Blackhill have reason to be proud
December 30, 2010
While it may have been a tough year on the adult playing side of things, the inclusion of one of their own on the county senior panel and a well organised juvenile setup means that all Blackhill gaels have plenty of reason to be optimistic. By Eunan Whyte.
Blackhill Emeralds may not have enjoyed their most memorable season on the field of play but that is not to suggest that the club didn't have anything to celebrate over the course of 2010.
There may not have been any silverware in the trophy cabinet at the end of the campaign, but all in the club were able to celebrate the honour of one of their own receiving a call-up to the Monaghan Senior Squad.
Talented young goalkeeper, Dean McDermott, ended a long wait for county representation when he was asked to join Seamus McEnaney's set-up in the summer and it certainly was a proud moment for both player and everyone involved with the small Junior Club.
Blackhill Chairman, Pauric Craig, was naturally delighted not only for the dedicated 18-year-old but for all associated with the Emeralds who needed a lift in what was a difficult season.
"It was just brilliant that Dean was called up to the squad and it was a great boost for him and the club as a whole. It really was a big positive for us in what has been a disappointing year.
"Dean was also part of the Minor panel and he is a very committed player so it is a great honour. Although he plays outfield for us he is a very good goalkeeper and was part of the Monaghan squad as sub keeper.
"Although we have been represented at Minor level with Monaghan before, this is the first time that I can remember having a player in the Senior squad so hopefully he can progress from there," said Pauric.
That news was certainly the highlight on the playing front as Pauric reflects on what was a disappointing year on the field of play as the team failed to find their rhythm in the Junior League and finished at the foot of the table, while they were unable to make any impression on the Junior Championship.
At the start of the campaign, Pauric reveals that Blackhill may not have been considered among the favourites to land the major trophies but they set out to make progress on the back of underage success in recent years.
"We haven't enjoyed any success at Junior level of late, but we did win the U-21 Division 3 13-a-side competition at the end of 2008 so we were looking to some of those younger players to come through and help us move on.
"It is great for the club that we have those players now coming on to the Junior team but unfortunately the season didn't work out as we had hoped. Our target at the beginning of the season was to be competitive and looked to finish in a mid table position, but unfortunately we never really got going and in the end failed to make an impression," added the Chairman.
The league season began with some encouraging signs and although they faced a very difficult task away to the strongly fancied Cremartin, the Emeralds turned in a creditable display and in the end lost out by just two points.
The fact that Cremartin went on to top the league alongside Sean McDermotts illustrates what Blackhill are capable of. In fact their next outing was against the McDermotts where once again there were encouraging signs in a four-point defeat.
The next challenge for the Emeralds was to turn that early season promise into a victory and they achieved that in their next outing when they travelled to Killanny and chalked up their first points of the season with a 1-11 to 1-9 win.
However, just when it looked as if the side were building up a momentum, unfortunately for the club they failed to build on that promising early form and three successive defeats followed before they got back to winning ways against Clones and soon after they picked up another point at home to Killanny.
Their third and final victory came at home to Oram in September but it wasn't enough to prevent Blackhill from finishing at the bottom of the league, which was very disappointing according to the Chairman.
"I think we should have done better overall and we were disappointed not to finish higher up the table. There were a couple of games where we lost by just one or two points and that would have made a difference to our league position.
"However, everyone involved put in a big effort and I have to say thanks to the management team of Gerry Quinn, Paddy Smith and Paddy McBride for their efforts all year. Also to the players who kept plugging away and they deserve great credit for their commitment. Hopefully we can pick things up next year and have a better showing in the league."
This year's championship also saw Blackhill unable to make an impression as they lost out to Killeevan in the first round on a scoreline of 2-12 to 1-5. The Emeralds were well in contention at the break as a Colin Woods goal saw them trail by just 0-7 to 1-3, but Killeevan took control in the second half to record a comfortable win.
Pauric will also be hoping the club continue their excellent work at underage level with an eye on bringing players through as they aim to strengthen the team for future years.
"There are a lot of people such as Tony Comiskey and Pauric Loughran making a great effort at juvenile and we are putting in a lot of work at that level to ensure we can bring through the next generation of players," explained Pauric.
One of those involved at juvenile level, Tony Comiskey, revealed that the club are concentrating a lot of resources in that section of the club in order to build for the future.
"I would say that our under-age section is very much a 'work in progress' at this stage but we are encouraged by the fact that all teams have made good progress. Naturally our aim is to bring the young players in the area through and hope they stay with us as we try to build for the future.
"We have good attendances at training at all levels and it is great to see some many in the U-8 and U-10 groups. The idea is to get them involved with the local club and have a bit of fun as well.
"Our U-12 side got to the Shield Final, while the U-14s lost out in the Championship Final, while the U-15 Development team also enjoyed success at their level. Overall the signs have been very encouraging and hopefully we can continue that over the coming years," added Tony.
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