While the circumstances surrounding Mullahoran's departure from both the senior and junior championships left them red-faced, club chairman Michael Donohoe believes the Dreadnoughts made definite progress during the 2002 season and insists there's every reason for optimism in the clubhouse as the Breffni County rolls merrily into another campaign. When asked to assess the mood in the Mullahoran camp in the run-in to the 2003 season, club chairman Michael Donohoe is pleasantly upbeat: "The outlooks very good. It's probably a lot better than some people might expect after what happened last year." The incident Michael refers to was unfortunate in the extreme. Having qualified for the final of the all-county junior football championship, Mullahoran were thrown out of the competition following an objection from semi-final victims Kildallan and a ruling from the County Board that they had in fact fielded an illegal player. In many ways, this ignominious exit added insult to injury as the Dreadnoughts had exited the senior competition in equally embarrassing fashion, thumped by Cavan Gaels in a one-sided semi-final. "It was a disaster of a year in that respect," Michael admits. "But what happened was a genuine mistake and these things happen. It was unfortunate and something we obviously regret. "But morale remains high in the club and we're keeping our heads up. We know we can bounce back in a big way in 2003. We've always had good support in Mullahoran and that remains the case. The juniors had performed really well all year and deserved their place in the final. What happened was unfortunate but doesn't detract from the fact that they played some lovely football. "Okay, people were very disappointed with the performance of our seniors against Cavan Gaels - and rightfully so - but we know we're not as bad as that and we're looking forward to setting the record straight." As usual, Mullahoran had set their sights high at the start of the season. Silverware was very much on their agenda and they went about their task accordingly: "We were aiming high and there was a great buzz in the club and certainly no shortage of commitment. At home, in Mullahoran, team manager Ciaran Brady had everyone motivated to the max and fully fired up. Confidence was high. Meanwhile, training was also going very well in Dublin, under the watchful eyes of Gerry Cuddy, Pat Comiskey and Noel Reilly. Players were training at either venue during the week, with additional 'collective' sessions also taking place on home turf on Friday nights and Sunday mornings. Mullahoran were in Section 2 of the county SFC. They won their three outings against Belturbet, Crosserlough and Killinkere, but didn't have to play Gowna as both teams had already qualified for the knock-out stages. Following a comprehensive quarter-final defeat of Belturbet, things were looking really good. But the wheels came off the wagon in incomprehensible fashion when defending champions Cavan Gaels hammered Mullahoran at the penultimate hurdle: "We were in great shape going into that game, so it's very difficult to pinpoint exactly where everything went wrong against the Gaels. We just didn't perform. It didn't happen for us. It's difficult to explain - the same thing happened to the Gaels against Gowna in the final." Mullahoran have never lacked self belief, as they underlined when embarking on an impressive run in the junior championship. Michael reflects: "We were very happy with how we performed in the junior championship. A draw with Mountnugent left us level with them in the group stage so we had to play them in a play-off for a place in the quarter-finals. We came out on top and went on to play Shannon Gaels. "We played very well and deservedly went through to play Kildallan in the semi-final. We drew with them but won the replay to go through to the final." That semi-final replay took place on Sunday August 28th and Mullahoran prevailed by 2-12 to 3-8. Butlersbridge were waiting in the final. However, it was at this stage that proceedings took an unexpected twist, when Kildallan's objection to the County Board over the ineligibility of one of Mullahorans players was upheld. Thus, Mullahoran's great run came to an abrupt end: "A genuine mistake was made, which can happen. At no point did we try to pull a fast one or to get one over on any junior club. We made an error and the opportunity was there for Kildallan to pick up on it, which they did. They were entitled to do this and we have no hard feelings whatsoever. Fair play to them. "But from our point of view, it was a major disappointment not to get to play the junior final because a tremendous effort went into the campaign and we have a lot of talented players on that team - many of whom are good enough to play senior - and they performed really well. "Men like Gerry Sheridan and Damien Reilly put in a huge effort. They gave unbelievable commitment and I felt genuinely sorry for them that it all ended the way it did. We have a lot of good young players coming through from that team now, which is also very encouraging." Mullahoran did strike gold in 2002 when they captured the Division Three reserve championship. The chairman notes: "We also have a lot of good reserve team players who - if they had more time or were prepared to give it more commitment - would make it to the top in club football. But maybe things will change for these players and we'll have them in the future at a higher level." On the underage front, it wasn't a particularly memorable year. "I feel that in the future we're going to have to put in a better effort at underage level," Michael concedes. "The Gaels have a great underage set-up and that has really been paying off for them in recent years and will continue to do so. I think clubs have to look at the bigger picture and aim for long-term success. And nurturing underage talent is the road you have to go down if you're going to establish yourself." While the work is being put in and there's no shortage of volunteers pulling their weight, the chairman feels that perhaps the structures need to be looked at and perhaps adjusted or improved. "I think that long-term, any money spent on underage development would be a very good investment." Returning to more pressing matters, can Mullahoran bounce back and win the 2003 SFC? "You have to be realistic when you're setting targets at the start of a year and the truth is that currently we're not quite as good as we once were. We'll certainly give it our best shot, but it could be a time for some re-building within the club. "Some of the older players who have given the club great service have indicated that they are ready to call it a day, and it's a pity because those guys never quite got the rewards they deserved. That team only managed to win the one senior championship, in 1998, and should have won more. "In previous years, Mullahoran have always had great leadership on the field, and we're probably not as strong in that department as we once were. That's going to be a problem too and we may need a bit of time to unearth some natural leaders again." Michael Donohoe has been involved with Mullahoran Dreadnoughts GFC for most of his life. He played for the club and has been active at committee level since the 1960s, when he took up his first term as assistant secretary. The club is a big part of his life and he is adamant that it will continue to aim high: "We'll give it our best shot again on all fronts in 2003. We're by no means ready to start throwing in towels. We held a major function just before Christmas and there was a large turnout, which was heartening after the year that was in it. "Football has always been very important in this area - definitely a second religion. Mullahoran people love their football, and that's half the battle fought before we even kick a ball..." Tweet

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