2009 was another case of 'what might have been' for the Monaghan senior footballers. For all that, midfield maestro Dick Clerkin hasn't lost any of his faith in the county's potential to gild the lily in 2010.

We all know that Dick Clerkin likes being in the trenches. Want a man on your side in time of war? Call the Currin collossus.
We all know there were times in the past year that he displayed all the characteristics of a man who has clocked up a serious amount of mileage but is there a better engine in the Oriel county? Doubtful.

At the tail end of this coming winter, Clerkin will embark on his 11th year with Monaghan's premier football team.
It's a given that the 27-year old will be one of the first names on the team-sheet when the new season kicks-off.
Once again he can be guaranteed to lead the line in terms of relentless running, making tackles, supporting attacks, covering runs and tracking back. Once again, no-one in the backroom team or elsewhere in the dressing-room will be need to be called upon to fire his enthusiasm.

"I have always enjoyed my football - sometimes more so than others, depending on results of course but I intend playing away as long as my fitness holds and I'm deemed good enough to get my place," the ace midfielder explains.
"Sometimes you might have someone ask you about whether plans for retiring from the intercounty scene but that hasn't ever crossed my mind. They'll have to drag me away from it."

There is a simple explanation for Clerkin's longevity. As an individual player and as a member of a team, he's always honest, determined and a leader of men. It's as simple as that.
There is no need to look for arcane theories or camouflaged misdeeds in running a scalpel across his c.v. What you see is what you get with Clerkin.
Over the years he has been caricatured by pundits as a workhorse but, to many of his close observers he is more thoroughbred than dray horse.

Certainly, Monaghan will not curry favour with punters in 2010 if Clerkin fails to continue to be a pivotal figure for his county.
For his part, looking ahead to 2010 helps conjure up something of an antidote to a scrawny 2009, on both the club and county front.
But as is his wont, he views the year ahead like a player whose DNA ordains that he view the glass half-full rather than half-empty.

"I feel that next year everyone on the county panel will be that bit mentally tougher than we were in 2009," the 'erstwhile Railway Cup star opines.
"Others may take a different view, but, as players, we would judge ourselves on our performances and results and not necessarily on silverware.
"We put in some very good displays over the past while and they're in the locker but we also know that there's more work for us to do.
"It's a case of acknowledging the good performances we've put but being honest and mindful of the negative aspects of the various campaigns."

Underpinning Clerkin's obvious upbeat assessment of where Monaghan's seniors are in the pecking order right now is his seemingly unshakeable belief in the talent inherent in the squad.
He doesn't believe there's any significant gap in class between any of the teams in Ulster and, further afield, there's nothing to be in awe of.

"When you look at how far Meath progressed this year in the championship, you tend to say 'we're every bit as good as them' and wonder what if.
"Mentally, we have to continue to believe that we're every bit as good as any other team in the province and in the country.
"The squad is still relatively young with the majority of the players just around the 26 or 27 mark which gives us a healthy mix of youth and experience.

"I genuinely feel that if we are good enough for long enough, we will get our just rewards and I don't see why that can't happen in 2010."
The canard that Monaghan are a less talented bunch than the Tyrones and Kerrys of this world but rendered competitive by a work-ethic that is arguably peerless has gotten a lot of print space and airtime over the last few years.
Clerkin clearly rejects such a notion and looks forward to leading Monaghan to victories over the country's top teams in the forthcoming NFL.

Mindful of the county's climb from 26 in the pecking order just a couple of years ago to a current top six position, Clerkin reckons a season in the league's top flight can cement Monaghan's position at the peleton.
"All the teams who are successful in the championship lay the foundations for their title wins by operating out of division one of the league.

"The prospect of facing the likes of Cork, Tyrone, Derry and Dublin in division one is a huge carrot for us all and is something to really look forward to.
"I think next year's league will be the most important for Monaghan for years and division one looks likely to be the toughest for the last ten years.
"Over the years you had Division 1A and Division 1B but now all the big guns are in the same division so the competition should be top notch.

"The league games for us will all be top quality and bringing the likes of Kerry to Clones or Inniskeen or going to Killarney will excite the fans as well."
Monaghan's travails over the past year have been well documented in the newspapers, radio and television and Clerkin - an Ulster SFC debutant in 1999 - doesn't begin to try and mask the disappointment felt by the panel at the way Derry guillotined their championship season.

"It's goes without saying that we were gutted by the results against Derry but not too many teams go up to Celtic Park and get what they're looking for.
"Our Ulster championship game against them was a difficult assignment but we should have won in a game that wasn't as bad as was painted, I feel.

"Even allowing for the way we bounced back to beat Armagh, our level of frustration and disappointment from the championship can't be denied.
"It's just a pity we didn't seem to click all together on the one day; the defence, attack or midfield had their good patches but not all on the one day."

To his credit, Clerkin says there were no mitigating circumstances surrounding the county team's failure in the championships.
He says preparations for each game last summer were "impeccable and first class."

But did the team get the rub of the green which can so often make the difference between success and failure?
"No I don't think we did. At least we didn't get our fair share. The fact that Derry got a goal in the first minute at Celtic Park was a real bummer and maybe that knock got to us but that's part and parcel of having to be mentally strong."
No question in his own mind of the supporters' faith being tested then?

"I suppose they're entitled to ask questions as to why we're just not cracking it when the heat is on but it hasn't been for the want of trying.
"The county has shot up the rankings and that increases expectations among supporters and then when things don't work out, they feel let down.

"As players we have to deal with our own frustrations and the fans but criticism will always just be around the corner - look at some of the criticism levelled at Mickey Harte over the years and all that he has achieved for Tyrone.
"I feel we have underperformed over the last three years in particular when we left the Ulster title behind us and then messed up afterwards in trying to make the latter stages of the All-Ireland (championship) but we're learning all the time.

"2007 was a great year but I don't think we criticised ourselves enough and didn't examine our game enough.
"We've moved on from then and we're better able now to take a step back and really see what we're doing right and not doing right.
"I think everyone will be determined to hit the ground running when the league begins and a good campaign in it would set us up nicely for a good crack at the championship." Tweet

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