2002 was an eventful year for the underage section of Simonstown Gaels GFC. The U-12s and U-16s contested championship finals while the jewel in the crown, the U-14s, came agonisingly closing to winning Meath's first ever Feile Peil na nOg title. Shane O'Brien reports. Football's fickle fortunes played tricks with the U-14 footballers of Simonstown in 2002. The highs of qualifying for the Feile Peil na nOg competition and winning the League title were tarnished by the shock preliminary round championship exit at the hands of St Colmcille's and the devastating 'golden point' defeat to Crossmaglen Rangers in the Feile final. Unbeaten during the course of the early rounds of the league, the north Navan side qualified for a final showdown against perennial rivals Round Towers thanks to a comprehensive 2-15 to 0-3 semi-final victory over Yellow Furze in Rathkenny. Before the League final, however, there was the small matter of a preliminary round championship game against St Colmcille's to be played in Simonstown in late May. An injury-time goal sent the home side crashing out of the championship in dramatic fashion. It was a devastating blow for the short odds pre-competition favourites but they were minus the services of a number of regulars and their loss proved too much of a hurdle to overcome. Jason Walsh ('flu), Paul Lane (toe injury) and Conor O'Donoghue (hand injury) were amongst the absentees and no team can afford to be without such influential performers. The conditions - wet and windy - made life difficult for both teams and scores were at a premium in the first half with the home side just shading matters at the break, 0-4 to 0-2. A marvellous individual goal from midfielder Alan Watters placed the home side in the driving seat after the resumption but the 'Cilles replied with a three-pointer of their own shortly afterwards. The seaside outfit then went a goal ahead but Watters hit an exact replica of his earlier goal to draw level. Points from Paul Maguire and Shane O'Rourke looked to have sealed matters for Simonstown but St Colmcille's then struck for that late, injury-time winner. Some comfort was gleaned from the fact that the League cup was still there for the taking and that final against the Kells parish outfit was scheduled for Martry on Friday, June 28. Simonstown had fond memories of previous finals against Round Towers (U-12 and U-13) and this was to prove no different, although the winning margin of 2-15 to 1-1 was a surprise. The Kells outfit actually led by 1-1 to 0-0 after five minutes of play but that proved to be as good as it got for them as the team in sky blue - inspired by the midfield pairing of captain O'Rourke and Watters and centre-forward Paul Lane - took control for the remainder of the contest. Lane finished with a personal tally of 2-4 while Stephen Moran, Shane Carr and Brian McKeever were others to impress for the winners. Exactly a week after clinching the League title, the Simonstown players and mentors departed for the Sunny South East, Carlow to be exact and the national Feile Peil na nOg competition. The league success had boosted the confidence levels of the Navan youngsters and they were impressive in the group stages when overcoming hosts O'Hanrahan's, St Joseph's of Laois and reigning champions An Riocht of Down. A semi-final victory over Offaly's Kilcormac-Killoughey in Eire Og's Pairc Ui Bhriain booked them a final ticket against the famed Crossmaglen Rangers club of Armagh. There was to be no fairytale ending, however, as Crossmaglen got their hands on the silverware in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable. Normal time and extra-time failed to produce a winner and the 'golden point' format was introduced to determine the winner. Under this format the team the scores first wins the match and, unfortunately, it was the Armagh side who struck first in the second period of the extra-time. The Simonstown players were distraught when the game ended but they should be proud of their achievement in reaching the final, they represented Simonstown and Meath with distinction. The final - played in Dr Cullen Park - was a fantastic advertisement for underage football with the scoreboard reading 0-5 apiece at the final whistle. At the end of extra-time it was 0-6 apiece. It was no surprise when both sides were afforded a standing ovation at the end such was the entertainment they provided. Incidentally, this was the second occasion when the north Navan club lost a Feile final after extra-time. In 1993, in Kerry, a team containing present Meath senior panelist Seamus Kenny and Simonstown seniors John Lunney and Ronan Brady lost out to Round Towers of Clondalkin by the narrowest of margins after extra-time. A highlight of the weekend from a Simonstown perspective was the large volume of supporters that travelled down to Carlow to cheer on the team. They were easily the most voiceferous set of supporters on finals day. A large Simonstown contingent also turned out to cheer on the U-12s and U-16s which reached their respective championship finals in 2002. Unfortunately, however, there was no silverware for either team, the U-12s were denied by a late St Martin's rally in the final in Bective while the U-16s had to concede second best to O'Mahony's in their decider at Pairc Tailteann. Reaching the U-16 final was, in particular, a notable achievement as two years ago this same bunch of players struggled in the U-14 grade. If ever there was an example of what hard work and perseverance can achieve then this was it. Great credit is due to mentors Jim McCabe and Colm O'Rourke who presided over their reversal of fortunes. The U-14 second string also experienced the harsh reality of losing a final when defeated by St Peter's & Paul's in the Reserve League final on a scoreline of 6-6 to 2-3 in early May. On the county front, six of the Simonstown U-14s attracted the attention of the Meath selectors; Shane O'Rourke, Brian McKeever, Alan Watters, Jason Walsh, Shane Carr and James O'Dwyer. Daire Corcoran was their sole representative on the Royal County U-16 squad. Expect to hear more of these players in the green and gold jersey in the future. The Simonstown U-14 panel for 2002 - J O'Dwyer, P O'Reilly, B McKeever, S Moran, G McDonagh, S Carr, J Walsh, S O'Rourke, A Watters, J Flynn, P Lane, C O'Donoghue, D Tolan, D Moran, P Maguire, D Morgan, R O'Connor, P McGurk, P Kearney, N Boland, B McDermott, C Smyth. The U-14 Reserve team which lost the final to St Peter's & Paul's - P Kearney, K Smith, C Smyth, B Carlton, O Carlton-Keogh, D Morgan, P McGurk, S Fitzsimons, D Rattigan, C Reddy, P Lane, D Connolly, J Gavin, B McDermott, K Keys. Subs used - P Clarke, F Carragher, K Lyons, C Moran. The U-16 team which went under to O'Mahony's in the championship decider - C Togher, P Gorman, B O'Donnell, M O'Rourke, C Tobin, D Corcoran, S Scully, N McMahon, D Curran, C Barrett, M Gaffney, S O'Rourke, B Hussey, I Browne, G Halpin. Subs used - E Gavigan, J Galvin, S Gallagher, J Byrne (blood sub). The U-12 team which was denied by a late St Martin's rally in the championship final - M Reilly, S Tobin, P McKeever, J McCormack, I O'Rourke, D Moran, G McManus, D Skelly, K Clarke, A Kearney, S Kieran, K McAuley, S Reilly, P Reilly, A Burlingham. Subs used - M Curran, M McDonagh. U13's Later in the year the club entered no less than 3 teams in the various Under 15's leagues. All games were competed and according to one mentor this fulfilling of fixtures was better than any trophy. The Under 13 B combination romped to an easy final win over O'Mahonys while the Under 13 A's were beaten by a point by eventual winners St. Peters and Pauls at the semi-final stage. Tweet

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