Truagh failed in their bid to reach a third successive senior championship final in 2002, but did demonstrate encouraging consistency by finishing top of the senior league table. County U21 and senior defender Rory Treanor tells Gerry Robinson he's convinced the Gaels will get their hands on the Mick Duffy Cup within the next three years. It's difficult to believe that Rory Treanor and the current Truagh team have thus far failed to garner senior honours. Rory broke into the senior county panel during the 2002 season and was one of four Truagh men on the Monaghan under 21 panel (the others being Damien McRory, Colm McRory and Mark Counihan). Considering that Gary Meehan is also pushing hard for a starting place with Monaghan's seniors, Truagh clearly have a strong hand right now. The north county men have consistently been up there with the best of the rest of them in Monaghan these past few years but major silverware has somehow proved elusive. In 2000, they reached their first ever SFC final. They were back in the decider twelve months later. On both occasions, Castleblayney spoiled the party. These defeats were disappointing, but this was a young Truagh side and they were making definite progress. Their day would come. Going into the 2002 season, hopes were high that the time was truly nigh. The championship was wide open and Truagh knew what it was all about. They could go that vital step further. Confidence was perceptible in the clubhouse. And Truagh's prospects were fancied by opponents, critics and admirers alike the county over. Alas, their championship never really got off the ground despite and opening-round defeat of Donaghmoyne. Magheracloone and Latton quickly put paid to Truagh's lofty championship aspirations. In a hyper-competitive Division One league, Truagh set the pace, ending the year at the summit of the table, with 24 points from 18 outings, glancing down at Clontibret, Latton and Donaghmoyne below them in second, third and fourth place respectively. Suddenly, the Owen Ward Cup was very much on the agenda. Having topped the table, Truagh faced fourth-placed Donaghmoyne in the 'semi'. It was the fourth time they'd faced the Fontenoys in competitive fare in '02 and they'd won the other three. Frustratingly, however, they came unstuck on a dirty November's day and that was that. Season over. Clontibret beat Donaghmoyne in the final to complete a famous double. But Rory Treanor and Truagh were left to look on gingerly and ponder ruefully what might have been. They know that on their day, they are as good as anyone in the Oriel County. Having sat top of the pile at the end of the 'league' stage of the race for the Owen Ward Cup, how disappointed were Truagh to lose that semi-final (Donaghmoyne beat them by 0-11 to 2-4 on Sunday November 3rd)? "We were very disappointed," Treanor confirms. "We put in a big effort but as the season dragged on, training slowed down and the enthusiasm for it seemed to fade. While we were waiting for the semi-final, we lost our way. "We had beaten a lot of good teams in the league, but our aim was to win it out. Finishing top of the division was a bonus, but we would have been happy with a Top Four place. Of course it was good to finish top, but the main priority is to get to the semi-finals and then to go on from there. It was a huge disappointment not to reach the final." Indeed, Truagh had become accustomed to major final appearances in recent times. They has assured themselves of a Top Four finish well in advance of the final round of matches and were left waiting to see who else would come through. Another delay between the last round of league games and the semi-finals themselves did their prospects little good: "We knew we had qualified but didn't know who we'd be playing. The delay before the semi-finals didn't do us any favours. We were trying to keep going and stay focused, but the training dropped off and the weather was bad. We just seemed to lose our momentum." Rory missed part of the season due to work commitments and the Gaels weren't always firing on all cylinders. They lost twice to both Clontibret and Magheracloone (the pairing that contested the senior final), but defeated Castleblayney twice. The only other team to beat them in the league was Latton. All in all, it was a good effort and Truagh were fully deserving of their semi-final place. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite according to plan on the day, as Rory recalls: "We lost Gary Meehan after ten minutes and he was a big miss. But that's no excuse for our performance. We probably weren't up for the game as much as Donaghmoyne were. Having beaten them twice already in the competition as well as in the championship, we probably expected to win again and took them for granted. "The conditions weren't to our liking either. Donaghmoyne are a more physical side and they got into the game more. With Gary gone off, we had no leader and they were able to get on top." If anything, the championship was even more of a disappointment. After all, Truagh were aiming for a third consecutive final appearance in the premier competition and had designs on a first-ever senior championship title. They accounted for Donaghmoyne convincingly in the first round (2-10 to 0-5), but then came a cropper against Magheracloone (1-8 to 0-5). The back-door route provided no consolation: Truagh were drawn against Latton (who had lost to 'Blayney after a replay) and never quite got into their stride, losing by 0-11 to 1-6. Says Rory (who came on as a sub for Monaghan in the Ulster championship clash with Fermanagh and started the Qualifier against Louth): "Against Magheracloone, we set our stall out to stop the two Freemans scoring from play and we achieved that, but we probably focused too much on them and other areas of our game were affected as a result. "We just fell apart against Latton - everything went wrong that day." In light of the highly commendable