More than holding their own
November 30, 2009Last year's championship was a major disappointment when they failed to reach the knockout stages, having lost quarter-finals in the previous three campaigns, but there was a degree of compensation when they won Division 4 of the A League with a final victory over Kilbride and gained promotion to the higher section.
Former Ballinlough and Meath player Jody Devine was again at the helm for the 2009 campaign when Drumbaragh weren't too far away from gaining a second successive promotion in the league and won their first three matches in the championship to guarantee their place in the knockout stages.
When the championship draws were made earlier in the year Drumbaragh must have been optimistic that they could emerge from group C which also included Moylagh, Drumree, Kilbride and the second string teams from Skryne and Navan O'Mahonys. There was clearly plenty of potential to pick up sufficient points to prolong their interest in the title race.
The first round isn't the ideal time to tackle O'Mahonys at this level, but Drumbaragh opened the competition with an impressive victory over the Brews Hill team at Pairc Tailteann in a game that took place after the Senior Championship meeting of the Navan men and Seneschalstown.
A well taken goal from John Smith late in the first half helped Drumbaragh to lead by 1-6 to 0-5 at the interval, but O'Mahonys always managed to stay in contention. James Connolly scored another goal for the north Meath men 12 minutes from the end and that left them ahead by 2-9 to 1-9.
The game was still in the melting pot at that stage and it took a brilliant goal from Seanie Bennett in the closing stages to secure a 3-12 to 1-13 victory. Smith was Drumbaragh's top scorer with 1-4, Bennett contributed 1-2 and Connolly was on target with 1-1. Coming away from Pairc Tailteann with a victory from a potentially tricky assignment was the ideal start to the championship.
When Drumbaragh and Kilbride met in a repeat of last year's league final at Dunshaughlin Bennett was again on the mark with a goal which helped his team to be on level terms (1-4 each) at the break and with Colm Carry in magnificent form they pushed clear in the second period to win by 1-12 to 1-6. Bennett was their leading marksman with 1-4.
A 0-17 to 1-9 victory over Skryne in the third round at Bohermeen ensured Drumbaragh of a place in the quarter-finals. They led by 0-9 to 0-3 at the change of ends and extended their advantage, but conceded a slack goal which threw the Tara men a lifeline. However, a strong close to the game pushed them over the finish line with five points to spare.
Drumbaragh's only loss of the group schedule came against Moylagh at Ballinlough where the men from the north-west of the county booked their knockout ticket with a deserved 3-11 to 2-10 win. Mark Smith and James Connolly goaled in either half for Devine's team, but Moylagh led by 2-5 to 1-7 at the interval en route to a four point victory.
Drumree had earlier withdrawn from the championship, so Drumbaragh didn't have to play a fifth round match. At the end of the group stages Moylagh topped the section with a maximum haul of 10 points, with Drumbaragh qualifying comfortably in second position on eight.
And so to the serious business and a crunch quarter-final meeting with Kilmainham which was played at Cortown. Drumbaragh looked to be cruising with a big lead during the second half of this match, but in the end they were very happy to hear the final whistle sound as they won by just two points (3-9 to 3-7).
Darragh McNamara and James Connolly were on the mark with first half goals for Drumbaragh and they helped them into a 2-6 to 1-5 advantage at the interval. They were boosted further when Willie Carry notched their third goal and with a commanding lead of eight points at the three-quarter stage and Kilmainham down to 14 players after the dismissal of Petsie Curran, it looked all over bar the shouting.
But from a position of apparent control Drumbaragh soon found themselves under pressure. Mickey Newman and Davy Farnan both found the net for Kilmainham and these scores helped them to reduce the gap to the minimum. A sensational recovery looked a distinct possibility, but John Smith settled Drumbaragh nerves with a late pointed free which secured their place in the last four.
Overcoming the quarter-final barrier was a significant breakthrough for Drumbaragh after previous failings at that stage of the championship, but waiting for them was a Longwood team which many observers fancied to go all the way this year.
The semi-final took place at Dunderry, with the prize for the winners of a ticket to the decider against Dunsany who had earlier beaten Moylagh at Bohermeen. Darragh McNamara and Seanie Bennett aided Drumbaragh's cause with first half goals and they played quite well in this period to hold a minimum margin lead (2-5 to 1-7) at the break.
John and Mark Smith had performed well at midfield, but it was John Cullinane and Mickey Burke who really ignited the Longwood challenge in the second half which they dominated for long spells. Their full-forward line of Aaron Ennis, Wayne Leonard, who notched 2-2, and Rory Maguire was lethal and Drumbaragh found the going tough.
Longwood looked extremely impressive in this half when they moved the ball with pace and precision and they outscored Drumbaragh by 1-8 to 0-5 to be ahead by 2-15 to 2-10 at the end. It was a very decent tally by the losers, but just not good enough.
This year's captain Mark Smith has been playing adult football with Drumbaragh since 1996 when he was part of the team which lost to Moylagh in the A League Division 5 final. He was centre-back on the side which won the Junior B title in 1999, but has partnered brother John at midfield for several years.
"We set out our stall at the start of the year to stay in Division 3 of the league, but we did much better than that," he said as he reflected on the 2009 campaign. "We beat Gaeil Colmcille in the league. It was the first time we beat their first team
"The aim was also to make good progress in the championship and we lost only once in the group, to Moylagh. We had already beaten Navan O'Mahonys, Kilbride and Skryne. The fact that we had already qualified at the time we played Moylagh was probably a factor, but they played well. We probably took our foot off the pedal a bit in training too. We were waiting to see who we would get in the quarter-finals.
"Beating Kilmainham in the quarter-final was a big win for us. We always seem to meet them and we hadn't beaten them in a number of years. It was a monkey off our back really."
Drumbaragh were under no illusions going into the semi-final against Longwood who they knew were a very good side.
"Losing to Longwood was disappointing, but we could have no complaints," Mark added. "They were the better team on the day. Everybody knew that. They were very strong up the middle and had very good forwards.
"Both teams played better against the wind. We played well in the first half when playing against it and led by a point at half-time. I felt they changed their style in the second half. They held onto the ball better. Jody had us in great shape this year, but we lost the semi-final to a superior team on the day."
It's now a matter of getting over that disappointment and looking ahead to 2010 for Drumbaragh.
"We would hope to build on what we achieved this year," said Mark. "We have made progress by getting to the semi-finals this year. Teams that win the Junior Championship have usually been knocking on the door for a few years. We have some very good forwards, some very good young players, like Darragh McNamara. He is very talented."
Reaching the last four of this year's championship was a significant step in the right direction for Drumbaragh and the challenge now is to push on from there. They possess a lot of young talent and will unquestionably be one of the leading contenders for outright honours next year.
The Drumbaragh team in the semi-final against Longwood was: W Arkins; M Kavanagh, B Forde, T Lynch; E Nulty, E O'Sullivan, W Carry; J Smith (0-3), M Smith; P Carry (0-1), N Corcoran, D McNamara (1-3); S Bennett (1-0), C Carry (0-1), J Connolly (0-2). Subs - G McCormack for Lynch, D Carry for Bennett. Tweet
