Joe Hanley quite rightly takes umbrage at the suggestion that many gaels may possibly perceive Maghera as arguably the weakest club in Cavan. Though born and reared in hurling territory in county Offaly, Joe Hanley is proud of his adopted club, its history and the people who continue to put in a hard shift, year after year, to keep the Meath-border club alive and kicking. "Regardless of the history of Maghera, I can't see how anyone would come to the conclusion that we're the worst there is around. "You only have to look in recent years at the basement of division three and we haven't been there. "Either way, there's a fine line between being a winner and an also-ran in junior football in Cavan and, overall, there's not a lot of difference between the clubs in any given year and that was the case last year," Joe insists. Reflecting on what transpired down Maghera way in 2003 is, nonetheless, a tad painful for the stalwart Maghera clubman. Joe describes the past year as being a "disappointing" one. He points out though that against a background of limited player numbers overall and absent players during crucial junctures of the year, things could have gone a lot worse. "Because we have such a small pool of players, any time we're short of a couple of players, the team suffers a lot. "Sometimes it can come to the point where we do well to field a team at a time when we're missing a couple of players. "We've quite a young panel of players. The average age of the squad this year couldn't be much more than 22. "But if a couple of them decide to go off to the U.S. or Germany or whatever to earn a few pound during the Summer, our championship hopes can take a bit of a battering." Joe doesn't for one moment attempt to criticise any young fella who decides to try and help lessen the costs of his student days by working abroad. He is, however, unequivocal in his estimation of the effect on Maghera GAA of such understandable decisions. "We had every intention at the start of last year to try and keep two junior teams up and running and, initially, we did succeed in that respect. "But then the Junior B team fizzled out because of a lack of numbers and the way the fixtures didn't allow for fellas to play with the Junior A team as well. "A lot of our troubles still boil down to the numbers' game." And when Joe looks at the apparently diminishing numbers of 'graduates' from the local national school who choose the MacFinns over neighbouring Ramor United for their teenage football schooling, Joe can't help but feel a little sense of despair. "It's disheartening for the club when fellas leave the local national school and don't play with Maghera but what can you do about it? "We're badly in need of a transfusion of new blood on the playing side of things every year but it's not always forthcoming." Keen to paint a less pessimistic picture, Joe is wont to talk-up the potential inherent in Maghera's current, young, junior squad. "Eight of the Lurgan team that reached the semi-final of the Under 21 championship were from Maghera and we've high hopes that those fellas can progress to become the core of our junior side in the next couple of years. "In our position, we need everyone of them to stick with us, especially when the championship comes around. It would be good if we could improve in the next couple of years to the extent that we were able to get a couple of championship wins under our belts," adds Joe, father of Maghera young guns, Garvan, Fergal and Joseph. In this respect, 2004 can really only be an improvement on what befell Maghera last year in the Junior Football Championship when zero points were accumulated at the group stage. After a bright and breezy start to their league campaign which saw them beat would-be JFC finalists Lavey (in April) and later Mountnugent, the wheels fairly came off Maghera's season. The club's finest came badly unstuck in the blue riband competition, failing to collect any points in their opening round tie with Kildallan and thereafter against Redhills, thus knocking out their chances of progressing into the quarter-finals. "By the time the championship came around, we were fielding quite a different team than we had been in the league because of holidays, injuries and so on. "We had to get four or five fellas, who wouldn't have been training all that much, rounded up to get a squad together for the Kildallan match. "But everyone that did turn up put their hearts into it and we only lost by a couple of points in Ballyhaise, and that was after having to play without Fergus McHugh for all but seven minutes of the match after he pulled a hamstring." Unfortunately for all concerned with Maghera, the disappointment experienced on foot of the Kildallan defeat was left to linger for more than two months because of the fixtures arrangements. Maghera, Joe points out, played Kildallan on May 3rd but didn't play their next game (against Redhills) until July 26th. "We were well beaten by Redhills and although the big gap between the first round game and the Redhills game wasn't the cause of our defeat to Redhills, it didn't help in trying to keep the lads motivated and interested. "Challenge matches were played against the likes of Oldcastle and Drumbaragh but they're not the same as competitive games." Were Corlough as bad as they looked against Redhills? "No. The lads underperformed. They're better than they showed against Redhills that day in Breffni Park. "I think the team's displays early in the league against Lavey and Mountnugent more fairly reflected the team's worth. "Those games were possibly the highlights of the year too when I look back." Joe works hard to do his best for the Maghera club. Over the past fifteen years since waving adieu to former residences in Dublin and Wicklow and taking up with the Maghera folk near his workplace at Wellmans, Joe has held down a succession of posts with the MacFinns, including the post of chairman. He understands as well as anyone the draining effect a losing sequence can have on the morale of a club like Maghera. "Winning games motivates fellas while losing demoralises them, it's as simple as that. Maghera was founded in 1886 and two years later won the first Cavan senior championship. "But, as supporters of the Cavan team know only too well, history and tradition doesn't win you matches in the here and now." Like the shift he puts into his current job of Secretary, Joe works hard at seeing the glass as being half-full rather than half-empty. He regrets the fact that neither Tom Lynch (Mountnugent) or John Mulvanny (Ramor Utd) managed, separately, to work the oracle in their managerial stints with Maghera in 2003. However he is hopeful that 2004 can see a change in Maghera's fortunes. "There's been good turnouts at training to date and I think a bit of spirit can be rekindled. "There's nothing really between the teams in division three and if the players can give an extra bit of commitment and really push the boat out, we won't be easy to beat. "I know the commitment level required of players is increasing every year at club level but our lads have to match those other clubs in that respect. "A lot of it comes down to what squad of players shows the most commitment and hunger during the year. " I think we have good potential at the club and if we aren't hit by as many withdrawals during the height of the season or injuries, no teams will find us easy to overcome." Fulsome in his praise for the loyal sons of Maghera who give of their all, year in, year out, to keep the MacFinns up and running, Joe says a repeat of the form the team shown by the team in 2003 in beating Lavey and Mountnugent would open up all sorts of possibilities for Maghera in the forthcoming championship. "2004 will be an improvement on last year, I'm convinced of that. That's not just wishful thinking. I think the lads will rise to the challenges presented to them this year. I detect a greater resolve and a better appetite among the players this year." Here's hoping Joe's crystal ball is working to optimum effect. Tweet

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