As John Curry looks back on the summer of 2003 he will have a certain degree of 'we under achieved yet again' from a club point of view, but reflections on the inter-county scene will bring nothing but immense satisfaction and a sense of achievement. Ballinabrackey's dream of Junior Football Championship glory was shattered at the quarter-final stage by Dunsany, but Curry had already tasted a memorable success with Meath, being a key member of the side which brought the county its fifth All-Ireland Junior Football Championship title. Curry was a highly reliable goalkeeper on Martin Barry's side and savoured every moment of a memorable campaign that culminated in a superb six-point final victory over Galway at Cusack Park, Mullingar, in early August. To make it an even more memorable occasion for the Ballinabrackey club, they also had Trevor Bannon on the victorious side and he was one of the true stars of the show at full-back in the All-Ireland decider. "Looking back on the whole campaign now, it was a really great experience," Curry said. "Winning the final was just brilliant, my best moment in football so far, and something I will always remember with great satisfaction. "I've been on the Meath junior panel since 1997, with the exception of last year when I was injured, so to get an All-Ireland medal at this stage was just great. I played with Fergus McMahon and Nicky Horan from the minor ranks up and to have those two players on the junior team too was extra special. It added to the satisfaction of winning the title." Curry, who also lines out between the posts with the Ballinabrackey junior team, having played at midfield and centre half-back on occasions in the past, was full of praise for all those involved with the All-Ireland junior success. "Martin Barry is a superb manager," he added. "He has a great way of dealing one-to-one with the players and knows the game so well. He's also a very nice man. "They were also a great panel of players to be part of and great to work with. I've been there most of the time since '97 and I'd have to say that this was the best panel I've been part of. I can see a few of them making it onto the Meath senior panel at some stage in the future. "As for myself, I'd really love to be part of the Meath senior panel, but we'll have to wait and see what happens. I'll be away at Glamorgan University in Wales until mid-May studying mineral surveying. I have a diploma in mineral engineering from Athlone Institute of Technology." While Curry had a tremendous summer with the Royal County juniors, the story with Ballinabrackey didn't bring such satisfaction for the 25-year-old who described the quarter-final elimination against Dunsany as "very disappointing." 'Brackey were drawn in Group A of the championship, a section that also included Gaeil Colmcille, Kilmainham, Kilbride, Moylagh and Ratoath, and Seamus Brennan's side opened their campaign on a bright note when they scored a comfortable 0-11 to 0-4 victory over Gaeil Colmcille at Kildalkey. When that success was followed by a 0-12 to 0-9 win over Kilmainham, Ballinabrackey were looking good for a place in the last eight, but they were stopped in their tracks in round three when they were just edged out by Moylagh on a 2-6 to 2-5 score line. However, 'Brackey bounced back from that defeat to record a one-point (0-12 to 0-11) win over Kilbride and with six points from a possible eight they were in a good position. But a very strong Ratoath side inflicted a second defeat of the campaign in round five,winning by 1-11 to 0-10, though the three victories recorded earlier were sufficient to book a place in the quarter-finals on six points, four behind Ratoath who won all their matches and just a point ahead of third-placed Moylagh. Unfortunately, Ballinabrackey's interest in the Junior Championship soon came to an end as the 2002 beaten finalists Dunsany got the better of them by three points (3-8 to 1-11) at Longwood in the quarter-finals. Things were looking extremely promising for Brennan's team when they built up a 1-4 to 0-1 lead after only 12 minutes, though Dunsany had reduced the deficit to just two points at the interval (0-6 to 1-5). It all went wrong for 'Brackey when Dunsany hit them with a salvo of 3-2 to take control of the match after the change of ends and, although the winners failed to hit the target in the last 10 minutes, the damage had been done and they held out. "That defeat against Dunsany in the quarter-final was very disappointing for us," Curry recalled. "Expectations were very high in the club for the 2003 championship campaign. We had a very young team overall and we just didn't perform against Dunsany, it was as simple as that. That's what it comes down to - you have to perform on the day. "But we have to be hopeful for the future because we have a young panel. With the exception of Gerry and Aidan Coffey we're all quite young and that has to give us hope. "I hope Seamus Brennan stays on as coach. He knows his stuff and has seen it all. He tends to concentrate on the 'ball in hand' side of the game and that's good. I believe he could bring us on further." John Curry doesn't devote all his time in Gaelic football to his own playing career, whether it be with the Meath juniors or Ballinabrackey. "I have trained the minor and under-16 teams in the club and the ladies as well," he said. "I just love being involved." Ballinabrackey won the Meath Under-14 Div. 2 Championship in 2003 and that was a success that demonstrated the amount of talent coming through in the under-age ranks in the club. "We have plenty of talented young players coming along in the under-age ranks too, which augurs well for the future," he added. "It was very good to see the under-14 team winning their championship." The Junior Championship title may have eluded Ballinabrackey once again in 2003, but having two of their players performing such key rolls in the All-Ireland junior triumph brought immense satisfaction. And