Young Cootehill defender Ciaran McBreen was a revelation for the Celts in 2002. The former poacher turned gamekeeper suggests that the fact that he's been enjoying his football more of late has been the key. Kevin Carney reports In an otherwise unexceptional year for Cootehill Celtic GFC, the form demonstrated by Ciaran McBreen in 2002 was pretty exceptional. Indeed to a large degree, the 20 year old's coming-of-age in the hoops was the stand-out feature of the club's intermediate league and championship campaigns. A rejuvenated player since his switch from attack to defence at the beginning of the 2002 season, the popular Sligo IT student was a revelation at times in the famed green and white. It's only a pity that a more cosmopolitan, more expansive audience failed to witness or acknowledge his tour de force performances at the heart of the defence. In an era when Gaelic football has plummeted down the pecking order as regards priorities for youngsters, young McBreen's level of commitment and ambition has been wholly refreshing. In many ways his attitude to training and on match day proved a veritable inspiration to his team-mates. Indeed, on several occasions during Cootehill's rollercoaster intermediate championship ride in 2002, Ciaran's driving runs at the opposition defence lifted the Celts' cause just when most needed. His capacity to get among the scores too proved an invaluable leg-up to Cootehill also. In this latter respect, one recalls beautiful crafted and executed points notched against Lavey and Cornafean in championship clashes during the past year at Breffni Park. "It's always a bonus when you get on the scoresheet. But I was encouraged by the team-management to push forward and that's something I've enjoyed doing since I've moved into the backline. It's a role I'm very comfortable with," Ciaran assures us. Ciaran isn't so sure that he was any fitter in 2002. He reckons that he has always been 'pretty fit' since the time he made his championship debut for the seniors at the age of 16 against Swanlinbar in 1997. But he has improved immensely over the last couple of years? "I suppose I have but I'd put that down to the fact that I'm playing with a lot more confidence and self-belief now. I put in 100 percent commitment in 2002 also and I didn't want to let the management down because they put a lot of faith in me. "I also felt physically stronger during the past year. A bit of weight training would have helped but I'm only 20 and I hope to get stronger and better as a player as the years roll on. And the more experience I gain as a defender the more I think I will improve." Those who have followed Ciaran's career from underage level can readily understand and appreciate just how much he has developed and improved as a footballer over the course of the last 12 months or thereabouts. His relocation from attack to defence has been the key in that regard, most concur. "He's far better when he's able to attack the ball and not have to wait on getting a pass as a forward. He played like a fella who got an injection of confidence just before every game. He was easily the most consistent player for the club during 2002," one Cootehill club official commented. Given his football and athletic pedigree, the chances were that Ciaran was going to be success at whatever sport he chose to pursue. His father Damien represented Cavan at vocational schools level (playing alongside such luminaries as Paddy McNamee of Virginia) and went on to represent Cootehill for many years, ironically, both up front and in defence. He was on the Cootehill team that won the ACFL Division Two title in 1988, 13 years before his son featured on the corresponding all-conquering Cootehill side. Damien was also a star runner with Cootehill A.C back in the seventies. For his part, Ciaran was a several times decorated county champion and for a period was ranked among the top three cross-country runners at under 16 level. But back to the here and now and Ciaran himself acknowledges though that ever since he lined out at corner-back against Drumlane last February, his star has risen as a club footballer. His subsequent move to centre-back became his more customary position as the year went on but he later featured at midfield and at wing half-forward too. At this stage, the Business Studies (Recreational and Leisure) student has had experience of playing at every line, apart from between the sticks. While local afficionados of Cootehill's form suggest that midfield will ultimately see him at his best, for the moment the half-back line is fine for him. "Playing in the half-back line suits me and suits the team, I think. I find it easier to play there than in the forward line; you can gain in confidence quicker when playing in the backs. More often than not as a forward you're judged on whether you have scored in a game but in the backs there's not the same pressure. "Even if the player you're marking scores a couple of points, you're not exactly hammered for it and can still reckoned to have had a good game. If you don't score as a forward you're liable to be taken off. If you score from the backline, you're rated as having had a very good game." It's obvious that since Ciaran's 'conversion' to the backline, he has found his spiritual home. A year down the line, he's still learning the rudiments of playing at the back. "I'll go on learning the game as a back but I've now much more confidence in my own ability and that'll help me a lot. I now feel as if I can contribute a lot to the team whereas before when I was up front I felt very disappointed with my displays sometimes, especially if I hadn't scored." Like all his current team-mates on the Cootehill senior team, Ciaran has had to forage for success at adult level against a background of unbridled failure at underage level. The lack of a winning underage pedigree has been seen as a ball and chain for successive Cootehill seniors over the last 25 years and in tandem with the likes of his peers and fellow current seniors, David Reilly, Gerard Argue, Barry Daly and Damien Sherlock, the re-born clubman was part of weak underage teams in years gone by. "Getting to an under 12 semi-final was as far as we got.There just wasn't enough good footballers around at the same time," he recalls. Good enough four years ago to be called up for the county under 16 Fr. Manning Cup panel, Ciaran says he was disappointed not to have progressed onto the minor panel in the years that followed but a combination of injuries, relatively poor club form and Cootehill's lack of profile didn't help him in that regard he believes. Gaels in Cootehill will tell you that Ciaran is playing the best football of his career to date and his form in 2002 was such that he was worthy of a 'run' with the county under 21s, especially in light of the way the panel was crucified by injuries during the run-up to their provincial championship defeat to Tyrone. "I'm hoping that as far as the county under 21 are concerned, I might get in the picture in the coming year - as a defender - but we'll have to wait and see." Ciaran has other goals on the football front, namely his future at Sligo IT. The former Trench Cup player with Cavan College of Further Studies played with the western educational establishment at Freshers level in 2001 and he enjoyed the experience immensely. "I played with the likes of Paul Finlay from Ballybay and Christy Toye of Donegal and it was great football to be involved in. Every player is fit, ambitious and very good and the standard is certainly a big step above club football in Cavan. "It would be brilliant if I could make Sligo's Sigerson Cup panel this coming year. While it's important to put football in context and there's more to life than football, it would be great if I could make it onto the Sigerson team." Now almost back to being 100 per cent fit after suffering a dislocated shoulder injury in Ballyhaise against Drumlane in the intermediate championship, Ciaran is convinced that if he stays free from injury in 2003, he'll consolidate his great form of 2002 in the coming months. Though he's enjoying life way out west, home is where the heart is for Ciaran. And on the club front and Ciaran says that unlike a couple of years ago, he now feels as if he's "one of the main players" on the Cootehill team. On the basis of his performances in 2002, one suggests he has every reason to believe he's now the team's number one player. Postscript: Ciaran damaged his shoulder again shortly after this article was penned, unfortunately casting a doubt over the start of the new season for him. We wish him a speedy recovery. Tweet

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