Brady hoping for the best
December 31, 2010Locals say it's easier to spot a corncrake than to visit a Redhills game sans Philip Brady in attendance.
The former eager-beaver attacker has proven himself one of the border club's most loyal and ardent fans down the years.
It seems as if things of a Redhills hue are encoded in his DNA. He talks with the same passion about his local club that he oozed when a player.
Talking things down may be the Irish way but not for businessman Brady - either on or off the field of play. He's a glass half-full merchant, you see.
"I don't go along with this thing that club football in Cavan is desperate or really poor," the Cavan town-based Gents Outfitters argues.
"We're not far from the Monaghan or Fermanagh border and we've a good enough insight into club football in both counties and they're nothing to write home about.
"Derrygonnelly and Lisnaskea played in the Fermanagh county final recently and it was one point to no-score after 20 minutes. How poor is that?
"It's the same in Monaghan. You'd fancy the Cavan champions to beat their best any Sunday of the year and the same with Fermanagh's (champions)."
Philip has long been identified with Redhills and Cavan football. Very few games involving either party aren't overseen by the fierce football fan.
He has been a dyed-in-the-wool supporter since he was first brought to Gaelic football games as a gasun before graduating to become a notable player during Redhills' halcyon days of the 'seventies.
After hanging up his boots, he did his stint as a faithful member of the club committee but it's his familiar face at so many matches that has seen him being portrayed as the public face of Redhills' metaphorical supporters' club.
He played for Redhills' seniors right up to the advent of the nineties, some twenty years after he collected a SFC medal, albeit in the colours of Annagh, the parish team, in '73.
In 1973, he also collected an intermediate championship medal with Redhills. Now he's eyeing up a SFC gong for his beloved club.
"If we can get 25 fellas totally committed to the cause and put in a no-alcohol rule and have everyong give it a real lash, I think a senior championship title is a possibility in the next year," Philip enthuses.
"Look at what Kingscourt achieved this year and, with a full team, Redhills would never be afraid of taking them (Kingscourt) on in the championship.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Redhills are more than capable of getting to a championship final in 2011 but, then again, maybe there's another ten clubs with the same optimistic outlook.
"The big thing for us though is that we need to have our full quota of players available and that's nowhere near a guarantee any given year."
Indeed the death of the Celtic Tiger has placed a hugh question mark over the ability of the Redhills club to maximise its inherent potential.
Emigration has begun to kick in once again with all the ferociousness that it did during the mid-eighties when Redhills was all but descimated.
Can Redhills GFC 'hold onto' the likes of Oisin Minagh, Rory Dunne, Packie Leddy, Turlough Mooney etc etc? That is the big question going forward.
"We've a rich crop of youngsters at the present time but the whole thing is will they all be about for 2011 so that they can line out for the club.
"The club has benefited from a brillant underage structure down the years with a bundle of enthusiastic fellas over all the teams which has been great.
"For years we've been used to young people coming to this country and every club had it handy in getting out teams but that's all changed now.
"You only have to see for yourself the way 20 or so under 21 lads went to the U.S during the past summer to get work. How many of them will be tempted to go back and stay, especially if they can't find work when they finish their time as students?
"You couldn't blame the youngsters for trying their hand at going abroad and looking towards making a better future for themselves.
"The one thing that is sure about the future is that clubs or county boards will be powerless to prevent our best talent from emigrating 'cause fellas need to be able to make a living and if they can't manage that in Ireland then they've no option but to go abroad."
Whatever about his prognosis for the future, Philip's diagnosis of what went right and what went wrong in 2010 makes for some interesting thoughts.
He talks about how "Redhills really rolled up their sleeve this year." Winning two games in the senior championship was no mean feat, he suggests.
"Beating Cuchullains was a good result and a good display as well. Making Kingscourt work hard for the points was another good sign for the future.
"Considering how many fellas weren't available to the management, I think we did better this year than we could reasonably have expected.
"We got into a relegation battle but survived it and made sure that we'd be playing in the senior division one league again next year which was good."
Philip is convinced that the club's intermediate championship success of yesteryear can prove a stepping stone towards achieving SFC joy.
He is fearful though of the lure of greener pastures across the ocean and knows that the better Gaelic footballers are always being head-hunted.
"There's big contacts in the GAA world between here in Cavan and the States and the carrot of a good job, accomodation and a sound future is offered to many a young fella.
"But you'd be hoping that things will pick up in Ireland and the likes of Redhills can get their best 15 out onto the field to that the potential can be fulfilled."
But Philip is quick to acknowledge that the 1973 Redhills team that annexed the IFC didn't go on and fulfill its potential:
"That's true, so you never know in football what way things will go for a particular group of footballers, whatever era you're talking about.
"We thought it was only a matter of form that we'd go on and win the senior championship, if not in '74 then soon afterwards 'cause we had the players.
"I was only 18 then but we had a few fellas who were getting on a bit as footballers and there were some very good teams around then.
"I'm not sure that we had the best of luck around then either like the way all successful teams need.
"As the seventies went on we lost more and more ground on teams like Cavan Gaels, Drumalee and Laragh plus Templeport."
Philip says he is hopeful that the current Redhills team can make amends for the club losing out on the blue riband senior prize 30 and more years ago.
The sky's the limit, he moots, in relation to the present squad. "We've ten or eleven exceptionally good footballers," he declares.
The apparent breaking of Cavan Gaels' stranglehold on matters at the top level is heartening for Redhills and other wannabes, Philip suggests.
"The lads put in an enormous effort to win the intermediate championship but now it's a question of how hungry they are still.
"Kingscourt shows how far a bit of hunger can go. I thought the Gaels would win by 10 points and, of course, hindsight is a great thing.
"But Kingscourt wanted it more. Cavan Gaels didn't put in the same work as Kingscourt and if they (Gaels) lose a couple of fellas through retirement, they'll be nowhere near the same force they have been, especially in defence."
Philip says that the Gaels' surprise defeat "is a great thing for Cavan football and should encourage a lot more clubs into thinking that they have what it takes to win the (senior) championship."
Fulsome in his praise of the work and talent of 'erstwhile Redhills boss Mickey Cadden, Philip says the upcoming 2011 Cavan SFC could be one of the most interesting for many years.
Meanwhile, on the intercounty front, he doesn't think that the Gaels' surprise SFC final defeat will unduly influence the decision of the Cavan senior selectors when they draw up their panel for the forthcoming NFL.
"The Gaels didn't have much of a representation on the county team anyway.
"I wish Val Andrews and Terry Hyland the best of luck but you'd imagine they'd have to hit the ground running for the sake of confidence and morale in the camp.
"I think the team needs more pace in the side. There's good talent there. We'll hope for the best, as usual." Tweet
