O'Connells' senior survival went down to the wire the previous year, and in '05 the Castlebellingham/Kilsaran men found themselves in another relegation battle in Division 1B of the all-county senior football league. They didn't disgrace themselves in the SFC either, despite being thrown together with Mattock, Glyde and the Blues in a genuine Group of Death. Corner back Brendan Tuite spoke to Gerry Robinson about the ups and downs of a topsy-turvy year. Having put their supporters through the mill twelve months earlier, O'Connells attempted to adopt a more considered approach to matters in 2005. This time around, they set out their stall from the start of the year - the league would be every bit as important as the championship and there would be no repeat of the unwanted drama that almost saw the senior newcomers relinquish their top-level standing in the winter of 2004. The men from Castlebellingham/Kilsaran had pushed champions-elect St Patricks all the way at the quarter-final stage of the '04 SFC but were almost caught with an eye off the ball thereafter as their senior survival went down to the very last round of league fixtures. They survived, though, and under new manager Pat Rice, approached the 2005 campaign in more cautious mode. This time O'Connells demonstrated the extra guile that comes with a year's experience of senior fare and competed at the business end of the Division 1B table early on in the year, pushing hard for a place in the very top flight for 2006. Unfortunately, results towards the end of the campaign weren't as impressive and O'Connells fell into another dogfight. This time, it was between them and senior newcomers Oliver Plunketts. Frustratingly for Yours Truly, due to the protracted nature of club football in Louth, the matter had yet to be resolved at the time of writing. As this tome winged its merry way to the printers, O'Connells' senior survival was on the line. Four successive defeats meant O'Connells were hanging on by a thread - they had to win their last game against basement boys Stabannon and hope that the Plunketts failed to beat Naomh Mairtin. It could still go either way… Not surprisingly, considering that they were pitted in the same section as Mattock, Glyde and the Blues, O'Connells' Joe Ward challenge ended at the group stage. However, while they lost all three SFC outings, the Maroons gave a good account of themselves (particularly in their second and third matches against Collon and Newtown Blues respectively) and long-serving corner back Brendan Tuite sees plenty of cause for optimism as the club prepares for next year. Having moved up through the grades from junior football, they've settled in well in the Wee County's higher echelons. They've proven themselves to be a match for their more illustrious opponents in Louth and there's room for further improvement in what remains essentially a young side. Sticky corner back Brendan Tuite has served the first team faithfully for over a decade and is revelling in their new-found status. He's hopeful that progress can continue and believes O'Connells could emerge as a real force to contend with a couple of years down the line. How did Brendan feel when O'Connells got the bum deal in the 2005 senior championship draw? "I think we had mixed feelings. When the draw was made, we decided that we were going to have a go. Of course, we were up against some of the best teams in the county, but we didn't fear any of them and we felt that we could take anyone on our day. We'd obviously have preferred a more favourable draw than that, but O'Connells waited a very long time to play senior football, so it was an honour just to be playing in the championship and we couldn't wait to get going." While it was a seriously difficult group, this is all part of a learning curve that teams must negotiate before they become established as a recognised senior entity. The league was O'Connells' bread and butter for the year; yet they vowed to grasp the SFC nettle. "We relished it," Brendan confirms. "We had beaten some of the big teams in 2004 and we had nothing to be afraid of. We knew our opponents had more to lose than we had and any good results would be a real bonus. "In 2004, we came out of a group that had the Marys, the Joes and Kilkerley and were only narrowly beaten by the Pats in our quarter-final. Looking back on that form, we saw no reason at all why we couldn't make an impact again in 2005." Possibly the only drawback was that the element of surprise had been removed once and for all by those stellar displays of twelve months previously. "We were the surprise package in 2004 and that was certainly gone, but the players weren't unduly concerned by that. Our players enjoy the day out. We enjoy the whole occasion of the senior championship and we know we can put it up to any team in the county on our day." O'Connells opened their 2005 SFC programme against Glyde Rangers in Louth village on Sunday evening June 5. It was a bad day for the Castlebellingham crew who didn't produce anything close to their best form and fell to a disappointing 0-14 to 1-4 defeat. The less said about that one the better… Cluskey Park in Dromiskin was the venue for the clash with champions-elect Mattock Rangers three weeks later and a much-improved O'Connells display marked the occasion. After trailing by two goals at the break (2-4 to 0-4), the underdogs opened the second half with a Salem Rafei major. Substitute Colm Kearney added a second three-pointer nine minutes from time and Jason Carroll almost netted a third with three minutes remaining. But it wasn't to be and the