Following a double cup success, Roche Emmets went into the 2002 season with spirits high and, as a result, were tipped by many to be among the main contenders for the county's top prize - the senior championship. It's 22 years since the Joe Ward Cup made its way to Castleroche and there were many in Louth who felt that this year's team was in the best position for some time to emulate that feat, writes Eunan Whyte. Victory in the 2001 ACC Cup and O'Donnell Cup had given the Faughart parish side the taste of success and they began the year determined to make their mark in the championship. Unfortunately for Roche, it didn't go according to plan. After a slow start, they didn't progress any further than the quarter-final of the championship and their league form left them struggling for survival in Division 1A, a battle they eventually lost. While last year's success was welcome, Paddy McArdle believes that the exertions of that memorable season took their toll on the team and made it difficult for players to raise their game this time out. "We had an absolutely fantastic time last year. Things just seemed to go well for us from the start when we were quick out of the blocks in the ACC Cup. Some encouraging victories in the group stages qualified us for the final but we faced a tough task against St. Marys. "A lot of people had them down as favourites, but in what was described by many as the best game of the season, we came out with a narrow victory at Knockbridge. It was great for the club to get our hands on the trophy," said Paddy who was captain for the successful year. That wasn't the only occasion that the midfielder had the honour of lifting a trophy as a good finish to the league programme saw Roche set up a Cardinal O'Connell Cup final meeting with neighbours St. Patricks. "Again people saw us as underdogs, but we showed great spirit on the day to come through for victory. It was another big day for the club as it was over 40 years since Roche had won the O'Donnell Cup and we felt we were making good progress as a team. Naturally, we were delighted and really enjoyed the celebrations." Unfortunately for McArdle, Roche couldn't reproduce that form in the senior championship and suffered the disappointment of going out after the group stages. As a result, they began this year determined to put the record straight. However, despite their best intentions, things didn't go well and Paddy feels that the effort of the previous year was a factor in this. "At the start of the year, Wayne Callan came out to do our pre-season training and although it was difficult we felt in good shape heading into the season. However, it soon became obvious that the previous year had gone on too long. We had started training in January and the O'Donnell Cup final wasn't played until the last Sunday in November. As a result, players had less than eight weeks to recharge their batteries before getting back into pre-season again. "Players just weren't as fresh as they might have been and consequently it took the team a long time to get going. We lost all our ACC Cup matches, which was disappointing as we wanted to defend the trophy successfully." While a slow start to the league followed, Roche - captained by Brendan O'Callaghan - still had the championship dream very much in their sights and were hoping to peak at the right time. "At the beginning of the summer, the championship was undoubtedly our main aim. We came very close when reaching the semi-final in 1999 and 2000 only to lose out to Kilkerley and Newtown Blues respectively, so we really wanted to give it a go. Blues only defeated us after a replay and then went on to win the title, so we felt that we weren't too far away and with a bit of luck on our side we could make the breakthrough. "Things looked promising in the early stages when we defeated St. Patricks in a very tough match at Dowdallshill. It was a narrow win in the end, but we got a great lift from it as the Lordship men were regarded as one of the favourites. Next time out we played Hunterstown at Tallanstown and picked up another two points which meant that we were already through and defeat by Newtown Blues in the final game didn't affect us. "Having qualified from the group stages, we felt we were in with a chance against St. Brides, although we knew they were a very tough team. Unfortunately, we didn't play well on the day at Haggardstown and were always struggling to keep in touch. "That's not to take anything away from them as they were really up for it and have a very fit and fast team. They also had Aaron Hoey in splendid form during the game and his scores really made the difference." As a result, Roche were left to concentrate on preserving their league status but it was always going to be difficult to raise the players' morale after going out of the championship. "It was a big disappointment to lose to St. Brides, but we had to forget about that and concentrate on our next objective which was to stay up in Division 1A. We did manage to pick up a few points over the next couple of games, but we soon found ourselves being dragged into a dog-fight at the foot of the table. "Stabannon and ourselves were at the bottom while Cooley and St. Patricks came into the reckoning after being deducted points. It was always going to be a battle right up to the end and in those situations it comes down to whoever is more determined to succeed. "It think it's a pity Roche went down as we battled hard to get into the top flight and proved that we can compete at that level by winning trophies. It is also important to be playing at the highest level possible if young players are going to come through and develop their talents at senior level. "We also had to do without a number of key players this year such as Aidan O'Neill who wasn't available for most of the league games and he had been one of our main men in recent times. He was a regular on the Louth team for a couple of years so that sort of ability is hard to replace. "After the championship, Martin McQuillan, decided to go back to play in his native Armagh which was also a blow. Martin was a very experienced player and had a great influence on our team over the past couple of years, so we wish him all the best." On the plus side, the club were represented on the county senior panel by Dermot Craven and Paddy felt that this gave everyone a boost and he wished him luck in his efforts to make a breakthrough onto the team. Despite the efforts of manager, Martin McQuillan, and selectors, Brian McCoy and Mickey Quigley, it hasn't been the best of years at the club, but Paddy is optimistic that Roche will be to the forefront in the not-to-distant future and once again challenging for major honours. Tweet

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