Building on the success of our underage teams of recent years, Clann Gaels are looking forward with confidence to 2008. Whilst our under 14's were alone in reaching a county final in 2007, our girls distinguished themselves in all their games and unfortunately were defeated at the semi-final stage of their respective grades. The challenge remains for Clann Gaels to maintain a vibrant Ladies Football structure in the three areas they exist in and also to ensure that the girls gel together as a competitive force in all of their championship matches. Once again our under 12's competed in the top championship grade with great success, playing against teams of the calibre of Garycastle, Athlone, Moate, Coralstown/Kinnegad, Tyrrellspass and Killbeggan. Our semi-final draw was against Coralstown/Kinnegad, who we had previously defeated earlier in the season. The game was played in the Downs on a wet and blustery evening, this combined with a stronger more physical opposition resulted in Clann Gaels coming out second best. This team possesses great talent and we look forward to seeing these players in action as they progress up through the ranks. Our under 14's competed in Group 2 of the championship and were undefeated coming into the final. Our opponents were Shamrocks, a very strong side that had competed in the Féile final against Saint Loman's earlier in the year. The girls battled hard throughout the entire game but to no avail, as the stronger Shamrocks team was not to be denied their victory. Shamrocks were again our downfall in the under 16 championship. Having won all our games, defeating The Downs, Shandonagh and Loughnavalley on route to our semi-final spot against Shamrocks, hopes were high. The first half performance in this semi-final was not to our usual standard, leaving us well behind at half time. The second half performance bore no resemblance to the first and a spirited Clann Gaels team ensured a nail biting finish; however time ran out whilst Shamrocks were still one point ahead. Having moved up from the junior division in 2003 our intermediate girls have struggled to step up to the mark. Despite great training opportunities being provided for this age group a noticeable lack of commitment was present in 2007. A renewed focus is necessary in 2008 for this team and the re-availability of a few of our stronger members missing in 2007 should give us a greater incentive. We competed in both the Intermediate Championship and Shield Competition in 2007 and whilst recording a win against The Downs, we conceded defeats to Tyrrellspass, Loughnavalley and Shamrocks. Our greatest defeat was in the championship semi-final against Tyrrellspass, the eventual Intermediate Champions. This semi-final game was played in Ballynacargy and the fitter, sharper Tyrrellspass team coasted to victory. Our minor team faced stern opposition in Group 2 of their championship competing against Shamrocks, Athlone, Coralstown/Kinnegad and Killbeggan with the semi-final opponents being Athlone. This game was held in Milltown and Athlone came out on top with a five point victory which included a scored penalty conceded by us at a vital stage in the second half. The Clann Gael's girls gave a great determined display in this game and hopefully they will continue this form in the upcoming season as they progress to the next level. Tweet

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