The glory days of 1999 are a distant memory now in Drumbaragh, after a third successive year of failing to qualify from the group stages in the Junior A championship. In 2000 they lost out to Curraha in a play-off and then in 2001 Nobber broke Drumbaragh hearts again by ousting them out of the championship at the very same stage. A winner takes all defeat to Dunsany in August crushed any hopes the Drumbaragh faithful had of qualifying for the quarter-finals in 2002 but according to team captain Noel Corcoran things are not all doom and gloom in the small North Meath club. "Our average age is only about 22 or 23 so we would like to think that in the coming years we will only get stronger. We have a lot of good young players coming on and hopefully we can start winning trophies again sooner rather than later. "We had expected to come out of the group this year but were just unlucky on the final day against Dunsany. We thought we were good enough but unfortunately it didn't materialise. The winners of that game went through and who knows how far we might have gone if we had beaten Dunsany. "Hopefully next year we can go one step further and get out of the group and then take it from there and see how far we can go. I definitely believe that this club is only coming of age and that there is a Junior A title somewhere down the line. Noel has been a mainstay in the Drumbaragh colours for almost eight years after making his debut when he was only 15. At the time he was playing under 16 football with Meath. Voted Drumbaragh Player of the Year in 2001 he made the natural step up the ladder to team captain in 2002. "I was captain for the year and it was great to be nominated by the selectors. I was honoured to be given the captaincy and lead Drumbaragh out onto the field." The highlight of the Drumbaragh year was undoubtedly beating local rivals Kilmainham in an early round of the championship. Both clubs lie on the outskirts of Kells and many of the players live in and around the town so a local derby between the two is always a huge contest. Noel scored a point in the game and marked friend and neighbour Mark Lynch. "Beating Kilmainham in the championship was the high point of our year. I played middling enough and was on Mark that day. However the tension of local derbies like that means that nobody really stands out and it was a real close battle." Being club captain also brings with it responsibility and Noel showed his undiminished commitment to the red and green in the summer by abandoning his family on holidays to travel home for the crucial Dunsany match. The influential centre-back travelled down to Wexford on Saturday afternoon only to return to Meath on a solo journey early Sunday morning to lead out his Drumbaragh charges. "I came back up for the game and then went back down to Wexford immediately after it was over. Unfortunately Dunsany beat us in that final game of the championship. As I said whichever of us won that day went through to the quarter-finals but they beat us and that was that for another year. They had a player sent off midway through the second half but it actually seemed to work against us and spur them on." Another one of Drumbaragh's top players, 2000 team captain John Smith, was impressed with Noel's leadership qualities on the field all year. "Noel was a very good captain this year and showed his dedication by returning from holidays for the Dunsany game." Indeed 26-year-old John was confident that 'the Drums' would come out of the group right up until the Dunsany game. "Up until the last game we fancied our chances in the championship this year but unfortunately on the day for whatever reason we didn't play well. I scored a goal straight from a 45. I just hit it and it dropped in under the crossbar but we ran out 1-16 to 3-6 losers. "Our form coming up to that game had been quite good. We started our campaign with a draw against St. Marys in Rathkenny on a miserable wet day and followed that with a victory over Kilmainham. Unfortunately I was sent off only 10 minutes into that derby game. It was the first time I have ever been sent off in Gaelic football in my life. I got suspended for a month but the next game was not on for about seven or eight weeks so I didn't miss any championship games." That encounter pitted Drumbaragh against Dunshaughlin in Simonstown and they ran out 1-12 to 0-8 winners. A top of the table clash with Ballinabrackey was next on the agenda. "Amazingly it was our best performance of the year and yet Ballinabrackey still beat us 2-5 to 0-9. At half time they had a two goal advantage at 2-3 to 0-3, but we came out after the break and kicked six unanswered points. However after dominating the second half we conceded two bad points late on and lost. We were very disappointed afterwards. The two slack goals in the first half cost us dearly in the end," admits John. And so after losing to Dunsany in their final championship outing Drumbaragh finished up an agonising third. But John, who had trials with the Meath Juniors in the past and was voted Drumbaragh Young Player of the Year in 1994 and Player of the Year in 1997, is another great believer in the future of his beloved club. "We might not be strong enough at the moment to win a Junior A championship but in a couple of years definitely. Most of this team are still in their early 20's. Without a doubt the potential is there and the plan is for us to become an Intermediate club eventually. That is our aim and what everybody associated with Drumbaragh are working towards." One of John's greatest sporting honours was to