The mini-revival sparked by Finian Murtagh's arrival at Drumbaragh was temporarily halted when they lost to Curraha at the play-off stage of this season's Junior A championship. Next season, they have the chance to put things right. Finian Murtagh's term in charge of Drumbaragh has been erratic. He joined the club when they were languishing in Junior B mediocrity, brought them to championship success in his second year at the helm and watched in frustration as they let a six point lead slip to Curraha at the playoff stage of this season's Junior A competition. Still, the former All-Ireland winner is prepared to be patient. He has great faith in this particular bunch of players and believes that, if handled correctly, they will bring further success to the closely-knit club. "There is a lot of talent within this club," he insists. "The underage structure is in great condition with an abundance of good, young players coming through. With the right attitude and commitment these lads will fulfill their enormous potential and win a Junior A title for Drumbaragh." Finian began coaching Drumbaragh in 1998, a year after he helped Navan O'Mahony's to the senior county title. His immediate aim was to bring stability to the club before he could begin orchestrating a championship success. "Club chairman Frankie Lynch works alongside me at Navan Carpets and he asked me if I'd be interested in managing the junior team. I had coached underage teams in the past at O'Mahonys but this was the first real test of my managerial skills at adult level. When I met the players we set ourselves a target of winning a Junior B title within two years. We won it at the second attempt which was great, not only because we had achieved what we set out to do but because of the joy and happiness it brought to the players and everyone associated with the club." Confidence was high in Drumbaragh that they could follow the success at Junior B level with a Junior A title in 2000. This seemed justified when they defeated a fancied Curraha side in the fourth round of the championship in impressive style. "We were three or four points down at the happened and they just took over. Everything they touched turned to gold in the last quarter and we had no answer. It was extremely disappointing to lose in such circumstances." Did you learn anything from that game? "I did and I hope the players did too. We have to learn that when you reach this level you have to give the necessary commitment, otherwise you won't get the required result. The players in Drumbaragh are as good as you'll find in any other club but they don't believe how good they actually are. When I was playing with O'Mahonys the players all had great belief in their own ability. In Drumbaragh, there isn't the same belief and that was evident in the way their heads dropped so easily when things weren't going their way against Curraha." Despite this temporary setback, Finian still believes that Drumbaragh will soon qualify for intermediate status. He points to the tremendous work being done by their active committee as the principle reason for his sustained optimism. "Every successful GAA club is built on the committee who run it and Drumbaragh is no different. They work very hard to provide the players with whatever they want and the facilities they have built are second to none in the county. "There is also great support for the club in the local community. Most of them have been supporting Drumbaragh for years without having too much to shout about which made last year's success all the sweeter." Finally, what are his hopes for 2001? "My main aim is to oversee Drumbaragh winning the Junior A title. I'd also like to see Frankie Lynch being given the chance to referee the senior county final and I'd like Johnny Connolly to stop giving out to his three sons." Tweet

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