Looking forward
November 30, 2009
Patrick Kerrigan has been playing with Cortown senior footballers for the best part of a decade now and has enjoyed some good times and some bad with his club. This year he combined his duties with Cortown and the Meath junior team, along with his position as a Quantity Surveyor with the Midland Construction company.
When Patrick Kerrigan emerged from the minor ranks and into a senior footballer, it wasn't to the intermediate or even junior lines - he was playing his club football at senior level in Meath for his native club, Cortown. That was 1997, a year after Cortown had captured their first ever intermediate championship title, and things were looking prosperous for the new Mattie McDonnell Cup champions.
Cortown have since been returned back to intermediate ranks but Kerrigan enjoyed good times in his early years as a senior footballer on the Meath club scene and continues to do so today.
In 1997, Cortown and Kerrigan looked right at home in the Meath senior football championship, as the club reached the semi-final of the competition in their first year. The following season they were anonymous, but maintained their status comfortably to return to the quarter-finals, where they would again finish second best.
"After winning the intermediate in '96, we were carrying a bit of momentum with us the following year and had done relatively well in the league and championship," said defender, Patrick Kerrigan.
However, 2000 was a near disaster. The Cortown team had come close to relegation after suffering a couple of heavy defeats in the championship. Their league form beforehand had been much more promising and they had come very close to reaching the Division One final, but for a late defeat to Ballinlough which ended their chances.
Soon enough though, Cortown's deteriorating form in the top tier would catch up with them and they were sent back down to the intermediate ranks, where they are still competing today.
One of the things that Kerrigan recalls about senior level football were the hard slogs that kept him busy in training and games each week, but this year there were three things to try and juggle at once for the 27-year-old full-back - club football with Cortown, work with Midland Construction and playing with the Meath junior football team.
At the start of the season, Kerrigan received a call into Kit Henry's panel and graciously accepted.
"It was good to be involved," said Kerrigan. "It was a great experience because you're playing against tough players and good caliber of opposition all the time.
"From the start of the year, Kit Henry had told us that he wanted to go one better and win the Leinster championship - that was the target he set for us."
Meath took on Wexford in the opening round of this year's Leinster junior football championship and registered a victory which they hoped would help build the platform for success in the competition.
However, the next day out, the Royals were shocked by Longford in Navan and the team's season was brought to an abrupt end by a side with many seniors in their ranks.
It was a disappointing defeat for Kerrigan and his teammates to take but their year wasn't over, as the county club championships were just around the corner, and for Kerrigan that meant his focus switched to Cortown and the intermediate championship.
With Meath's progress in the All-Ireland SFC, clubs in the Royal County were to endure drawn-out championship campaigns. Cortown kicked-off their bid for a first Mattie McDonnell Cup in 13-long years with a hard-fought draw against Castletown in April. Two months later they scored a one-point victory over Ballinlough and in September their progression through to the preliminary quarter-finals was secured when they put in a unwavering display against Moynalvey to record a 2-13 to 1-10 triumph.
That victory over Moynalvey would come at a cost though, as full-back Kerrigan suffered a dislocated shoulder in the win which would see him miss his team's next outing against St Colmcille's.
In a tight affair, it was the Saints that would come through on a 1-10 to 0-10 score-line, putting Cortown to the sword and out of the championship for another year. Even after such a tough defeat, the defiant Kerrigan still remains positive that his club is on the up.
"The club is going forward," he insisted. "We think, with everyone fit and available to us next year, that we are well capable of winning that intermediate championship title again.
"We hope to have everyone back next year and the club have developed the pitch this year, so there should be a real incentive next year to get off to a winning start in the league next year and take it from there. Hopefully we can do it, but it's going to take an effort from everyone involved."
Perhaps Kerrigan and co will be looking to mimic their county's form in the past All-Ireland SFC. After defeat to Dublin, Eamonn O'Brien's charges stormed through the qualifiers and outgunned Mayo to a semi-final place, where they were narrow losers over eventual champions Kerry.
"The senior's season went well, they improved with every game," said the defender.
"I'd imagine their main aim next year will be to try and win Leinster. I don't see Dublin going as well as they did in the province as they have in the last few years and I think we're well capable of putting it up to the likes of them and Kildare."
Patrick Kerrigan currently works for the Midland Construction company as Contract Manager and a Quantity Surveyor. Founded by his uncle, Mark, back in 1979, the business has enjoyed steady growth, through their head office in Kells, with other bases of operation in Cork and Belfast.
Midland Construction is a builders, contractors and project managers company that employs 40 full-time direct employees and its three directors are Mark Kerrigan, Damian Donohue and Laura Kerrigan.
Recently, Midland Construction have successfully completed numerous Department of Education summer work projects in Bray, Cabra, Castleknock, Coolock, Dundalk and Raheny and have also recently completed the refurbishment of St. Patrick's College in Drumcondra.
Most Read Stories