Two-thousand-and-two didn't exactly go according to plan for Eire Og. The Smithboro men may have ended up battling at the wrong end of the intermediate league table, but county star Padraig McKenna is convinced they possess the necessary wherewithal to turn things around next term and mount a concerted challenge for honours. Coming into intermediate football on the back of a convincing junior league success the previous season, Eire Og were tipped by many to rattle quite a few cages in the 2002 push for promotion to senior football. The Smithboro lads were thoroughly impressive in the methodical and relentless manner in which they went about their business in '01 and the general consensus was that, if they could maintain that momentum and sustain the same intensity of endeavour, then they would feature in the end-of-season promotion shake-up. It didn't happen that way. To the contrary, Eire Og endured a pretty torrid season during which they found themselves with their backs well and truly to the wall. After a decent start, they lost their bearings and failed to hit anything even remotely resembling top form. As a consequence, they ended up in a relegation dogfight. Ultimately, they were rather fortunate to emerge from the campaign with their intermediate status still intact. And that bit of good fortune could prove the making of this crop of players, if they strive to make the most of the second opportunity now presenting itself. County defender Padraig McKenna is adamant that the team can put the low-key events of the season behind them and bounce back stronger than ever in 2003. Indeed, the Monaghan player sees no reason whatsoever why Eire Og can't improve beyond recognition in the coming season. With the right attitude, he reasons, they can prove that 2002 was a mere blip in the development curve of a progressive side. That Eire Og ultimately avoided the relegation trapdoor was a relief, but hardly excused the mediocrity that had got them into trouble in the first place. McKenna is the first to call a spade a spade: "We weren't happy at all with the way things went. Staying up was obviously a priority but it would be hard to be in any way happy with the manner in which we achieved that. We expected to be up there challenging at the other end of the table and maybe hitting for a league semi-final spot. But the effort really wasn't put in and you're not going to get anywhere under those circumstance. It wasn't as if we were out of our depth or anything - the commitment just didn't seem to be there this time around." A wholesome change of attitude will be required if the Smithboro men are to avoid a repeat performance in 2003. Knuckling down will be the order of the day and determination and commitment will be critical factors. Eire Og showed what they can do when capturing the junior league in 2001. Time remains very much on their side. They can come again. "Last year was such an anti-climax. I really hope things will be different from that point of view next year," says Padraig. "We managed to beat both Aghabog and Threemilehouse in the league, which shows what we can do when we're in the mood." Considering that the Seans went on to book a place in senior football as the season's outstanding intermediate team, results like those mentioned above can only give Eire Og heart. As Padraig is keen to point out, there is no shortage of potential in the club: "With the quality of players we have, we were very disappointed to be at the wrong end of the table. We have some excellent young players coming through but some of them were still minors last year and it was only their first or second full season with the senior side." Those players now have a year of intermediate football under their belts, an experience which should stand them in good stead for future campaigns. Now that they know what it's all about, they should be a lot better braced for the oncoming season. And, it is worth remembering that the average age of the present Eire Og team is still in the early- to mid-20s. John McEniff was in charge of the first team in 2002, capably assisted by selectors Seamus Murray and Ciaran Leonard. Preparations were handled meticulously and things got off to an encouraging start: "The mood in the camp was very optimistic," Padraig confirms. "We were only up from junior and we beat Monaghan Harps in the first game and then beat Threemilehouse, so things were looking really good and we felt that we were going to continue where we had left off the previous year. "However, there was then a bit of a lull in the fixtures programme due to bad weather and the county team and various other reasons and we lost our way. Performance levels dropped off and lads just seemed to lose interest. We had won every match in Division Three in 2001 and made such a good start to 2002 that it was strange to be suddenly struggling. "We have lads coming from all over the country to play and there's an awful lot of commitment needed just to play club football. Unfortunately, in 2002, that commitment just wasn't given." Still, all is not lost. At least Eire Og retained their intermediate status, which was no mean achievement in itself. Would they not have been happy with this at the start of the year? "We wanted to make some sort of impression," Padraig counters. "Realistically, our prime objective was to stay up but we wanted to do it more comfortably. We were aiming for a mid-table position at worst. We didn't want to be scrapping for points at the end of the year and depending on results elsewhere. That was very disappointing." Sometimes a club rallies in the face of adversity towards the close of a difficult season. This wasn't the case in Smithboro in 2002. Instead, their year fizzled out with barely a whimper. Things fell apart to the extent that there was virtually no training towards season's end. "The effort just wasn't going in," notes Padraig. "And that wasn't just one player or a few individuals. It was right across the board and every player was responsible. "But there's no reason in the world why we can't turn it around next year. We haven't become a bad team all of a sudden. "We won nearly every game we played in 2001 and we were a match for all the top intermediate teams last year - it was against the sides near the bottom that we were more inclined to drop points - so there's no reason why we can't come good again." While watching Sean McDermotts barge through to senior football must have frustrated all Eire Og people, the success of their local rivals should serve as a notice to the Smithboro side of what can be achieved with the right application. "Fair play to them. They put in the commitment and they were getting 30 or 40 lads out at training. Once you have that, you're going to go places. "One of our biggest problems though is that we're such a small club, with only 18 or 19 players to pick from at the best of times. Then when you have injuries or suspensions, it leaves you really struggling. For some games in 2002, we were down to the bare 15, which is hardly ideal." Eire Og were beaten by Doohamlet in the first round of the 2002 intermediate football championship, before Clones slammed the back door in their faces. "That game was a turning point and things went from bad to worse afterwards," Padraig McKenna recalls. "We were too confident and just walked out expecting to win. Losing to Clones was the lowest point of the entire season... " Padraig broke onto the Eire Og first team (where he is joined by brother Ciaran at full forward) at the age of 16 and has been a regular for the past eight seasons. At juvenile level, he won honours at all levels from U12 up and added a junior league medal to his collection in 2001. The Eire Og stalwart has represented his county at U16, minor, under 21 and senior levels, garnering an Ulster U21 championship in 1999 as well as an All-Ireland B championship memento. He has been involved with the county seniors since the 1998/99 season. The year ended was a non-event on the intercounty front. After a mediocre league campaign, Monaghan lost successive championship outings to Fermanagh and Louth, both in Clones. In effect, it was all over before it had even started. "We were hugely disappointed to lose to Fermanagh again. It was a bad year all round but we have a new manager in place now and hopefully that will lift morale again. There is the making of a good team there ... a lot of room for improvement. There are six or seven of the successful U21 side on the team now and there are other players coming through too. Monaghan's minors and under 21s have also reached big finals over the past three years, so we're in good shape. "Fermanagh seemed to get the breaks and the controversial penalty was definitely a turning point. They got their goals at the right moments but we missed our chances . . . on a different day, it could have gone the other way. "Against Louth, we were very slow to get started. We eventually woke up and played some football but, again, they got the breaks on the day." Padraig firmly believes that things will go much better on both club and county fronts in 2003: "At club level, if the effort is put in, we can still go up senior, no doubt about that. "At county level, we can improve 100%. I don't think Armagh are impossible to beat in the first round and there's an Ulster final there for us; maybe more if we want it enough. I really do believe we have the footballers here in Monaghan. "With all the gym work that has been done, the team has got bigger and stronger and the skill is there, so it's down to belief and motivation and coaching. All you need after that is for things to go right for you on the day and hopefully that'll be the case for Monaghan - and Eire Og - in 2003." Tweet

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