The absolute agony of failing to make the quarter finals of the intermediate football championship due to a one point scoring difference must have led to Moate folk tearing their hair out as they left Castletown-Geoghegan following last year's victory over St. Mary's Rochfortbridge. Damien Maher reviews a roller-coaster campaign in the company of All-Whites supremo, Mossy Collins. Eight points ahead of St. Mary's Rochfortbridge with nine minutes of their final group game remaining, Moate must surely have been working out their likely opponents in the knock out stages of the intermediate football championship. But the concession of a late goal proved detrimental to their prospects and instead it was Kilbeggan Shamrocks who took the quarter final slot, despite their eight-point loss against Shandonagh. Moate manager, Mossy Collins, like everyone else, was bitterly disappointed at the outcome, but he feels the team made genuine progress from the previous year and is back at the helm for 2008. The man who won a senior title with the club remains determined to lead them back to top flight football. "We were disappointed not to have made it through, especially in the circumstances in which it happened. We also had a couple of draws and the game against Kilbeggan Shamrocks is one we could have won. It was an improvement on the previous year, though," he remarked. Collins, who also played with Athlone in the past, is pleased with how the players approached last year and feels the potential is there to reach the knock out stages. He's also satisfied with the renewed focus and drive that's taking place at underage level. "I got good commitment from the players and training went well, but for a long tome Moate has had very few players coming through from underage football. However, a lot of work has been done at underage level in recent years and that should bear fruit. It's very difficult to be still relying on the same lads who won the senior championship 10 years' ago," he opined. Moate All Whites competed in Division 1 of the '07 intermediate football championship and kicked off their campaign in Pairc Chiarain, Athlone, with a clash against neighbours and keen rivals, Caulry. It was a rare meeting at adult level involving the two south Westmeath strongholds, and, perhaps predictably, it finished level (Moate 1-8, Caulry 2-5). Considering they conceded two first half goals and trailed by three points at half time on a wet evening, Moate All Whites were probably relieved that a fine second half recovery rescued a share of the spoils. In the end it took a point from wily campaigner, Ger Heavin, to ensure Moate took something from this game. Round two saw Moate return to the Athlone venue for a meeting with Tang. After another close game, the All Whites emerged two-point winners on a 1-9 to 1-7 scoreline, with Michael Broder's early goal a vital score. It meant Moate led by 1-5 to 1-2 at the break, but they had to withstand a determined effort from Tang in the second half and, again, Ger Heavin's accurate free-taking proved crucial. With an unbeaten record, Moate headed for Ballymore a week later to take on Shandonagh in the third round. This was a game the All Whites will not wish to remember as they registered just two points in the first half and a missed an early penalty. Although Ger Heavin did make amends from the penalty spot in the second half, and Peter Tuohy also swooped for a goal, Moate could manage just one point in the final quarter and it was Shandonagh who landed the spoils on a 3-6 to 2-5 scoreline. There was still no need for panic, though, as Moate were well placed heading for Cusack Park to take on Kilbeggan Shamrocks in the fourth round. It was a low-scoring, disappointing affair, however, and, in the end, both sides had to settle for a point apiece as it finished all square (0-8 each). If anything, though, the game showed Moate's batting qualities as they fell behind three times in the final quarter, but recovered on each occasion. They could have snatched victory in the end when Conor Hynes missed the target, but having trailed by a point at half time, Moate had to settle for another draw. In their final Division one outing, Moate All Whites headed for Castletown Geoghegan to take on St. Mary's Rochfortbridge. It was a game Moate was expected to win and that's precisely how things transpired. However, their 1-10 to 1-7 victory was not enough to secure a place in the knock-out stages and the All Whites were left to ponder on the concession of 1-2 in the last nine minutes, which cost them a place in the quarter final. "The concession of a soft goal at a time when we appeared to be well in control of the match proved our downfall. There's no point in blaming anyone else for what happened, we have to take responsibility and move on," said Collins, who will have local men, Kevin Madden and John Jullian as his selectors for the season ahead. "The intermediate championship is a tough competition and is very hard won. I saw that when I trained Rosemount. But the players are positive and, obviously, our aim is to go one better than last year and make the knock out stages. After that, who knows what could happen," he added. Under 14 success At underage level, the main highlight of the year for the All Whites was the success of their under 14 footballers against neighbours, Caulry, in the Division 3 league final in November. Played on a Bank holiday Monday in Kilbeggan GAA grounds, it was an absorbing contest, but team captain, Jack Linnane helped swing the result for Moate All Whites by compiling a personal tally of 1-6. In the end four points separated the teams (2-10 to 2-6) and both Moate goals arrived in the first half, the other coming from Joe Ward. Elsewhere, the All Whites can be pleased with the fact that they competed well at all grades and there was a renewed effort to improve things at underage level, an area which the club clearly views as critical for the future. Underage Secretary, Pat Malone, praised those involved with the various teams. "We have an excellent underage Chairman in Niall Cunningham and the people involved with the different teams put in a big effort," he said. "It's important for the town of Moate that the club continues to thrive, but there are difficulties we have to confront, especially with so much competition from other sports. Apart from soccer and rugby, golf is big in Moate too," he added. The Secretary, who said he would like to see the underage year condensed more, said there are big numbers available to the club at under eight and under 10 levels, but it's when they get to under 14 that things become more challenging. "If a young lad is good at one sport, he's generally good at them all, so that can present difficulties. But I'd like to see the championship condensed more. The season is very long for mentors who are involved with teams," he said, pointing to the fact that under 16 football begins with the leagues in February, and doesn't finish until the end of the year. "If you have young lads who are hurling too it's difficult to keep them together, so it would help if they could get competitions on and complete them sooner," he added. The successful Moate All Whites under 14 team was: Thomas Ryan; Darragh Claffey, Cian Bradley, Jamie Madden; John Eagney, Daniel Buckley, Robert Gorman; Joseph Ward, Robert Walsh; Dwayne Farrell, Ogie Hollywood, Daniel Marsh; David Crays, Jack Linnane, John Corbally. Subs used: Louis Duffy, Chris Healy, Rory Cunningham, David Joyce. Tweet

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