Rockcorry may have failed in their bid to try and secure promotion to the senior ranks of Monaghan football in 2009 but under new management strides have been made by the club's senior team. Involved with the club for the best part of a decade now, Youth Officer Martina McKeown knows this better than most.

A new decade will bring the same impetus for Rockcorry after defeats in the latter stages of the intermediate league and championship this past season will see them still hunting for promotion to top-flight status in Monaghan club football in 2010.
While they have had their doubters as genuine intermediate contenders in the past, Rockcorry put such claims to rest during the '09 season when they impressed during the intermediate football league and built run towards the last four of the intermediate football championship, where they were defeated by eventually promotions winners Drumhowan on a bad day at the office from their perspective.
According to the club's long-term Youth Officer, Martina McKeown, whose son Paul plays in attack with the senior team, certain aims that were set out were at the start of the year were achieved by the Rockcorry players and their new management.
"I suppose the objectives of the intermediate team would have been to try and secure a semi-final place for promotion in the league and in the championship we wanted to get to the final," Martina put it simply.
"In 2008 we had 20 points in the league and didn't make the play-offs and we were beaten in the quarter-finals of the championship, so our aim was to just do better in 2009."
The management team of Mark McCormack and Ross McDonald had been unlucky not to have booked a place of the semi-finals of either the league or championship during the '08 season but still felt it was necessary for someone new to come in and take on the challenge of bringing the team forward another stride.
Therefore Thomas Duffy was brought in to take over the reins as senior team manager with the club and he would be ably assisted by Rockcorry native Tom Daly, who as appointed as his selector. A new man, with new ideas brought about a bit of anticipation around the club for the new season and with Daly acting as the right-hand man, so to speak, it wasn't going to be too long before Duffy got to know the ins and outs of his players when training started in the New Year.
Rockcorry enjoyed a decent start to their league campaign registering wins which saw them towards the top end of the IFL table before a loss at home to Corduff paved the way for two further defeats, which would leave Duffy's team needing two more wins after the conclusion of their championship to ensure a semi-final place in the league.
"We had a fairly good start to the league," said Martina. "We won our first couple of games and were playing well in games away from home but I suppose the most disappointing aspect to it was some of the home games that we were losing.
"We lost to Corduff, Aughnamullen and Cremartin all at home in close games and in the end that's what really went on to cost us a semi-final place."
Despite those defeats, Duffy's charges were still heading into the intermediate championship as confident as ever that they could upset the likes of Monaghan Harps and Drumhowan and deliver a coveted title to the club.
In the first round Rockcorry faced a tricky assignment against Eire Og, which they came through with flying colours before edging out Tyholland after a replay to take their place in the last four of the competition.
In the semi-final, Duffy's men met the challenge of Drumhowan and suffered a heavy 1-11 to 0-4 defeat. The result meant Drumhowan would advance to the final, where they too would be ousted by Monaghan Harps
"Hopes were high after beating Eire Og and Tyholland, especially the way we played against Tyholland in the replay. Then we lost to Drumhowan after playing very badly, so our attentions switched back to the league," said Martina.
From being just 60 minutes away from a county final appearance, to having their hopes firmly dashed by an impressive performance from Drumhowan, Rockcorry weren't too disheartened and picked themselves back up in a bid to obtain promotion via the league.
"We beat Corduff in Corduff, which was a great result for us that put us into second place in the table," explained the club's Youth Officer
"We lost our next game and then played Aughnamullen and they beat us, so within the space of a few weeks we went from being second in the table to being forced into a three-way play-off for fourth place. It was Rockcorry, Monaghan Harps and Aghabog in the playoffs. Harps beat Aghabog and then Aghabog beat us and that was the end of our season."
Although it was a disappointing end to the year for Duffy and his players, the club need not be too concerned as there are any amount of young prospects currently coming through the ranks that should be well able to maintain their bid for success in which ever competitions Rockcorry find themselves in years to come.
At present there are five underage players in the club involved with county squads, according to Martina.
"Niall McKeown is on the county minor team and Keelan Clerkin and Mark McGurk are both involved with the Monaghan Under 16 panel," she said. "We also have Fergal McGough and Lorcan Smith that are both on the Monaghan Under 15 development squad, so that's promising for the club.
"2010 will be the same again, but we'll just be looking to improve again. Hopefully, with the mixture of experience and youth in the team we can do that and Thomas will know the players that bit better, so hopefully."
Rockcorry are ensuring that the supply of talent keeps coming through as well.
In September, two of the club's most devoted underage coaches, Ross McDonald and Paddy Dillon, commenced an Under 6 coaching session to develop players' skills in the game and since that time the sessions have been growing from strength to strength, with training taking place each Saturday morning at the Rockcorry club grounds.
"It was a very mixed year for the club at underage level," she said.
"In 2009, the club competed at Under 12, 14, 16 and minor level. The Under 14s were beaten in all their games, but we have very small numbers in that area, and the Under 12s reached the shield final where they were well beaten by Killeevan.
"Our Under 16 team were beaten by Cremartin in the championship, but then went on to win the league by defeating Tyholland in the final. Our minors were beaten by Corduff in the league final. The team was managed by John McGonagle and Pascal Smith."
Numbers in the club - at Under 14 level in particular - are an issue which Rockcorry are now addressing and the fact that the Under 16s did the club proud by defeating Tyholland at Threemilehouse to clinch the Under 16 Division Three league title offers a real incentive for those players to go on and achieve more success in the future.
Elsewhere in the club, ladies football continues to experience a drought with no senior team competing in any competitions but one native of Rockcorry has still managed to excel in the sport. Orla McKeown is a current member of the Monaghan senior squad which has been cited as one of the best in the country after their run towards the 2008 All-Ireland decider and in '09 she played with both Clones and then Latton, after the St Tiernach's Park-based outfit had folded their ladies club.
In Scor, Rockcorry were in shortage of county finals this year but were unlucky to lose out on three different occasions.
"Our quiz team, which consisted of Lorcan Smith, Fergal McGough and John Greenan, were beaten in the county final of the Scor na nOg by Aghabog the same day that they beat us in the league play-off for the semi-finals," said Martina.
"In senior score, Finnoula McQuillan was beaten in the county final and Mark McCormack and Paul McCormack were also beaten in the Senior Scor quiz county final, so we were a bit unfortunate not to have come away with something from those."
Between missing out on league semi-finals and championship finals, as well as suffering defeat in three Scor county finals, it seems that Rockcorry's luck completely escaped them in 2009.
However, fortunes always change and you can be sure that the club will be driven when the next decade arrives.
As apart of the GAA's 125 celebrations in 2009, Rockcorry planted a maple at club's home grounds during the June Bank Holiday weekend. The Maple leaf is a proud part of Rockcorry crest and many in the club will hope that whilst the leaves grow, so will the ambition and will of a club which has plenty of success to catch up on. Tweet

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