Walterstown's 2005 SFC form was hit and miss. From their seven group outings, they won three, lost three and drew one - a precise 50% record. It wasn't enough to book a place in the business end of the Keegan Cup competition, however, much to the obvious disappointment of powerful midfielder John Davis. The talent in Walterstown is beyond question. That's why many onlookers shortlisted the All Blacks as potential Meath senior football champions ahead of the 2005 club season. They certainly possess the tradition and there's a feeling that the present crop have been under-achieving of late. Thus the contention that Walterstown might come good in '05. Alas, despite some impressive performances in the group stages of the premier club competition, Eamonn Barry's charges once more flattered to deceive, failing to make it through to the knockout stage. Their league form was solid, though, culminating in promotion back to the top division, and there's no reason why the former Royal County and Leinster kingpins can't go on to reclaim former glories in the not-so-distant future. Rarely has the annual race for the Royal County's highest club honours looked so wide open. With a little more conviction and self-belief, Walterstown could very well emerge as genuine contenders in '06. Former Meath minor captain John Davis admits that he was disappointed Walterstown's 2005 campaign didn't extend beyond the group phase. "We were very disappointed not to make a bigger impression at championship level," he concedes. "We had a good manager in place and we had two very good teams, so we probably expected to do better. Training went well, everyone was on a high, and there was an extra buzz about the place because of the new clubhouse. "Things looked to be set up nicely for a good year but it just didn't work out that way. We lost some matches that we should have won and you can't afford to do that. Once you make a couple of slips, you can forget about it..." Walterstown fell only marginally short of a place in the last eight. They were within touching distance until successive defeats sent them packing before their challenge got off the ground. The truth of the matter is that they never got into their stride in the championship, struggling to hold form or put victories back to back. The black-clad brigade took seven points from the first ten available to them, beating Simonstown (1-12 to 0-7), Kilmainhamwood (0-14 to 0-10) and holders Skryne (0-13 to 0-5), drawing with St Patrick's and losing to surprise packets Wolfe Tones (3-11 to 0-14). Unfortunately, consecutive defeats in their final two group outings put paid to Walterstown's Keegan Cup aspirations for another twelve months. Within a fortnight, they lost narrowly to Dunshaughlin (2-11 to 0-12) and Seneschalstown (1-13 to 0-15). Four clubs from each group went forward to contest the county quarter-finals - Walterstown weren't one of them. They had hoped to go further. "We targeted certain teams to beat but it didn't go our way," says John. "We were still in the hunt going into our last game against Seneschalstown but they beat us fair and square, and we could have no complaints. As it turned out, the result was no good to them either and both of us ended up going out." Did the players genuinely believe that Walterstown had a good chance of going all the way? "Yes. The championship is wide open. It's there to be won. Even though none of the teams in our group made it through to the semi-finals, the championship is very tight and there's not that much between any of the teams. I always felt that we had a good chance but we just failed to cross that hurdle into the knockout stage. "There's no outstanding team in the county at the moment, apart from maybe Trim, but they can't get across the winning line. They way it's set up, everybody had a chance, but Walterstown failed to get there again in 2005 and we're disappointed with our performances." Any theories as to why Walterstown can't do themselves justice in the blue riband competition? "I think our main weakness is that there's a lack of consistency in our performances and in the results. We're not holding form for two or three matches in a row and you can't expect to get away with that in the senior championship. There are only seven matches and you have to deliver consistently good performances if you have aspirations of challenging for the title." John played his first championship match with Walterstown when he was 16 but a burgeoning rugby career meant that he has only really been in a position to establish himself as a first-team regular for the past two seasons. He has grown into the midfield role with the club and was one of the most impressive performers in the county in 2005. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the club's last senior championship success. He admits he can't think of a better time to reclaim the most prized trophy in Meath football: "It would be a lovely one to win, and I'm sure we can challenge if we string a few results together. "Consistency will be the key. There are a lot of good young players coming up in the club and the level of interest is very encouraging. The turnouts at training last year were great. Even after we were knocked out of both championships [the juniors did exceptionally well, getting to the semi-final stage of the county junior 'B' championship], we still had 20-30 lads togging out to train for the Feis Cup and the leagues. The interest is definitely there, so hopefully we can get a few early wins under our belts next year. If we could make the knockout stage, the pressure would be off and anything could happen. There's a lot of strength in the club and it's just a matter of grinding out the wins." John trained with the Meath senior in 2005 and hopes to get another run with the Royals in the coming months. The appointment of Eamonn Barry as Sean Boylan's successor certainly won't harm his prospects, as Eamonn should know the player's strengths and weaknesses better than most. "It was good to be part of it," reflects the Walterstown man on his limited '05 involvement. "Training went well and we also had excellent training in Walterstown under Eamonn. Hopefully I'll get a chance to play for Meath next year. That's definitely one of my ambitions." Meath's 1998 minor captain is convinced that football in the Royal County is mush healthier than the doomsayers would have us believe: "I think the players are there, no doubt about that. They were there last year too but weren't utilised to their maximum potential. They're very eager and a great bunch of lads, so it's a question of getting the training right and having the team peak at the right times. "The Leinster championship isn't that difficult to win and I've a sneaking feeling Meath could be the team to watch in 2006. There's nothing whatsoever to be afraid of. People say Meath football is in dire straits and club football in the county is bad but there are