line out with the Meath senior footballers on the day the Drumbaragh pitch was officially opened in 1998. "I remember that day well against Tyrone. Traditionally one player from the home club plays at a pitch opening and our trainer at the time Finian Murtagh nominated me so I was obviously delighted. I recall getting the phone call from Finian and he asked me would I play and of course I was absolutely honoured." Like other small clubs in the country, their success is unquestionably derived from the dedication everybody involved with Drumbaragh puts in, and believe it or believe it not but before lining out with the Meath team that day John was actually selling match programmes for the game around the ground. When he was finished he grabbed his gear and went to the dressing room. "I was in the dressing room before the Meath team arrived. I sat in the same place in the Drumbaragh dressing room that I always sit and Tommy Dowd came in and sat beside me. "Before the game Sean Boylan just told me to go out and enjoy it and do my best. I thought he was a very nice man and he came over and had a chat with me and tried to make me feel comfortable. "I was on the bench for most of the game but Sean put me on with about 15 minutes left for Ray Magee. I knew some of the players like Jody Devine and Ollie Murphy as they are from around the area but I remember in particular Hank Traynor coming over and talking to me on the bench. He wasn't long on the panel himself but he was very friendly and made an effort to talk to me. "I got a pretty good cheer when I went on because there were a lot of Drumbaragh people present. I didn't get to keep the Meath jersey though, but I held onto the togs and socks. I actually hit the post when I came on after Tommy Dowd gave me a quick free. "The player I was marking scored a goal though. I was half-forward and he was half-back but he scored a goal and I have taken a good bit of slagging from the Drumbaragh lads over that. Sean McLoughlin was the name of the Tyrone player. I have not been allowed forget his name." Like Noel, John made his club debut when only still in his teens. He was 16 at the time and lined out in the last championship game of that season some 10 years ago. Drumbaragh were playing Junior A football but voted to be regraded to Junior B afterwards because they only had a small crop of players coming on and believed they would not be able to maintain that standard. There are no such problems these days and after lifting the Junior B title in 1999 Drumbaragh have always looked comfortable and competent at Junior A level. Of that famous triumph in 1999 John, who is huge Bruce Springsteen fan, admits that there is one thing in particular that makes his memory drift back to the championship win. "The song Glory Days by Springsteen is one of my favourite songs of all time because it actually reminds me of the time we won the Junior B championship in 1999. In my eyes they were the glory days of Drumbaragh GFC." John actually had to go off injured in the game, but the graphic designer with the Meath Chronicle, jokes that he only vacated the pitch to give some of the other lads a game. "I got a kick on the shin and had to go off. I was on crutches for a week or so after and had only come back for the semi-final after being out with a broken wrist. Anyway David Connolly had come all the way home from America for the final so I thought he deserved a run for his arduous journey. That's why I got injured, just to let him on." And so the potential of further success appears imminent in Drumbaragh and having had George Plunkett coach them for the last two years 'the Drums' are eager for next seasons championship trail to begin once more. Two years ago former trainer Finian Murtagh said that this Drumbaragh team would fulfil their huge potential and win a Junior A championship shortly. It was a sentiment that both Noel and John acknowledged back then. These days it is one in which they firmly believe. Now what was that Bruce Springsteen song called again? Player Focus Name: Noel Corcoran Date of Birth: 10/1/79 Height: 5 ft. 9 inches Weight: 11 and a half stone Honours won: Under 17 championship with the Round Towers; Junior B championship with Drumbaragh in 1999; Division 4 Meath and District league title with Kells Celtic in 2002. Favourite pitch: Kilskyre Toughest opponent: Ronan Fitzsimons from Trim Sporting ambition: To win the Junior A championship Biggest influence on career: Johnny Connolly Biggest disappointment: Losing Division 5 league final to Moylagh in 1996 Best game played in: Junior B final against Walterstown in 1999 Best game ever seen: The final game in the Meath, Dublin four game saga in 1991 Name: John Smith Date of Birth: 25/4/76 Height: 6 ft. Weight: 12 and a half stone Honours won: Under 12, under 14 and minor football championships with Round Towers; Under 16, minor and Intermediate hurling championship with Kells; Junior B football championship with Drumbaragh; Division 4 Meath and District league title with Kells Celtic in 2002. Favourite Pitch: Pairc Tailteann Toughest opponent: Danny Growney from Moylagh Sporting ambition: To win a Junior A championship with Drumbaragh Biggest influence on career: My father Biggest disappointment: Never getting a run with Meath juniors in the championship Best game played in: Minor Championship final in 1994 v Killough Gaels Best game ever seen: The Meath v Kildare first replay in the Leinster championship in 1997 when Jody Devine came on and scored four fantastic points. Tweet

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