Farmer believes in current crop
December 31, 2009
Having surrendered their SFC crown in 2009, midfielder Aidan Farmer is confident that - bolstered by the arrival of fresh blood into their first-team ranks - Latton can bounce back by claiming a third county championship in 2010.
Some people say it's all about taking part, but that's not the way we look at it." So says midfielder Aidan Farmer reflecting on a 2009 season that saw Latton make history but ultimately come up empty-handed. For the first time ever, Latton contested back-to-back SFC finals, but a thumping defeat at the hands of Clontibret ended their reign in humiliating fashion. In 2010, the O'Rahilly's will be going all out to set the record straight…
Latton went into the year as the team to beat. Having captured their second county SFC title in 2008, Davy Nelson's men were on a mission to retain the Mick Duffy Cup. They made it to the final but a 2-13 to 0-9 defeat at Cones on September 27 put paid to their hopes for another year at least. Reflecting on the 2009 campaign, Aidan Farmer sums up the mood in the Latton clubhouse:
"It was a good achievement to get to two county finals in a row, but the way we performed in the final would be annoying us more than anything. To go up and lose by ten points was the biggest killer, especially after beating Clontibret in the first round of the championship. We'll have to come back next year and prove that we can do better than that."
By contesting a minor league final and also reaching the semi-final stage of the MFC, Latton showed that they have some exciting new talent coming through and Aidan welcomes this development, even if ultimately it might threaten his place on the team… "They lost the minor league final to Truagh after a replay and that was a good Latton minor team, so the club is in good stead overall. You have four or five good minors coming along there - all county minors - and they will be putting the likes of myself under pressure for starting jerseys next year. Nobody will be guaranteed a place in the team next year and this is good for Latton football. The competition for places should lift us all. A lot of these young lads have experienced senior football already this year and they are going to be a big asset to the club in the coming years.
"We should have a stronger panel next year with these lads coming through. Every one of them will be fit to hold their own. This was the best minor team we've produced in a while and we're hoping to reap the benefits of that over the next few years."
Aidan himself has enjoyed something of a dream run in recent years, lining out regularly on what has to be regarded as Latton's best ever team. During his adult career with the O'Rahilly's, he has picked up five major senior honours - three leagues and two championships - and there's no reason to believe there won't be some more medals before he hangs up his boots.
He's been on the first-team squad since 2000 and nailed down a regular starting place at centrefield two years later, winning SFCs in 2005 ands 2008 and Division One leagues in 2003, 2004 and 2006. "Five senior titles inside six years is good going for a small club, but we'd still like to win more. We're not finished yet. We were very disappointed not to win something this year and the manner of our defeat in the county final means we have a bit of unfinished business going into next year."
For the second successive season, Meath man Davy Nelson was at the helm. Aidan and his colleagues were once more impressed by the manager's input. "He's a very passionate man about football and he has brought a very professional approach into the club, which certainly brought us on a peg or two. We had 20-25 lads out at training every week and it couldn't have gone better. The training was really good but we had a bad start to the year when we lost our first four league games. It's the second year in a row that we've started badly in the league and that's definitely something we have to work on next year."
What was the target for 2009? "To win back-to-back championships. It's something the club has never done before and that's what we were aiming for. We managed to get to two county finals in a row for the first time, but that didn't count for a lot after we were beaten by Clontibret in the final."
Sometimes it's easy to forget just how much progress Latton have made. It's almost taken for granted now that they'll be in the shake-up for SFC and Owen Ward Cup honours each year. Who does Aidan regard as the main contenders for Monaghan GAA's top prize in 2010? "You'd have to be looking at Clontibret, 'Blayney, 'Magheracloone, Latton and Carrickmacross. Those will all be in with a big shout. Davy Nelson says he can't believe how competitive club football in Monaghan is. He has worked in four or five different counties and he believes Monaghan is by far the most competitive he's seen. So it's going to be a battle, but we're hoping to go a step further and win our title back."
The Farmer name is synonymous with the Latton football team that has exploded onto the scene in the past eight years or so. Aidan's brother Sean has been goalkeeper for a decade now and has shared in all the successes that have come along (while first cousin Ken Farmer is also an integral part of the team).
Passionately looking forward to the forthcoming season, the influential Latton midfielder concludes: "We just can't wait to get going again. We're looking forward to redeeming ourselves after that effort in the county final. When you get beaten by ten points all you want to do is get back on your feet and prove yourself.
"We'll have to go for a third county final in a row now. And we'll be hoping to win it this time.
"But we'd also be hoping to qualify for a league semi-final, which we haven't done for two years now. I think it's important that we find our form in the league again. Up until last year, we had been in the semi-finals for four or five years in a row, often finishing top of the league, but we've let that slip. I believe you have to have a good league run to maximise your chances in the championship, so we'll be setting out to hit the ground running…"
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