Has the Drung club turned the corner at adult level? After the club's Division Two Reserve League title success last winter, seasoned campaigner Finbar Crowe firmly believes so. Watersheds are ten a penny in sporting parlance but Drung's achievement in winning a senior adult title in 2003 for the first time since '97 truly signals a stark change in fortunes for the Dalcassians. It's a long time since the club supporters were afforded the opportunity to parade a significant piece of silverware around the parish. But victory over Killygarry at the tail end of December in the Division Two Reserve League final ended a barren six year period which was beginning to shape up like the proverbial monkey on the faithful's collective backs. It is said that the league is more atune to the 'survival of the fittest' mantra and few could argue that Drung's reserves were the best of the bunch in 2003. "At the start of the year we wouldn't have fancied our chances that much and neither would anyone else around the county but by mid-season when we got to the top of the table, we knew that we were good enough to win the league. We were only beaten once all season and that was by Killygarry, by a point, when we were understrength. So nobody could say we weren't consistent and as good as there was in the league," seasoned campaigner Finbar Crowe insists. Certainly whatever about the club's bitter disappointment in the intermediate championship in the summer, joy in the reserve league in the dying embers of 2003 definitely helped to turn pessimism among the local faithful into naked optimism. The aforementioned Crowe joined up with team-mates Austin Curran and Philip Monaghan to look after the training for Drung's reserve league campaign. Their coming-together definitely worked the oracle. "In fairness the lads really put it in over the year. They were very committed and I think they'd all say that they enjoyed their football. It was my first year playing junior football but it was probably as enjoyable year as I've ever had with Drung. To see the joy and the pride the younger fellas on the team showed made it all the more enjoyable," the strapping full-forward explains. Crowe and co. deserved their day in the sun after what was a predictably long-drawn out campaign which drew to a close during the November/December period, starting with a semi-final win over Denn, after a replay, and culminating with a triumph over Killygarry in the county decider. It was a rollercoaster journey for the red and whites to the winner's podium though and it took goal and a point deep into injury time to allow Drung snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat in their frenetic semi-final encounter with Denn in Lavey. Ace free-taker Stephen Reilly was the hero for the would-be winners, notching seven points, all from frees, over the hour. Drung were on top for the most part at midfield and their lively forwards caused the Denn backs a lot of trouble. From the throw-in, Denn got off to a good start with three points from Paul Ferguson before Drung settled down and got their first point from a free by Stephen Reilly after six minutes of play. Drung proceeded to impress and they added a further four points before Denn replied with a point from Owen McPhilips and that did not come until the twenty-second minute. But Drung lost their momentum in the final ten minutes of the half saw Denn add another four points to lead by 0-8 to 0-5 at the interval. However Drung started the second-half in whirlwind fashion with a point from the aforemetioned Crowe after ten seconds and a further two points from frees by Stephen Reilly to tie the game up at 0-8 each after five minutes of the half. The teams were still level after thirteen minutes of the second-half. But with eight minutes left to play, Aidan Kiernan crashed the ball to the net to leave Denn leading by four points. As the game entered injury time Drung camped in the Denn half of the field and they seemed destined to reap the ultimate reward. A point then from their midfielder Austin Curran put just a goal between the sides as the tension palpably increased. With time running out, the referee awarded a thirty metre free which was quickly taken to present Conor Reilly with the chance to shoot to the net to level the game for the third time. From the kickout Drung were awarded a free about twenty-five metres out but the otherwise excellent Stephen Reilly fired his shot wide to leave it all to do for another day. It was a much more efficient Drung side which appeared for the replay with Crowe and co. giving Denn a lesson in economy of effort as they eased their way into the final of the Reserve league on the back of a 1-9 to 1-7 victory over the Crosskeys men at Butlersbridge. Drung, in contrast to their opponents, generated much more success from whatever possession they managed to collect from the tough, rugged exchanges. In this respect, the red and whites' power-play in the opening six minutes was textbook stuff in being efficient at the business end of the field. An opening point by Conor Reilly after two minutes for Drung was followed less than three minutes by a goal for his side. The impressive Philip Monaghan produced a clinical finish to volley, soccer-style, the ball to the net to give his side the perfect start.Things got even better for the would-be winners one minute later when a classic delivery by Monaghan was added to by a fetch and punt over the crossbar by the inspirational Crowe to leave Denn in apparent disarray. A point from the evergreen Paddy Gaffney helped Denn cut the deficit to two points by the quarter-hour mark. Drung continued to show a penchant for finding the target though without any undue fuss and although he had a lot to do when he gathered