who knows, that county junior title might be just around the corner. Underage win The future stars of Ballinabrackey Football Club were on show at Pairc Tailteann, Navan, in late June when the under-14 team turned in a tremendous performance as they made an amazing comeback to defeat Ratoath in the Div. 2 Championship final. It was truly an historic occasion for Ballinabrackey as this was the club's first under-age championship title. And what a final it proved to be as the teams notched nine goals between them, with Christy Cooney's 'Brackey side edging through by the minimum on a 5-5 to 4-7 score line. David Cooney took the scoring honours for 'Brackey with a fabulous personal return of 4-1, including the winning point, but it was very much a team effort that brought about such a sensational victory. It certainly wasn't all going to plan for the eventual winners in the opening half and they trailed by all of nine points (1-3 to 3-6) at the interval as they struggled to find their best form, but they upped their performance enormously after the change of ends to outscore Ratoath by 4-2 to 1-1 and clinch the title. Cooney had demonstrated his undoubted goal-scoring touch as early as the third minute of the game when he got on the end of a long ball forward from Brendan Glennon and found the net, while Danny Quinn and Nicky Judge also added early points. But otherwise that first period hadn't gone at all well for Ballinabrackey as Ratoath played some superb flowing football and hit them with three goals in as many minutes to apparently assume control. Cooney had started in the half-forward line, before being switched to full-forward, and it was his three goals in the space of just 10 minutes well into the second-half which really helped to turn the tide in his side's favour after Ratoath had looked certain to claim the title. Substitute David Thompson got the first of Ballinabrackey's second-half goals 11 minutes from the end after a Cooney shot had been brilliantly saved by Ratoath goalkeeper Richie Crehan and with Cooney himself adding three more in the 53rd, 56th and 59th minutes, 'Brackey had made a marvellous recovery and were on level terms. It was fitting that Cooney should have the final say when he fired over a dramatic winning point. It was a sensational conclusion to a wonderful match which provided so much entertainment and drama. The Ballinabrackey line-out and scorers in the final were - K. Coyne; S. Cooney, G. Grehan, G. Kearney; S. Cooney, J. Coyne, A. Dunne; D. Carroll, D. Quinn (0-2); N. Judge (0-1), D. Cooney (4-1), D. Larkin; R. Conlon, B. Glennon (0-1), B. Quinn. Subs - B. Coyne for K. Coyne, D. Thompson (1-0) for B. Quinn, A. Munnelly for D. Larkin. Underage Club Achievements The Ballinabrackey underage club wish to pay special tribute to James Coyle and David Cooney who secured places on the U14 Meath panel. James who plays at full back had a remarkable season, he plays at all inter-county games against Westmeath, Longford, Down, Kildare, Sligo, Derry and Louth. He won county medals at the Louth "Tuft Cup" Tournament (Meath 4-17; Louth 1-3), and the Fr Bannon Meath Tournament. His consistency and skill was evident at all games. David an outstanding footballer also did his club proud although a ligament injury hindered his place on the panel. He also obtained a county medal from the Fr Bannon Cup Tournament. The commitment, dedication and talent of these young players is to be admired and hopefully they will achieve further success in the years to come. Also congratulations and best wishes to Jim Coyne club secretary on his role as a selector to the Meath U14 panel. Meath champions 2003 The Bracks are back (Fe Peile 14 Roinn 2) The Bracks are back - words from a member of the welcoming staff as we arrived at headquarters. Could they ring true? The stage was set - a Beautiful Summers Evening - Meath headquarters, Pairc Tailteann, Navan. Could they do it for the first time in the club's history, the young men from South Meath against Ratoath, a club with resources far exceeding their relentless competitors. Ballinabrackey got off to a blistering start with a goal and two points with no reply from Ratoath. Then the game changed, with the wind in their favour, Ratoath realised they had a game on their hands and began to take control of the midfield. They responded with sheer confidence and before Ballinabrackey knew it they were at one stage nine points behind. The half time team talk, a few tactical substitutions and Ballinabrackey responded in the true manner of champions. Goals were the option and goals they came, not without reply from Ratoath. Finally a goal and a point in the closing minutes gave Ballinabrackey that vital one point lead with the final score Ballinabrackey 5-4, Ratoath 4-6. This game was truly representative of the future of Meath football. A sporting game, committed players, dedicated trainer and mentors, enthusiastic parents and supporters (with the odd Dub accent and a prayer from the Rev PP). But the evening wasn't over yet. After a short stopover in Trim the supporters gathered outside Clonard to drive in convoy for the homecoming victory celebrations. After a victory tour around the Parish of Ballinabrackey the team and supporters gathered at the Boyne Park Clubhouse, where the players were then driven open top to the awaiting reception in Castlejordan. The cup was filled, the job was done, everyone was proud and so they should be. There were excellent performances all round from Brothers Barry and Kevin Coyne, David and Stephen Cooney, Gary Kearney, Shane Cooney, Alan Dunne, Nicky Judge, Damien Carroll, Danny Quinn, David Larkin, Robert Conlon, James Coyne, Brendan Glennon and Gerard Crehan. The team would not be complete without the substitutes Brian Quinn, David Thompson, Andrew and Patrick Mulliney, Finnbar Murphy and Jamie Conlon who made a return after illness this year. Tweet

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