Hunger is still there, Tommy insists
December 30, 2010Monaghan's long wait for a first Ulster football title since 1988 goes on after their heavy defeat to Tyrone in this year's provincial decider.
After their destruction of Armagh and Fermanagh in earlier rounds, Monaghan came into the final full of confidence but just as in 2007, Tyrone emerged victors, this time by all of 10 points.
No-one in the heaving Clones crowd could have predicted such an outcome after the opening 20 minutes when the Farney County led by the odd point in seven. But Tyrone began to turn the screw after that and they gradually pulled away before Colm Cavanagh put the result beyond doubt when he raced onto a pass from Philip Jordan to score the clinching goal five minutes from the end.
Monaghan still had a chance to salvage their season in the All-Ireland qualifiers, but with just a six-day turnaround, succumbed to Kildare at Croke Park in what proved to be Seamus McEnaney's last game as manager.
"I don't know what happened to us against Tyrone," star forward Tommy Freeman ruefully reflects.
"We were still in it at half-time, but didn't turn up for the second half. When Tyrone get on top of you, they don't let up and that's what happened. It was terribly disappointing because we are a lot better than we showed in the Ulster final. We didn't do ourselves justice at all."
The Magheracloone clubman dismisses the suggestion that Monaghan were weighed down by expectation.
"The expectations for the team were huge after the wins over Armagh and Fermanagh, but I don't think that was a factor. You have players in that team who have a lot of experience and who had played in a final before in 2007. It was just one of those days when nothing went right for us," he says.
It is a measure of how much expectations have soared in the border county that the players and supporters are no longer satisfied with reaching an Ulster final. And despite the setbacks, near misses and disappointments of recent years, the thirst for success remains as great as ever.
"It would be easier to maintain the hunger if we winning the odd bit of silverware, but having said that, every fella on that panel is still desperate for success. There has been too much hard work and effort put in over the last five or six years to let it pass us by," Tommy explains.
"I know a few of us are pushing on (Freeman turns 30 in February), but I still think there's more left in this team and that we can make the breakthrough. All that we need is a little bit of luck, which we haven't got up to now. We've been handed a very tough draw against Tyrone in the first round of the Ulster championship next year, but it's a challenge we intend meeting head on.
"We'll keeping hammering away for as long as we are physically able to, and hopefully the breakthrough will eventually happen for us," he adds.
Monaghan's failure to land that elusive Anglo-Celt Cup this year ultimately cost Seamus McEnaney his job after six years as manager. The Corduff man was all set to remain at the helm for three more years until club delegates surprisingly voted for the position to be opened up to other candidates. But despite having the support of the players to continue, 'Banty' decided not to reapply for the position and he will instead guide the fortunes of Meath in 2011. He has been replaced in the Monaghan hot-seat by his namesake and former county star Eamonn McEneaney, who previously managed the Farney County from 1996 to '99 and was in charge of Louth for four years between 2005 and '09.
While admitting that he would like to have seen 'Banty' continue as manager, Freeman insists that the controversy had nothing got to do with him.
"I stayed out of it, the county board makes those decisions and it had nothing got to do with the players as far as I was concerned," he recalls.
"Of course I would love to have seen Seamus stay on, all the players felt the same, but you don't always get what you want in football. Seamus brought us up from the doldrums and turned us into one of the best teams in Ulster. He won the National League Division 2 title with us in his first year as manager and brought us to Ulster finals in 2007 and this year.
"We were desperately unlucky to lose the 2007 All-Ireland quarter-final to Kerry. If we had managed to hold on that day, it would have opened up all sorts of possibilities for us.
"Seamus did great work over the six years and now the baton has been passed on to Eamonn McEneaney. Eamonn is an experienced manager who did well during his previous spell in charge of Monaghan. He will have his own ideas on what needs to be done to improve the team and to keep Monaghan on a firm footing.
"The county has had a lot of success at Vocational Schools level recently and I'm sure Eamonn will be looking at players from those teams. The talent is there, but any young lad that comes onto the panel must be prepared to make the sacrifices and put in the effort."
Tommy reveals that he hasn't spoken to the new supremo yet because of uncertainly over his work situation next year. A carpenter by trade, the 2007 All-Star has struggled to find work recently and may have to emigrate in 2011.
"I'm not sure what's happening at the moment. I'm newly married, have a new home, but the work just isn't there. The recession has hit the construction industry particularly hard and the only option for a lot of us is to emigrate. But hopefully it won't come to that and I'll be able to play for Monaghan. Time will tell," he says.
If Tommy were forced to emigrate, it would represent a huge blow to the Farney County's hopes of maintaining their National League Division 1 status and challenging for the Ulster title. Monaghan are entering their second year in Division 1 after narrowly avoiding relegation last year and Tommy feels it is imperative that they maintain their top-flight status.
"It's very important to stay in Division 1. I know it came down to scoring difference (with Tyrone) this year, but we had been unlucky in earlier games and, on that basis, I think we deserved to stay up. Hopefully, we'll be able to hold onto our Division 1 status next year because the only way you're going to improve is from playing the best teams on a regular basis.
"It won't be easy, however, especially with Armagh and Down coming up from Division 2. The Ulster derby games are always the most difficult to win."
During his 12-year inter-county career, Tommy's only rewards have been a National League Division 2 medal in 2005 (he scored 2-3 in the dramatic final win over Meath) and an All-Star award in 2007. He has also represented Ulster and Ireland in the Inter-provincial championship and International Rules series respectively.
Along with his brother Damien, Tommy helped Magheracloone to an historic county championship success in 2004 and to the 2010 final, which they lost to Clontibret after a replay. He has also won league and under 21 championship honours with the south Monaghan club.
He concludes on a positive by saying: "If we could make the breakthrough in the next year or two, it would be no more than this Monaghan team deserves for the amount of time and effort that has been put in. I've no doubt that it would lead to many great days ahead for Monaghan football." Tweet
