In Westmeath, the junior football championship encapsulates what parish pride is all about and no where is that more evident than in the small hamlet of Loughnavalley. Here, Gaelic football is everything to most people and, like all other clubs, they love to win and make as big an effort as any of their counterparts. Damien Maher got the views of team captain, Darren Rigney, on the past year. Loughnavalley were keen to make the knock-out stages of the junior football championship in 2007 and they started the year believing it was possible. However, a first round loss to St. Joseph's proved an early setback and they never quite produced their best in other games, meaning they were once again forced to watch while other clubs battled it out in the latter stages. It was no less frustrating than any other year, but they remain determined to challenge for honours and hope the lessons they've learned in 2007 will stand to them in the year ahead. "We played well in every game except the first round, but the main problem we had was that our forwards weren't clinical enough. That's the way I'd sum it up. It was an average year and we have to look at improving in the final third and taking our chances," opined forward and team captain, Darren Rigney. After their first round loss to St. Joseph's, Loughnavalley took on St. Paul's and, again, it was a game they could have won. But they were left to rue missed chances once more as the Clonmellon men narrowly prevailed and, with two losses in a competitive Group 1, Loughnavalley were in trouble. The third round saw the valley boys take on St. Loman's in Ballinagore GAA grounds, but, despite another commendable effort, they lost, agonizingly, by two points (0-12 to 2-4). There was a break before they took on neighbours, Milltown, in the next round at Castletown Geoghegan. As in 2006, this game brought out the best in Loughnavalley and they stunned Milltown with two second half goals. But once again they failed to build on that and Milltown finished the stronger side to win by five points (2-10 to 2-5). That ended Loughnavalley's championship campaign for 2007. "It was difficult in the summer when we went about eight weeks without a game. It's because of the county team and every club seems to suffer. There always seems to be a lull and it's very hard to keep lads focused and maintain the interest in training, because they just want to be playing football," remarked the Loughnavalley skipper. It was a year in which they had hoped to do better, especially with a new trainer at the helm. Rigney, though, was pleased with how things went on the training field. "Training went well for us, I feel. We had Fergus Shaw, a Raharney man living in Loughnavalley, training us and he got the numbers in the pitch. At the start of the year we were going really well and players were getting fit, but we just needed to build on that," he said. "As I say, our defence and midfield was very good, but the forwards just didn't do the business," he added. The league saw Loughnavalley produce some good displays and they managed to consolidate Division 3 status. That means they'll have the benefit of more competitive games against intermediate teams ahead of this year's championship. In the Junior Cup, they had a narrow win over Ballycomoyle and then took on junior champions, Rosemount in Loughnavalley. Again, this was a game they could have won as they pushed a strong Rosemount side all the way, but when the final whistle sounded, the visitors had their noses in front. "The fact that we ran Rosemount so close in their last game before the championship final proves that we can compete with the stronger teams in junior," enthused Rigney. "It was the same when we played Ballinagore in the league. We managed to score 15 points against them and they went on and won the intermediate championship later in the year. "Our goal at the start of the year was to stay Division 3 and reach the knock-out stages of the championship. We failed in our championship bid, but we'll have the same approach in 2008," he adds. Away from football, Loughnavalley have made great progress with their new dressing rooms, which are now fully complete. They are also planning to develop a car park when the fine weather comes. "The new dressing rooms are great, especially when lads go training on cold, wet evenings. It means players who have to travel can have a shower, which is obviously important. But it also shows that the club has made progress," said Rigney. "We'll be aiming to produce a better run in the championship this year; that's what every club wants and we're no different. If we can make the play-offs, anything is possible; you see that every year in the junior final. "We feel we are going in the right direction and with another big effort can definitely improve on last year," he added. Great year for Loughnavalley ladies While 2007 may not have been so successful for the male footballers of Loughnavalley, the ladies club in the area continued its impressive development. Not only did they reach the under 14 championship final, but their adult team embarked on a great run that took them to the junior final against Tyrrellspass. Alas, victory proved elusive, but everyone associated with the club took pride in the achievement of reaching the decider. Local man, Christy Keenan, along with Johnny Quinn, oversaw the team's development. "It was great and we got a fantastic buzz out of being involved," he said. "Reaching that final was a big achievement because we had to beat intermediate teams like Clann Gales and The Downs," he added. Their championship run was fantastic, especially when one considers that Loughnavalley ladies have only been together as a club for a few short years. They produced a great display to beat a strong Athlone side in the semi-final, but then a classy Tyrrellspass side proved too strong. However, now that Tyrrellspass have gone on to the next level, Loughnavalley will surely be eyeing a junior title this coming year. Majella Murphy, who's Secretary of the ladies club and plays on the team, was thrilled with how the year went. "It was a great achievement and we were delighted to reach the final. We knew Tyrrellspass would be a tough team, though, but we're only four years together and we feel now that we've made great progress," she said. "Naturally, we'll be aiming to go one better this year with Tyrrellspass gone on to intermediate level," added the secretary, who works with Chairperson, Alice Kerrigan. Their under 14 ladies were involved in a thrilling final against Shandonagh at Ballynacargy and there was a great level of support for Loughnavalley on the evening. In the end, they lost narrowly, but the game could literally have gone either way. Loughnavalley is a close-knit community where Gaelic football is more than just a past time. Great progress has been made and the breakthrough gets closer with every passing year. Tweet

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