Pining for the top table!
November 30, 2009
In the years since their exit from the senior ranks, Dunderry have enjoyed mixed form. Things seem to be coming together for them as 2009 saw them among the favourities for IFC honours.
By Brendan Boylan.
Sean Kelly made quite an impact as a player during what was an injury blighted career. He has already done so in his burgeoning management career - most notably when, with the aid of Sean Barry, he guided the Keegan Cup back to Brews Hill in 2008. Long before that however, he achieved great success with his native Dunderry, the fruits of which are helping propel them closer to a return to the top table of Meath football.
Kelly took charge of what was one of if not the best U21 sides ever seen in the county. Towards the end of the 1990's they were unbeatable, winning three consecutive Championships. Backboned by players like Keith and David Callaghan and Seamus and Colm Harte and Eric Murray and Damien Clarke and Brian Newman. Many, if not all of them had been part of a similarly all conquering St Cuthbert's Minor side.
Logic would say that Dunderry as a club were thus destined for greatness given the talent at their disposal. Alas, it seldom works out as it seems. As the team that garnered Keegan Cup in 1995 began to break up and former stalwarts like Tommy Dowd (most notably) and Kelly and the McGourty brothers and Jack Smyth departed the scene, the fortunes of the black and whites hit a downward spiral, culminating with them exiting the top rank at the end of 2005.
The feeling in many places would've been that, with some of those mentioned above - not to mention Barry Callaghan and Kevin Dowd - still on the go, and Tommy Dowd returning as manager despite being a Wolfe Tones player at that stage, their return to the top division would be instant..
If that was their genuine belief, they were left bitterly disappointed as a final round loss to Drumconrath in the 'regulation' fixtures meant they didn't even make the knock stages.
Barry Callaghan replaced Dowd patrolling the sidelines in 2007, but, after opening their account with a one point win over St Colmcille's at Pairc Tailteann, the same margin at the same venue was their undoing as they exited at the third last hurdle to a Castletown side trained by the Kelly/Barry combination mentioned earlier. An obvious disappointment, but against that, another step of progress in the right direction from the previous season.
2008 saw Con O'Neill - who had served his managerial apprenticeship under Colm O'Rourke in Simonstown - assume control of affairs. Despite claiming the scalps of Ballivor, Clann Na nGael and maybe more notably a Gaeil Colmcille that had been flying up to that time, the loss of the suspended Kevin Dowd and what O'Neill described as 'a lack of scoring forwards' saw them again exit stage at the last eight at the hands of Ballinlough.
While the opening salvo of 2009 did result in an eight win over Drumconrath, the concession of three goals indicated that there was still plenty to be worked on if a return to the top flight was going to be achieved.
Sorting out glitches after a victory is one thing, but when Na Fianna handed Graham Geraghty his first Championship victory as their boss by a point in Round 2, it left Dunderry with even more to ponder.
The occasion of their third outing showed the first signs of a team hitting form as they were on the right side of a one point margin against St Michael's before having four to spare over perennial contenders Gaeil Colmcille in Round 4.
Again, the momentum was further built upon in the last round of divisional matches when Carnaross, who always tend to be there or thereabouts at the business end of things, were dispatched with ten points to spare. Thus setting up a quarter final encounter with a St Colmcille's side that had been making steady progress of their own during the season.
That progress was unceremoniously halted at the first knock out stage as Con O'Neill's side gave a display of football that made many an astute observer sit up and take notice. Anthony Kane and T.J. Garry posted 2-11 between them as a 2-15 to 1-6 success was recorded at Seneschalstown. So, they had moved their progress on a step further from 2008 and the feeling in most places was that they would go on and attain the place at the top table they had been pining for.
On the other hand, Oldcastle had been creeping along up the inside rail, so to speak, akin to a steed under the guidance of Paul Carberry. And we all know what usually happens when he presses the button!
They had gone extremely well in Div. 3 of the A League and qualified to play Dunboyne in the last eight of the Feis Cup. Yet, the groundswell of opinion seemed to be that Dunderry would prevail.
Many should have known better however. 11 years ago, the North county side embarked on a similarly unexpected (by some!) voyage that led them all the way to the SFC Final.
It wasn't until their semi final toppling of Simonstown that the magnitude of what they had achieved apparent.
And, it seems, unfortunately from a Dunderry perspective, being back in Pairc Tailteann at the same stage - albeit a grade lower - provoked a similar reaction. Three early points from three different free takers - Vincent Reynolds, Niall Mangan and Paddy Rahill - once again proved that the outsiders paid scant regard to what most people thought.
In truth, Dunderry never really got motoring on the night in question at all. They were 0-1 to 0-8 in arrears after 22 minutes and after 30 it was 0-3 to 0-10. Though they did post the first three scores after the resumption and narrowed the deficit to two with three minutes remaining, a pointed free from Ronan Farrelly gave Oldcastle a win their levels of dominance throughout the contest probably deserved.
It will have been a bitterly disappointing climax to the campaign for Dunderry. Mostly as they will feel they didn't do themselves justice. There is no worse feeling in sport. Still, they need not despair. They have progressed on their journey a stage further than in 2008 and there remains in situ the nucleus of a team plenty good enough to bring them back to where they want to be in the very near future.
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