Over in Blacklion they're still talking about last year's county title-winning Under 12 squad. Fortunately team-manager Hugh Cormack is willing and able to wax lyrical also about the Class of 2002 as Kevin Carney discovered. It is said that winning is a habit. And the more you practice the luckier you get. Truisms like those decorate the sporting lexicon like confetti at the feet of the happy couple outside a chapel door on a wet September afternoon. And when the mood takes you and you add in a well-battered metaphor like the Gaels blowing all the opposition away and a certain Blacklion-based organisation hurtles sharply into focus. In 2002 it was the turn of Shannon Gaels' Under 12 crew to nick the limelight. The west Cavan lads stole the show, big-time, in Roinn D and proved themselves to be a class apart in the championship. But should we be too surprised at learning of the Gaels' latest success? Considering that the club reached three underage finals in 2001 at under 12 league and under 14 league and championship levels and another final (under 14 in 2002) while also collecting the ACFL Division Three title in 2000, it is fair to say that the boys along by the River Shannon aren't exactly allergic to the glittering prizes! And taking into account the fact that the club fielded an Under 21 team of their own for the very first time in over 20 years back in 2001, one can safely conclude that there is a vibrancy and an ambition about the club which reeks of progression and advancement. But back to the club's heroes of 2002 - the all-conquering under 12 squad. Formed in 1978, the Shannon Gaels club has produced many fine teams but according to team-manager Hugh Cormack, the aforementioned juvenile side rank up there with the very best of them. "They're a great bunch of players. I might be a bit biased but even the people in the club who have seen a lot of teams represent Shannon Gaels down the years rate the under 12s from 2002 as one of the finest teams they've ever seen in the club colours. "They're an exceptionally enthusiastic and fine group of footballers," Hugh enthuses. Those au fait with the Mayo man's modus operandi will tell you that he brings the same gusto to reflecting on how the championship title was scooped as he does to actually coaching his teams to maximise their potential - and that is saying something! Interesting then to hear the former star player declare that from the very outset he had little or no motivational work to do with the club's latest young stars to emerge off the local GAA production line. "They were a very well-mannered group to work with, extremely keen to learn. Very easily managed, I thought they were a credit to their parents and the club. All they wanted to do was play football, and in the sporting way it should be played," adds Hugh who was assisted during the year by Eugene Walsh, Pascal Oates and Michael McHugh. Drumlane's successful assault on the blue riband under 12 prize may have come as a surprise to quite a few clubs around the county but not to those sporting a black and amber hue and certainly not to the team's supremo. "I wasn't surprised that we went the distance. From the time we took the field for our very first game, I thought there was something special in the offing for the players. "I felt they were an exceptionally strong panel of players for Roinn D level. "In years gone by, the club might have had underage teams with maybe two or three strong players but this time around we had at least seven very strong players on the team. " We had an unusually strong crop of players on the scene last year." Hugh insists that the triumph of 2002 partly came around from the culmination of several years work on the juvenile front. The former Belmullet stalwart who won a Cavan JFC medal with the Gaels in 1989 stresses that everyone involved with the team plus those on the fringes of the underage troupe at the club were eyeing up silverware for the classy group of under 12s. "With no disrespect to the other teams in the competition, I personally felt that we were in a pretty weak division. I honestly believed that our lads were capable of playing in a much higher division, like Roinn B. "The fact that we won so many of our games in Roinn B by huge margins re-inforced that belief. "We never really stretched in any of our games proved the point. To be honest, getting adequate competition in 2002 was a big problem if you could call it a problem." As things panned out, Shannon Gaels' superior class blew the likes of Ballymachugh and Munterconnacht out of the water. But one wonders what were the basic strengths of the squad? "It would be unfair to pick out individuals. In fact the players played as a team throughout the competition and that was a huge plus for us. "There were some great ball players on the team, a lot of natural footballers and their determination and ambition to win was second to none." Given Hugh's experience of his charges in 2002 and his overall knowledge of the underage scene in Cavan, he is in little doubt but that the defending Under 12 Roinn D Championship winners will gave a very good account of themselves in the coming year at under 14 level and in the following years also. "I'd be very surprised if they don't add further silverware to their collection. "They're eager, enthusiastic and always want to win, even when they're playing among themselves in training." After coasting their way to the decider held at Kingspan/Breffni Park in mid-July, Shannon Gaels were hot favourites to reap their due reward. But Hugh Cormack, for one, was not prepared to take anything for granted. "Finals are more often than not 50/50 affairs. But in all honesty, the only real worry we had going into the game with Drumalee was would the lads allow their nerves get the better of them. "Certainly on paper, and leading up to the final, everyone you spoke too were sure we were going to win. "Everything in my mind suggested that we were being set up for a big fall but thankfully things worked out as we thought." Hugh admits that in the run-up to the county decider he knew really nothing about the Drumalee side which stood between the Gaels and the club's first piece of underage silverware in something like nine years. "I didn't know much about Drumalee but I was sure that it was going to take something special for them to stop us winning the cup." As things transpired, the hidden fears in the Shannon Gaels camp dissipated after just a few minutes of the game. The Gaels had virtually dismantled their opponents in the opening ten minutes in their other contests and this feat was repeated in classic style once again in the final. Under the heavy rain, the sod at headquarters was greasy and didn't help either of the teams in their bid to produce their best stuff. Nevertheless the west Cavan lads still managed to make light of the conditions in a blistering opening quarter hour which saw them lay the foundations for an emphatic 4-10 to 1-2 victory over the shell-shocked Lilywhites. The winners-elect careered into the lead from the opening minute when man of the match Ronan McCaffrey registered a fine point from play. The impressive number ten went on to register further points in the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th minutes to catapult his side into a 0-5 to 0-0 cushioned lead. But it was when the aforementioned McCaffrey netted shortly afterwards that the destination of the spoils became self-evident. Thereafter further scores from Patrick O'Hara and young McCaffrey again saw a massive 12 points separate the sides after just 15 minutes. Drumalee battled hard to stay in touch but it wasn't until the 17th minute that they opened their account with a converted free. But when the underdogs blasted in a goal just a minute later, Shannon Gaels, for once, appeared as if they might come under a little pressure. Not so. Sitting pretty on a 2-7 to 1-1 interval lead, Shannon Gaels had little difficulty in consolidating their lead. With ten minutes remaining they banged in their third goal, star man McCaffrey the scorer, and that was that. It was a waltz to the finishing post from there. The west was awake. . .again. Hats off then to the following Shannon Gaels Under 12 players; G. McLoughlin; D. McCann, E. Nolan, J. McLoughlin, J. Corrigan, S. McGrath, P. O'Rourke, C. McGovern, K. McGovern, R. McCaffrey, G. Gallagher, P. O'Hara, P. McGovern. Subs; N. Walsh, A. O'Reilly, O. McCormack, A. O'Hara, S. Dolan. Tweet

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