These are exciting times for vice-chairman Joe McQuillan (an upcoming national referee) and his team-mates at Kill Shamrocks GFC, who enjoyed an impressive innings in 2002. And there's every reason to believe that things will get even better for all concerned in '03... Right now is just about the best time Kill Shamrocks have ever had. Ever. Full stop. In 2002, the club contested the Division Three league final (only losing to Drumalee after a replay) and came as close as they've been to attaining senior status by virtue of a determined run to the quarter-final of the intermediate championship. At the turn of the year, Kill had players participating in the Cavan minor, under 21 and senior camps - a feat which even many of the county's senior clubs can't match! Furthermore, first-team player and club vice-chairman Joe McQuillan has been drafted onto the national refereeing panel and is without doubt one of the country's most promising up and coming match officials. Somehow, he also found time to manage the St Finbarrs (Kill/Drung) ladies last year! Looking back on the very positive events of 2002, Joe is understandably in upbeat mood. "It was a very successful year both on and off the field for the club and we're hoping for even better in 2003," he enthuses. A decent league run saw Kill through to the Division Three semi-finals, wherein they defeated Lavey by 0-9 to 0-6 to progress to the decider. In the final, they faced Drumalee but, unfortunately for the Shamrocks, their county star Pierce McKenna was injured and could only make limited contributions (although his intervention in the drawn game after being introduced as a sub dramatically forced a replay). After earning that replay with a late surge, Kill capitulated in the re-match. Meanwhile, in the intermediate championship, they lost their first two outings against Drumlane and Laragh Utd but bounced back with two great wins over Swanlinbar and Cuchullains to clinch a place in the last eight. Denn, however, proved too strong in the quarter-final, storming home on a scoreline of 1-13 to 0-5. Though it was ultimately a fruitless year, Joe McQuillan looks back on '02 with a tremendous amount of satisfaction and recognises that significant progress was made. "It was a very progressive year," he says. "We were after spending three or four years in the bottom half of Division Three but have now moved beyond that. In 2001, we reached the semi-final and last year we got to the final, so we're making definite progress. And, by virtue of the fact that we've retained our intermediate status, we'll now be playing Division Two football this year which is another step in the right direction. "We won eight of our ten league games in '02 and were only beaten in each of the other three by one point. We also reached the quarter-final of the intermediate championship for the first time in a decade or more, so things are looking up. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that at the moment we have as strong a team as ever we've had." Bold words, but a glance at the facts suggests that Joe is probably right. Kill have never been in a stronger position and - significantly - have never been afforded as much respect from county selectors at all levels. The beginnings of the Shamrocks renaissance can be traced back to the appointment of former Gowna and Cavan captain Gerry Brady as manager a couple of years ago. He immediately began to instill a more professional approach in the players and his reign was a total success. Kill's decent run in 2002 was in no small way due to Brady's guidance. What was their target at the start of the year? Did they set their sights on winning some silverware? "Our main aim was to continue to make progress and to get to a league final, both of which we achieved. We didn't win it but we held our intermediate status by qualifying for the quarter-final, which means we'll be in Division Two this year anyway. That was as much as we could have asked for. It was a good year all round." Can Kill build upon the progress made in the past twelve months? "Division Two is a new level for us, but we're used to intermediate football which is a big advantage. We have a few county men and that's always a big help too. Pierce McKenna is midfield with the county seniors, Donal Kissane is on the Cavan under 21 panel and Niall McCaffrey is with the minors. So, we have some mighty young players on our hands and of course we can progress this year. "We also have ex-county player Conor McCarey, who won an Ulster under 21 medal with Cavan and is still an exceptional footballer. The players are there and - more encouragingly - a good crop of young talent continues to come through. The club is a year older and wiser and we're looking forward to a big season." There is no doubt that Pierce McKenna's injury severely affected Kill's prospects in the '02 Division Three final. Had the county man not been hampered by injury, it could have been a different story. His arrival into the fray in the drawn game had a major impact: "He came in as a sub, scored a great goal and lifted the whole team. We looked out of it but battled back to earn a draw." He came on earlier in the replay ... but: "He was still carrying the injury and couldn't last the pace. At the same time, it has to be said that Drumalee won by 1-12 to 0-10 and we couldn't really argue with that at the end of the day. We were playing catch-up all the way and couldn't get on terms." Joe himself has been on the Kill first team for the past eleven seasons, since he was 16. He has been refereeing at provincial level for three years and was drafted onto the national panel not long before Christmas. The Cavan man has already made rapid progress. He has been handed his fair share of big games, taking charge of the 2001 Ulster minor league final as well as the 2002 Ulster minor championship final between Tyrone and Monaghan. He also refereed last year's Cavan junior championship final. Considering that he only joined the Ulster panel three years ago, Joe's progress in refereeing has been impressive. He could be set for big things. All of which suggests that 2003 could be one very busy year: "I'd certainly be hoping for bigger and better things," Joe beams. Reflecting on the past season and looking ahead to the unraveling of the current one, Joe believes there are certain parties who deserve great praise for the parts they have played in nurturing Kill's present well-being: "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our main sponsor, The West End Bar in Cootehill. They have been behind us for the past three or four years and have served us well. "I'd also like to emphasise the role Gerry Brady played. Gerry gave a huge commitment and he is off now to the Fr Manning Gaels club in Longford, which is a very big appointment and one he thoroughly deserves. Selectors Joseph Smith and Ciaran Brady backed him up extremely well. "We had a successful year off the field, with a well-supported Golf Classic in June on Clones Golf Course. It was a glorious summer's day and we had a huge attendance. The future is looking bright. "We haven't exactly been the most successful club in the county over the years, but we're good grafters! We've never played senior football, but last year was the closest we ever came to realising that dream. The present team is as good a side as we've ever had. "We're intending to do some development work on Rathluden Park this year and we've another Golf Classic organised for Clones in May. These are exciting times on and off the field." Kill Shamrocks have more or less been rebuilding since the 1997 junior championship success and it looks like that process is now reaching a fruitful conclusion. After the '97 win, they lost a number of players to retirement and emigration, but they have now unearthed a competent young side with an average age of around 23. Amalgamated with Drung at underage level, Kill have collected U16 league and championship and U14 championship honours in the past five years. A lot of those players are starting to filter through onto the first team. "We don't have the biggest panel in the world, but we know how to make do," Joe notes. How does the veteran player rate his club's chances of one day attaining the Holy Grail of senior status? "When you look at the intermediate championship, there's nobody there that we should be afraid of and no reason why we shouldn't win it out. The days when Kill should go into any competition with an inferiority complex are long gone." Indeed, they are. With up and coming young players like Mark Kelly, Damien Hannigan, Niall McCaffrey and Donal Kissane in their ranks, supplemented by the older generation of experienced (but by no means old!) campaigners such as Peter Smith, Conor McCarey and Damien Foster - not to mention one of the top centrefield men in the county - Kill sure are looking good. Tweet

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