It was another 'so near and yet so far' scenario for Maryland in 2006, after their intermediate footballers tasted defeat in yet another championship final replay. Defeat to Bunbrosna was a bitter pill to swallow, but Tommy McCormack is back at the helm for a fourth year, anxious to take it one step further. Maroon and White spoke to the Maryland supremo. An impressive run through Division 1 of the intermediate football championship saw Maryland take the direct route to the semi-final and they were looking good to finally end the long, 26-year wait for another title. They passed a rigorous test in the semi-final but that old replay jinx struck again in the final and, despite a gallant effort, defeat was their lot. However, it would be wrong to judge Maryland solely on that loss to Bunbrosna in the intermediate championship final replay. They showed some fantastic form in the group stages of the championship and, with six wins under their belt, were entitled to feel confident heading into Cusack Park in late September. But just as in 1999, Maryland were forced to give way in a replay, this time to a highly-rated Bunbrosna team. For Tommy McCormack it must have been especially tough as he played on the '87 side which lost to Ballynacargy, but he clearly believes Maryland's day will come. "To lose was just bitterly disappointing, no doubt about it. When you reach a final the goal is always to win it, but overall, we had a good year and made real progress with a young team," reflected Tommy McCormack. "It's now 27 years since we won a championship. This will be my fourth year involved with the current side and we're under no illusions about what it takes. There are no guarantees, no easy games, but we'll be looking to build up momentum in the league and take it forward to the championship," he added. McCormack's men made a promising start to the intermediate football championship of '06, with a resounding 2-15 to 1-9 victory over Rosemount in Pairc Chiaran, Athlone. David Martin was 'tormentor in chief' on the day, finishing with a personal tally of 1-6. Maryland's other goal came from Damien Reynolds and they enjoyed a healthy lead at half time, before pulling clear in impressive fashion in the second half. It was back to Athlone as Maryland tackled near neighbours, Tang, in the second round of the championship in late May. A late goal ensured Maryland of a 3-11 to 2-9 victory, but, as would be expected from two keen rivals, this was a ding-dong battle. Two Joe Harte goals gave Maryland a 2-5 to 0-5 lead at half time, but Tang battled back and the game was up for grabs until Vinny Browne fisted home the decisive goal late on and Maryland kicked clear. The Drumraney side faced Kilbeggan Shamrocks in early July for the third round and they continued their fine form by recording a five-point victory. They led by 0-9 to 1-2 at half time, despite the concession of a fisted goal in the 17th minute. And with Ronan Moran (0-4) and David Martin (0-3) in fine scoring form, they ran out winners by 0-14 to 1-6. Maryland made the trip to Cusack Park to take on Milltownpass in the fourth round. Many would have expected them to continue their winning ways, but such is the fickle nature of the intermediate championship that nothing can be taken for granted. So it was, as Milltownpass caused a shock to emerge with a 1-8 to 0-6 victory over 14-man Maryland, courtesy of a second half goal. Maryland's fifth round tie against Castletown-Finea/Coole/Whitehall was a cracking contest. Played in St. Loman's, Mullingar, it could well have gone either way, but, crucially, McCormack's men edged it by 2-10 to 1-10. Two first half goals gave Maryland a five points lead at half time (2-5 to 1-3), with every score coming from play. John Reilly scored their first goal, before Vinny Browne fisted to the net, following a great move, to put Maryland on their way, but they were forced to survive a fight back before Ollie Moran grabbed the insurance point three minutes from time. Maryland headed for Tang where Ballymore provided the opposition for the final group game in early September. It was a close affair, with Maryland leading by 0-4 to nil at half time, before a second half goal from substitute, Stephen Martin, sealed their place in the semi-final on a 1-7 to 0-5 scoreline. Many predicted that Kilbeggan Shamrocks would exact revenge on Maryland in the semi-final, but the Drumraney men survived the concession of a goal to win by three points (0-15 to 1-9) in a game of genuine quality. They were back in the final again. Maryland's opponents, Bunbrosna, were overwhelming favourites when the sides met on October 29 for the decider. However, despite the concession of an early goal, Maryland showed they would be no pushovers and were full value for a draw (0-10 to 1-7) at the end. In fact, McCormack's men probably should have shaded it. In the replay, Maryland had a man sent off in the first half and at half time were three points adrift (0-4 to 0-7). Although minus the dismissed Declan Nugent for the second half, Maryland displayed great battling qualities, but a strong performance in the final quarter gave Bunbrosna a 0-12 to 0-8 victory. For Maryland, the dream was over for at least another year. "It's a tough championship to win and all you have to do is look at what happened to Ballynacargy last year after they reached the final against Killucan in 2005. It's very competitive and we've been drawn in a tough group, with Ballynacargy up first. They have Frank Lynam and Frank Mescall back in charge now and will be serious opposition," opines Tommy McCormack. The Maryland boss is a fan of the All County League system which has been reintroduced this year and he's confident it will provide more meaningful games ahead of the championship. Maryland also reached the final of the Intermediate Cup last year, along with Bunbrosna, but the fixtures log-jam could well mean it may not be played. Peter Kerrigan returns to the management team this year and, with the experience he garnered under Ambrose McGowan in his time in charge, that can only stand to Maryland. Furthermore, they have 1999 All-Ireland U21 medallist, Richie Browne, back in their ranks again. Liam Allen and Michael Connaughton will once again be McCormack's other selectors. "Our main aim is obviously to win the championship, but every other intermediate team will have the same mindset. It's wide open and we're there to be hit now after last year's great run, so we'll have to be ready for that. We'll focus on the league first and, hopefully, stay injury free. After that, we'll give it our best shot," adds Tommy McCormack. The Maryland team which lost out to Bunbrosna in the intermediate final replay was: John Murray; Philip Rainey, John Cunningham (Capt), Conor Farrell; Stephen Moran, Eoin Farrell, Ronan Moran; David Reynolds, Declan Nugent; Vincent Browne, Joe Harte, James Reynolds; John Reilly, David Martin, Thomas Browne. Subs used: Damien Reynolds and Ollie Moran. Underage news Maryland are combined with Tang at underage level and they enjoyed great success in the U16 grade last year. They teamed up with Tubberclair as Shannon Gaels to beat St. Loman's in the Premier final, while Maryland/Tang also defeated St. Loman's in the delayed Division 1 championship final in late January. Their U14 footballers also had a good year, reaching both the league and championship finals. The Maryland/Tang U16 side which defeated St. Loman's in the final was: Martin Donoghue; Chris O'Connor, Trevor Farrell, Joe Reilly; Darren Malynn, Ronan Farrell, Dean Reddin; Sean Egan, Kenneth Kincaid; Kieran Martin, Aiden Burke, Christy Grimes; William Flanagan, Kieran Egan, Callum McCormack. Subs used: Enda Kincaid and Aaron McKnight. Tweet

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