campaigns of the previous two years, exit from the SFC was a bitter pill to swallow: "After having qualified for the previous two county finals, we were hoping to go a step further. That was our priority for the year - to get back to a championship final and this time win it. But we never got going. Once we were knocked out of the championship, we concentrated on the league and set our sights on a semi-final place." Though he'll qualify to play for the club and county U21s again next year, Rory Treanor has already been on the Truagh first team for the past four years. He has won back-to-back under 21 league medals with his club in 2001-02 and played in the '01 senior county final (he would have been a certain starter for the '00 decider also, but was ruled out through suspension). A county minor for two years, the Truagh defender also played for the Monaghan under 21s in 2001 and 2002 and will do so again next term. During the Truagh clubman's involvement with county underage teams, Tyrone have proved Monahan's bogey team time and time again. The O'Neill County have thwarted Rory in an Ulster minor league final, an Ulster minor championship semi-final and have ended Oriel County hopes in successive provincial U21 campaigns. In 2002, it was the same old story: "We were really disappointed because everyone was really up for the Tyrone game, but they were stronger on the day. We fancied our chances, having beaten Antrim, but Tyrone seem to have something over us. We are just as good as them - there's no doubt about that - but they seem to have an edge. It's probably that little bit of extra belief in themselves." Rory joined the Monaghan senior panel late in the 2002 season. At that stage, Jack McCarville's side had slipped into a worrying losing habit. They lost four of their last five Division 2B national football league matches, drawing the other against Waterford. Confidence had been sapped and - despite their undoubted ability - Monaghan approached the championship apprehensively. "We had a good draw against Meath in the first round of the league and we showed that day how we could play, but after that we didn't perform on the day again in either league or championship." That was indeed the most annoying aspect of Monaghan's year. They could have beaten both Fermanagh and Louth in the championship but simply didn't play to their potential in either match. Rory agrees: "Everyone was gutted after the Fermanagh game and it was difficult to lift ourselves after that. That was a pity because we could have won against Louth if we'd performed at all." Can Monaghan turn it around? They have the players, a decent record at underage level and an interesting new manager in Meath legend Colm Coyle. As early as November, training had started and the Meathman had begun the painstaking process of culling the county and putting together a panel. "Colm is looking at everybody and hopefully he'll select the right ones. He's with the U21s as well next year and hopefully we'll do well there too. He's giving everyone a go, starting from scratch, which has to be good." Is Rory looking forward to the opening game of next year's championship - when Monaghan lock horns with defending All-Ireland champions Armagh? "Absolutely. It's a 'win, win' situation for us. Nobody expects us to beat them. Even if they hammer us, nobody will be surprised. So all the pressure's on Armagh. But we won't be there to make it easy for them. It's a wonderful opportunity and we know that if we get the team right on the day, we can beat them." The season ahead could be a defining one for Truagh as well. What's the target for the club? "First, we have to finalise our management for the new season. The new management team will set their goals, but it's pretty clear to the players what those will be. "The players want to win a senior championship. We won't be content with anything less. We feel that we can do it with this group of players and we've shown in the past three years that we have the ability. The average age is still only 25/26, so time is on our side. But we'd need to be doing it inside the next three years. "Clontibret did well to do the double, but they are beatable. Magheracloone, Latton and Castleblayney will all be challenging next year too. It'll be interesting to see what happens, but we know we can beat any of them. We're good enough to go all the way ... next year would be as good a time as any!" A hand across the border Tyrone native Terry McRory has been involved, in some form or other, with Truagh for more than 20 years. An O'Neill County native okay but his passion for the Gaels brooks no debate. Many a footballer around Truagh has laid claim to being able to rifle his wind-assisted punt across the border into county Tyrone. Considering that it's only the Blackwater river which separates the north Monaghan gaels from their near-neighbours from Aughnacloy, the claim isn't exactly awe-inspiring. Either way the Truagh club's proximity to the border has served as a proverbial ball and chain for the red and blacks for a lot more years than local gaels can rightly remember. That's not to say that fellow gaels on the northern side of the border haven't made for good neighbours. Indeed, Gaeil Triucha has benefited in some ways from its geographical location. After all, didn't it play a part in attracting Ballygawley native Terry McRory to the area! One of Truagh's longest-serving committee members and the club's outgoing secretary, the former Errigal Ciaran clubman has been ensconced just south of the border for the last 20 years and more and while the old adage that 'you can take the man from . . .' holds good in Terry's case, it's impossible not to be convinced by the sincerity of his gra for his adopted club. Terry's record at committee level speaks for itself anyway.The splendidly laid-out St. Mellan's Park - home of Truagh Gaels - is conveniently located along the main Dublin-Derry road. And while perceived