Denn and now
March 01, 2010The now ex-Secretary isn't one for looking through the prism of nostalgia. Instead, those who know her know that realism is her game of choice.
She is unequivocal in summing up '09 as a whole for the maroon and whites' flagship team but the words 'busted' and 'flush' aren't part of her lexicon.
"The lads got to their second senior championship final in a row so that must say a lot about their ability and their potential," Geraldine enthuses.
"The championship is the competition every player wants to do best in and the stats show that we were the second best in it last year again.
"Having said that, I was surprised that they didn't get closer to them in the final last October and for a lot of people, I suppose it was an anti-climax."
Geraldine accepts the collective enervation that coloured Denn's championship foray wasn't matched in corresponding fashion on the league front.
The invincibility the Crosskeys-based crew demonstrated at times in the blue riband fare morphed into unconvincing mode 'cum the ACFL.
Garnering just a handful of points in the league left a sour taste in the mouths of all concerned even with the imbibing of championship final day.
Geraldine admits that Denn's demoralising show in the 2009 SFC final again spawned a thousand post-mortems locally:
"Everyone recognised that in 2008 the club was just happy to get to the senior final but they went to last year's final with a lot more expectations.
"I think there might have been a sense among the rest of the clubs of the county in 2008 that us getting to the county final was a bit of a fluke.
"Credit to the lads for getting to the final again; they proved a lot of people wrong but we were bitterly disappointed with the way the match went.
"It turned out to be nearly as one-sided as the previous final and we just didn't make any headway in our efforts to get on terms with the Gaels.
"Unfortunately, they were in a different class in both finals; we did okay but when they needed to, the Gaels just stepped on the gas and eased away."
Denn began the '09 championship season full of revivalist zeal and in a must-win game, they carved out an exciting 2-11 to 1-10 win over Kingscourt.
Amazingly, that win over the Stars represented Denn's first competitive win since the 2008 SFC semi-final.
Recalling that game in Virginia last July, Geraldine says introspection was nowhere to be seen as the maroon and whites rolled back the tape.
"The win over Kingscourt reminded me of the lads' win over Knockbride in Lavey the previous year when they almost could do no wrong in the game.
"The Kingscourt match was like a carbon-copy of the Knockbride win and the players really showed they had a point to prove.
"I personally felt the squad we had last year was that bit stronger than the '08 panel and would get closer than the eight points (0-15 to 0-7) that separated them in the 2008 final.
"Going through '08 meant they were more experienced for a start and they knew exactly what it was going to take to stick with the Gaels in the final.
"2009 wasn't going to present anything new for the players but I wondered would they be able to get over what happened in the final the year before."
For all Geraldine and co's concerns about the stuffing being knocked out of Denn on foot of the 2008 decider, '09 didn't reveal any such damage.
Instead, the team showed a steely self-assurance in the championship at least and, at times, their quality was positively luminous.
Citing injuries to key personnel such as Eoin McPhillips and Darren Costello as mitigating factors in the team's dismal league showing, Geraldine is convinced that Denn's form in the championship was a true reflection of the squad's inherent ability.
It seemed all the while though as if Denn had only eyes for the Fat Lady in attendance at county finals day. If the Gaels were there too, all the better.
Sadly, the 1-20 to 2-11 county final scoreline said it all. Denn were bowled over convincingly, having trailed by 13 points eight minutes after half-time.
Denn were actually somewhat flattered by their six point defeat and only a spirited 1-4 unanswered tally either side of the three-quarter mark plus a goal in the dying seconds saved them from feeling even more blue at the final whistle.
Denn got off on the wrong foot from the off, going 0-1 to 0-6 in arrears by the end of the opening quarter.
The raging hot underdogs continued to be their own worst enemies at times and they desperately needed a goal to give them a lifeline.
Instead, it was with man-of-the match Micheal Lyng who goaled in the 22nd minute to propel the Gaels into a 1-10 to 0-5 interval lead.
The defending champions sped into an astonishing 1-16 to 0-6 lead after just 38 minutes but, to their credit, Denn launched a spirited defence. Between the 39th and 49th minutes when they scored an unanswered 1-4 with Colin Kiernan goaling from the penalty spot after midfielder Thomas Corr was hauled down.
The feeling remained though that Denn needed the tonic of a second goal immediately afterwards even though a string of points without reply cut the Gaels' lead to a more manageable six points, 1-16 to 1-10, with 11 minutes remaining.
Denn's mini-fightback was the cue though for the odds-on favourites to go up through the gears once more and Cormac Nelligan's free (52nd) duly stopped the rot and Denn's momentum into the bargain.
From there to the finish, the game was an evenly-contested affair but with a great air of inevitability firmly attached to its underbelly.
Denn did find the net again (60th min) when Hubert Smith fisted to the net but it was a score that sadly had the word consolation stamped all over it.
Denn (2009 SFC final v Cavan Gaels):
B Boylan; E McPhillips (0-1), C McGovern, A Cahill; M Cahill (0-1), D McKiernan, A McKiernan (0-1); T Corr, R Kiernan (0-1); J Kiernan, C Kiernan (1-1), P McGovern; Darren Costello (0-4, all frees), Hubert Smith (0-1), Martin McKiernan (0-1).
Subs; P Galligan; P Donohoe for J Kiernan (41); J Smith (1-0) for P McGovern.
Looking ahead to this coming year and the seasons thereafter, Geraldine is hoping that the more experienced players on the senior team will stay on.
She is aware that a sprinkling of players at the club are hovering around the 30 years mark but their nous will be invaluable in 2010, she moots.
Geraldine is fearful though that the infamous recession may add to the club's travails in consolidating their progress up the ratings of Cavan football.
"A lot depends on how many, if any, of the players have to go abroad to look for work. The recession could have a big bearing on our panel this year.
"It would be understandable if football took a backseat for certain fellas if the work situation wasn't good and then there's the drop-off from minors.
"We had to join up with Killygarry in 2009 as Slieve Glah Gaels which isn't ideal but that's the situation we were with numbers at under 21 level in '09."
The fact that Denn reached the Under 16 and also the under 14 final - only to lose out on both - at least shows that there is some talent on the way up.
"There's no shame in losing out in those finals to Gowna and Killygarry and at least we're reaching county finals which is always a positive thing.
"We also got to the Under 16 championship semi-final (losing to Drumalee) and to the Under 12 championship semi-final (losing to Belturbet).
"There's great work being done at underage level and we're hoping that that will continue because every team needs new blood every so often."
Fulsome in her praise for the work put in by her club colleagues in organising La na gClub and in progressing plans for the club's proposed new pitch, Geraldine has decided to take a "back seat" for the coming year after her three year stint as Secretary.
Married to long-time club stalwart Mattie McSherry and mother to rising Denn starlets Kevin and Cormac, Mullagh-born Geraldine (nee Lynch) says reaching a third consecutive SFC final is a "realistic target" and that "the gap between us and the Gaels isn't as big as the scorelines suggest."
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