possession in the left-corner forward berth, Martin Reilly fired over a sweet point to leave Drung 1-3 to 0-3 to the good after 16 minutes. Less than one minute later Donal Keogan went on a trademark run through the heart of the Drung defence but his goalbound shot was cleared off the line in brilliant fashion by Michael Fay. Drung's capacity to crowd out the Denn player in possession and to hunt in numbers were key factors in helping them thwart Denn on numerous occasions. Level at the break, 1-5 to 1-5, both teams displayed a greater sense of urgency as the second half unravelled and in the 5th minute only a great save by Raymond Smith prevented Finbar Crowe from goaling. Points by Adrian Watters (Drung) and Donal Keogan (Denn) saw the sides remain deadlocked after 12 minutes but when Martin Donohoe rifled over a '45 in the 44th minute, it appeared as if Denn now had the bit between their teeth. Amazingly that was to be Denn's final score of the game. Drung worked feverishly to gain the initiative and when a Philip Monaghan free edged them a point in front after 16 minutes, the gauntlet was well and truly laid down to the maroon and whites. Understandably, the tempo of the game declined dramatically with the soft going and tired legs taking their toll in the final quarter, prompting degrees of frustration among both camps which, in one incident, saw a Denn player receiving his marching orders. Ultimately the destination of the spoils was decided by Drung's greater capacity to find the target with the least number of chances afforded them. In this regard, a brace of points from Adrian Watters, including a converted free, in the final eight minutes were cases in point while also serving to highlight Drung's greater efficiency all-round. "I don't think anyone that saw the replay couldn't but say that we were the better team on the day. We deserved to go through," Finbar unequivocally insists. And so to the final in Ballyhaise against their erstwhile conquerors in the league, Killygarry. Drung played the more forceful, high-tempo football throughout and deservedly claimed the spoils on foot of a 2-11 to 2-8 scoreline after dictating the pace of the game for most of the hour. The highly-experienced Drung side were full-value for their title win but it took a vital brace of points in the last five minutes by the impressive Cathal Donohoe to wrap up the spoils. Drung had the perfect start after just four minutes." Austin (Curran) drove the ball forward from midfield and it ricocheted to Philly (Monaghan) who drew on it and it came to me and I was able to flick it up into my hands and drove it home," target man Crowe recalls before adding;"I missed another couple inside the next ten minutes which I should have scored." Either way Killygarry were well and truly shell-shocked and Drung continued to hold the upper hand with a brilliant long-range effort by Adrian Watters in the 11th minute plus a brace of frees within the next three minutes by Stephen Reilly was the very least their efforts deserved as they eased ahead by 1-3 to 0-1 by the quarter-hour mark. Killygarry worked hard to get into the match and they did fire over a brace of points as the first half gathered pace. However Drung refused to allow their opponents wrest the initiative from their grasp and they finished the half stronger with Adrian Watters countering a Gabriel McGovern free with a brilliant long-range point. Leading by 1-5 to 0-4 on the restart, Drung were in no mood to rest on their laurels and a point after just two minutes by Cathal Donohoe and a fine point after a great overlap and shot by Michael McEntee served to compound Killygarry's travails. And when Stephen Reilly lobbed over a free in the 10th minute to extend Drung's lead to six minutes, 1-8 to 0-5, Killygarry appeared to be in deep trouble. "They won the championship and we knew they'd be tough so I wasn't surprised when they went ahead and got a goal and a point to leave just one between us with less than a quarter of an hour left," Finbar explains. Worse was to come for Drung when, within three minutes, Drung found themselves trailing for the first time in the match when Thomas Leonard (point) and a goal by Michael McGovern (after a great move) suddenly catapulted Killygarry into a two point lead. However that was as good as it got for Killygarry as Drung proceeded to enjoy much the better of the exchanges for the remaining ten minutes of the game. A neat point by Adrian Watters in the 21st minute left just the minimum between the sides and then came the turning point of the game when Martin Reilly made an incisive run along the goal-line and from an acute angle smashed the ball into the Killygarry net. Killygarry retained their composure and their focus though and former county player Seamus Lynch cut Drung's lead to just the minimum with six minutes remaining with a finely-judged effort. The tension was all but palpable at this stage but it was Drung who kept their nerve and finished with a flourish with Cathal Donohoe notching vital points in the 25th and 26th minutes to put his side firmly in sight of victory. But while Killygarry pressed forward to the death, Drung showed bundles of ambition and resolve with a series of goalbound shots thereafter copper-fastening their winning surge past the finishing post. Cue a mass explosion of unbridled joy among the Drung players, mentors and supporters. Drung; Finbar Reilly; Ronan Slowey, Brendan Brady, Michael Fay; Michael McEntee (0-1), Sean Fay, Gary Reilly; Austin Curran, Adrian Watters (0-3); Cathal Donohoe (0-2), Philip Monaghan (0-1), Stephen Reilly (0-4); Conor Reilly, Finbar Crowe (1-0), Martin Reilly (1-0). Sub; Brendan Smith for Conor Reilly. Tweet

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