Collon outfit clung on for a 2-10 to 2-6 win. Four points also separated the sides in O'Connells' last SFC match of 2005. Glyde's surprise victory over Mattock the previous day meant that Pat Rice's men had nothing to play for against Newtown Blues in Knockbridge on Saturday July 23. O'Connells mustered a gallant effort but, despite Paul McKeever's late goal, fell to a 1-13 to 1-9 loss. They had made the worst possible start against Glyde, though, as Brendan concedes: "We knew we were up against a good team. They're very fit and very strong, so we were under no illusions. We went into the game confident but also wary and we just never got going. They dominated around the middle of the field but we were only four down at half time so we hoped we could raise it in the second half. But we never got going at all that day. We never showed the people who turned up what we are capable of…" The next two performances were a marked improvement: "We had drawn with Mattock in the league and we could have won that game, so both sides knew what they were up against in the championship. We were geared up for that game and had nothing to lose. We gave them a good game but I suppose Mattock's greater experience told in the end. We were there or thereabouts, though. "The game between Glyde and Mattock the night before we played the Blues sealed our fate. We had only pride to play for at Knockbridge and we performed well. But the breaks didn't go our way and the Blues pulled away. We were disappointed because it was definitely a game we should have won. The Blues went on to hammer Mattock and the Clans, which shows us what we could possibly achieve if we were a bit more assertive and clinical." Now more than ever it appears that there's nothing between most of the senior teams in Louth. While Cooley at times looked a class apart in '05, very little separates the rest of the challengers. "There's definitely nothing between any of the teams in Division 1B," Brendan opines. "All the teams in 1B this year were very evenly matched and it was a tight division from start to finish, so it was important to try and stay focussed." How important was the league to O'Connells? "Our main objective all year was, firstly, to stay up and, secondly, to aim for promotion to 1A so that we'd be guaranteed senior football for at least two more years. In '04 it went down to the last game and the Malachis were unfortunate to get relegated. We wanted to guard against something like that, but it's difficult and you don't really know what's going to happen in Division 1B." Killeavy man Pat Rice took over the team at the start of the year. He brought a new dimension to the O'Connells equation. "He knows what he's doing. Training was varied and he's a good motivator," Brendan notes. After a rocky opening with defeats to Kilkerley and Oliver Plunketts, O'Connells transformed their league campaign with a rousing second-half fightback against St Brides. Suddenly, it looked like they'd push for promotion. But it was a fluctuating year for the teams in 1B with promotion and relegation issues still unresolved as we headed into December and Round 14. Sometimes Brendan Tuite feels like pinching himself to see if it's all real. Have O'Connells really come such a long way in so short a time? Less than ten years ago, they were a struggling junior side. Now, they're mixing it with the best of them. "Things have started to go really well," says the 28-year-old back. "The most encouraging thing is that we have a lot of young lads and we might not see the best of O'Connells for two or three years. "Having said that, this is probably the best team we've ever had and we know we can beat anyone on our given day. However, the way the championship is run off in Louth now, you have to be careful that you don't get caught out. You might not have a league match for four or five weeks after getting knocked out of the championship, and it's important to keep things ticking over. You have to be ready for the next league game. Any kind of a bad patch in the league could spell disaster at the end of the season." Brendan Tuite has been part of the O'Connells first team for eleven seasons now. He is thrilled to finally have been given the opportunity of playing senior football with his club and hopes it continues unabated: "When you're young you look at the O'Connells first team and you look up to the players. You hope that one day you'll wear the jersey too. Here we are in 2005 playing senior football, and it's great. "I honestly believe that if you train hard and put in the effort, then you'll get your rewards. "When I was playing junior, senior football seemed a million miles away. This is the class of football that everyone wants to play. The lads are loving it and, maybe in a year or two when we have more experience, O'Connells could become a force." Further positive vibes can be gleaned from the fact that there's plenty of underage talent set to filter through. St Michael's have been faring well and the U14 side that Brendan Tuite managed gained promotion to Division Two during 2005. "The really pleasing thing is that 90% of them are O'Connells players, whereas in the past up to 60% of the lads would have been Stabannon players," Brendan comments. The Tuite name is synonymous with O'Connells GFC. Brendan's grandfather Peter Johnson Tuite was a founder member and player with the club, while his father Peter also lined out for the Castlebellingham/Kilsaran combo. These days, Brendan is joined on the first team by younger brother John and cousin PJ. Tweet

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