plenty of good players here and they're mad to get going. It's all about getting the structures in place and I'm convinced that Meath can rebuild successfully under Eamonn Barry and his selectors." What are John's football aspirations for 2006 then? "To get a starting place on the Meath team, to do well with the club, and to enjoy my football." Is it possible to enjoy football these days, with so much pressure on players? "You could be involved up to four nights a week, so it's a young man's game. You are married to football in a lot of ways and it's a huge responsibility. If you take into consideration relationships and careers outside the football, I suppose you'd want to be getting the best results possible to make it all worthwhile." John himself is an electronics engineer with Hanly Automation Networks. Can he help engineer a Keegan Cup success for Walterstown in 2006? Much stranger occurrences have come to pass in the world of gaelic games… Under 12 joy for Walterstown Walterstown's underage structure received a major boost in June when the under 12s captured the Division 2 league title in emphatic fashion. Team mentor Derek McDonnell was understandably thrilled with the success. The future looks bright for Walterstown following the club's latest success at underage level. In June, the Blacks were crowned Under 12 Football League Division 2 champions after an emphatic 7-9 to 2-7 victory over Clann na nGael in the final at Martry. Earlier, they had won all seven of their group matches and had accounted for Wolfe Tones in the semi-final. "We were very pleased with how the year panned out," says Derek McDonnell, who was joint-team manager along with Denis O'Mahony. "They were a small team, but played a very intelligent brand of football and gave the supporters great value for money all year. This win is a further boost for the club's underage set-up and hopefully we will see a good few of these lads playing for the seniors in the future. There is great potential in these fellas." McDonnell, who is a native of Virginia and won two Cavan senior football championship titles as a player with Ramor United in 1985 and '92, takes great encouragement from the progress the team has made over the past couple of years. As under 10s, they won a mini-league and have since built on that success by winning the under 12 league and by also qualifying for this year's under 13 league Division 2 semi-final. "You could see the potential in them when they won the under 10 mini-league two years ago. They recorded some fine wins in that competition and have been coming along nicely since then. "Last year they struggled a bit at under 12 level, but they were much better prepared for the grade this year and it was great to win a league title. All bar four of the team are also involved with the under 13s who have reached the league semi-final. With a bit of luck, we could be celebrating a league double before the year is out." Walterstown were always a notch above their rivals en route to winning the under 12 Division 2 title. In the group stages, they defeated Na Fianna, Wolfe Tones, St. Colmcilles, Clann na nGael, Donaghmore/Ashbourne, Summerhill and Skryne. Their toughest games came against Clann na nGael and Donaghmore/Ashbourne. They had just two points to spare over Clann and were forced to come from 11 points in arrears to get the better of Donaghmore/Ashbourne. In the semi-final against Wolfe Tones, an early scoring blitz set up Walterstown for a comfortable win. Derek's son, Stefan, who scored freely throughout the year, had a field day by helping himself to a personal tally of 4-4. Stefan and younger brother Robbie were also in top form in the final as Walterstown cruised to a 17-point win over their Athboy opponents. The McDonnell brothers scored 5-7 between them, but Derek insists that it was a team effort. "The local papers decided to focus on the scoring exploits of the two lads, but in reality it was very much a team effort with every player making a big contribution to the victory," he points out. Stefan, who contributed 3-6, grabbed his side's opening goal, but the Blacks were grateful to goalkeeper Shane Russell for a number of fine saves as they reached half-time trailing by 1-5 to 2-4. Nine-year-old Robbie scored a brace of second half goals as Walterstown outscored their opponents by 6-4 to 0-3. Niall O'Mahony and David Donnellan completed the winners' goal haul. Paul Donnellan, Colin McGrane, Ruairi O'Dowd and Cormac Madden also impressed on a memorable afternoon for the Walterstown youngsters. With many of the same players on board, Walterstown have progressed to the semi-finals of the under 13 league, having won five of their seven outings to date. "It would be some achievement if the under 13s could win a league title as well. No matter what happens from here on, they've had a great year," notes McDonnell, whose late father Patsy played for Ballinlough. Walterstown have opted to play in Division 1 of the under 13 league next year, and Derek is under no illusions about the task which awaits them. "We could easily have decided to stay in Division 2, but that wouldn't be seen as ambitious and we're going to give Division 1 our best effort. Playing against the likes of Simonstown, Navan O'Mahony's and Ratoath will be a big step-up for us, but I'm hopeful that we will be ready for it. Those clubs have much bigger numbers than us, but we won't fear them at the same time." Derek isn't unduly concerned about the team's lack of size. "Most of the lads are small for under 12s, but the chances are that they will grow into decent-sized senior players. Some of their brothers are quite tall, so I wouldn't be too worried about their lack of height or physical presence at the moment." Like his fellow team mentor Denis O'Mahony, McDonnell has immersed himself in club activities since coming to live in the Walterstown area over a decade ago. A native of Cork, O'Mahony ended his playing days with the Blacks and is now deeply involved in juvenile coaching. "There is a tremendous amount of work being done with the underage at the present time and it's good to see it paying dividends. You could go down to the pitch any Saturday morning and see up to 80 kids taking part in under 10 training. "The Walterstown underage set-up is well organised and the various coaches deserve great credit for the effort they are putting in. Our job is to prepare the young players as best we can for senior football and if they can make it at that grade, we'll all be extremely pleased," he concludes. The Walterstown team that recorded an emphatic victory in the Under 12 Football League Division 2 final was: S Russell; E McGuinness, A Khan, P Donnellan; J Davis, C McGrane, R Carolan; D Donnellan (1-2), R O'Dowd; C Madden, N O'Mahony (1-0), C Farrelly; R McDonnell (2-1), S McDonnell (3-6), A Woods. Subs: P McKeon, C Hendrick and M Clarke. Tweet

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