has retired from the post of Secretary after six years and he spoke to Damien Maher about Garrycastle's season. When one spoke of championship contenders at the start of the year, Garrycastle were a team that featured on many a shortlist. With three senior championship titles, three leagues and a Feis Cup to their credit since they became a senior team nine years' ago, and a plethora of county stars among their ranks, it was easy to see why. However, while they ground out a determined victory over St. Loman's in a first round replay and embarked on a very familiar route to the semi-final, they encountered a stubborn Castledaly side, which simply refused to entertain the notion of defeat. Despite building up a healthy lead in that semi-final, Garrycastle were pegged back and it was their opponents who went on to contest the decider. "A semi-final appearance is no mean achievement, but to have built up such a healthy lead against Castledaly and be piped for a place in the final is disappointing," admitted John Henson. "It couldn't be described as a bad year, but the second half performance against Castledaly failed to satisfy us and it's probably a good sign that players are disappointed with such an extended run in the championship. It shows how ambitious they are." At the start of the year, Dessie Dolan (Snr.) was training Garrycastle, but with a strong commitment to the Westmeath senior side, the southerners had a limited panel. Dolan was also in charge of Leitrim and, eventually, that took its toll and Garrycastle had to find a new manager. Paul Mollen took over as boss and Michael Lydon, a former Westmeath U21 selector, also joined the management team. Lydon is a highly rated official and was a key member of Luke Dempsey's management team when Westmeath won the All-Ireland U21 title back in 1999. Garrycastle's senior football championship campaign began against St. Loman's, Mullingar, a team that had pushed the southerners all the way on many occasions in the recent past. This first round clash was no different and ended all square (0-8 apiece), meaning a replay was needed to determine who would advance to the winners' section of the championship. It was pretty evenly contested the second day also, but a fisted goal from Gary Dolan was the crucial score and Garrycastle made it through (1-8 to 0-8). They were joined by rivals Athlone and Tyrrellspass in the winners' section, with pundits immediately referring to it as 'the group of death.' Their performance against eventual champions, Tyrrellspass, immediately led to their instalment as favourites for a fourth title. Leading by 1-4 to 0-4 at half time, Garrycastle surged 10 points clear in the second half with goals from Noel Galvin and Gary Dolan, before eventually winning by six points. A victory over Athlone was a further boost, putting them back in familiar territory as they prepared for a semi-final. Games between Garrycastle and Athlone have rarely been formalities, but a seven points win for 'Castle (1-14 to 1-7) indicated they were making a determined bid to win back the most coveted prize in Westmeath football. "With two senior teams from the same area there's bound to be keen rivalry, but I would never say Garrycastle and Athlone are enemies," remarked Henson, as the much talked about competitive edge of Gaelic games was discussed. The semi-final pitted Garrycastle against Castledaly and this was a game that attracted keen interest. Garrycastle made the better start and two first half goals from rising star, Conor Cosgrove, put them firmly in control at half time, where they led by 2-4 to 0-4. It seemed as if they were on course for another final appearance. But Castledaly were the hungrier team in the second half and they duly turned the tables, coming from eight points down to make the final on a 1-9 to 2-5 scoreline. After high expectations, there was naturally a strong sense of disappointment in the Garrycastle camp, but John Henson believes the club has probably become victims of its own success. "We were leading that semi-final by eight points, but only managed one score in the second half, which is a major disappointment. Up to then we were having a good year, but it has become a real handicap that we only see six or seven of our top players in June or July, when Westmeath are out of the championship. "This year we had five on the Westmeath senior panel - seven initially, but two stepped down - and from November of the previous year until July we didn't have them. It has been said in the past that we are slow to start in the championship, but that's probably the reason why. "We approached the Castledaly game in confident form, however, because we were after producing good displays against Tyrrellspass and Athlone. In fairness, Castledaly did extremely well to get back into the match, but after the start we got there was obvious disappointment in the camp afterwards. "We had a few long term injuries which didn't help us either, but I don't want to be seen as making excuses," he said, reflecting on the year. In the Feis Cup, Garrycastle had, at the time of writing, beaten The Downs, but Henson feels that this particular competition is being used wrongly by the County Board. "The Feis Cup should be played at the start of the season, I think, and give clubs a chance to blood new players. It's a ludicrous situation to be starting so late in the year," he opines. In the senior league, Garrycastle competed well, but Henson believes the new format is a backward step. "The league has definitely lost its zip. There's no promotion or relegation and teams are just sending out a team for the sake of fulfilling a fixture. In one game this year, we were missing up to 17 players, but although the game wasn't called off for us, it didn't really matter," he said. At underage level, Garrycastle reached the minor championship (division 2) final, where they recorded a great win over against St. Malachy's/Ballinagore, 3-5 to 1-9. Enda Nugent, Jim King and Richie Murray were the management team and while Garrycastle were six points down at half time (1-7 to 1-1) they really showed their mettle in the second half. Goalkeeper, Michael McMenamin, was outstanding, making some excellent saves, while wing forward, Shane Mulvihill, scored some truly remarkable points, and midfielder, Aiden Browne, was a tower of strength. Meanwhile, the under 16 football side reached the semi-final, while they qualified for the league final earlier in the year. However, they received just four days notice for the fixture and, despite efforts to secure a postponement; Garrycastle had to concede a walkover. At U14 level, Garrycastle held their own tournament and, after reaching the final, lost to neighbours, Athlone. Earlier they had lost in the semi-final of the championship. Garrycastle haven't yet made any arrangements for 2007 as regards a senior management team, but Henson has stepped aside from the position of Secretary and will act as Vice-Chairman of the club this year. Furthermore, he is Chairman of a Development Committee, so he may not have that much free time on his hands after all. The new Chairman is Michael Ganly, who replaces Dermot Ryan, while Matt Ryan steps into the Secretary's position. Eddie Ward is the club's Treasurer once again. "We have plans to do well again this coming year if we can have our best players available for longer. I'm a fan of the new style championship because the first round really matters now, whereas before this supporters weren't really interested in the first round," concludes Henson. Tweet

Most Read Stories