as a veritable outpost of Monaghan GAA, try telling the red and black faithful that they're less of true blue Monaghan football fans than anyone from Magheracloone, Rockcorry or Ballybay. "There has always been a great passion for following Monaghan teams in Truagh, at least for as long as I remember and believe you me when Monaghan meets Tyrone at any grade, the people of the area make sure and let you know where their loyalties lie in a big way," explains Terry who played for his native Errigal Ciaran for several years - against such kingpins in times past as Augher and Trillick - without any success before throwing in his lot with Truagh with whom he won a reserve league medal. While more than pleased with how things panned out for his native club in 2002, the popular Truagh official and former tidy defender was less than happy with Truagh's lot by the end of 2002. Like many of his fellow clubmen, he was hoping that the Noel McGinn-managed side could get their hands on a major piece of silverware. But in an archetypal philosophical review of the year gone by, Terry says that the bigger picture ought to be analysed. "Overall it was a good enough year with the senior team making the quarter-finals and making it to the top of the league. It was disappointing that neither competitions ended up with wins but we showed again that we're still knocking on the door and sooner rather than later, you'd expect the door to open." Not hitting the jackpot though must have been a major disappointment? "It was alright because at the start of the year we were all gearing ourselves up to win the senior championship, having been in the final for the previous two years. Unfortunately things didn't work out for us but we're not far off the mark and next year is another year." Ironically it all started so well for the Gaels when, back in late May, they secured a convincing win over Donaghmoyne in Clontibret. It was a game which saw the beaten finalists of 2001 dominate from pillar to post with their free-flowing football causing the Fontenoys all sorts of problems in almost every sector of the field. Inspired by a top-class display by Gary Meehan in particular, the Truagh lads were a class apart on the day. It was a great day for the McRory family too as Terry's son Colm bagged a personal tally of 2-1 to help bury Donaghmoyne's hopes of an opening championship win. In truth though, the would-be winners were well on their way to the winners' enclosure before Colm broke loose. Truagh stormed to a 0-7 to 0-0 half-time lead and once the goals flew in (without reply) during a blistering seven minute spell, it was well and truly over for the Farneymen. The comfortable victory over Donaghmoyne wasn't to be followed up by any joy in the next tie against Magheracloone. It was a second round fixture which saw Truagh lose 0-5 to 1-8 to the would-be county finalists. Billed as the tie of the round, the game didn't excite or delight Truagh fans in the slightest. It was a fractious affair also with a player from either side being dismissed in the second half. From Truagh's perspective most of the banter after the match centred on the team's profligate play in front of goal which saw them record 13 wides including a missed penalty at a stage when there was just four points between the sides. In the event, Magheracloone doggedly engineered a 1-3 to 0-3 lead and successfully consolidated that advantage two-fold by the close of play. "The Freeman brothers made a big contribution to their cause that day but we shot ourselves in the foot by shooting too many wides. It was disappointing to lose but even more disappointing the way we let them off the hook," the Mullinderg resident reflects. Convinced that Truagh has the nucleus of " a very good side", Terry reckons that the team showed a distinct lack of self-belief and conviction in their championship campaign last Summer. Terry feels that, ironically, Truagh showed much more of their true form in careering to the top of the league at season's end. But again there was a disappointing end to the club's league campaign. "Losing out to Donaghmoyne by a point in the league semi-final was another sore one in 2002. I think that was a game where our lads maybe went into in much too confident a mood and the likes of Rory Woods made us pay for whatever complacency there was on our part," Terry suggests. Thereafter Latton stood in the way of the Gaels and a place for the third year running in at least the semi-finals stage. "We knew it was going to be very hard to beat Latton because they had the beating of us for a long while in last year's semi-final before we finished strongly to go through," Terry cautioned. And the apprehension in the Truagh camp proved to be well-founded as Latton triumphed by 0-11 to 1-6 in a dour, claustrophobic struggle at Scotstown. The championship bridesmaids of 2000 and 2001 were to be sidelined once again despite a torrid finishing burst which saw Terry's son Damian take advantage of a mix-up in the Latton defence to fly-kick the ball to the net for the only goal of the game. Damian's opportunist effort came in the 11th minute of the second half but too often Truagh took the circuitous route in moving forward. Having a player sent off at the death only served to add salt into Truagh's wounds. The pain of that defeat still appears to be felt by the club secretary. "It was a game we could have won but Latton showed the greater hunger and that helped carry them through." Having completed his fourth year in the hot seat, Terry knows just how much work is needed to make a success of any job in the GAA. As such he has every sympathy for 2001 team-manager Noel McGinn and his assistants for getting the team so close but ultimately short of the target. And he reminds all and sundry that the club enjoyed no little success at Under 21 and minor grades in the past year while their 'C' team impressed too. "When you have up to 40 players turning out regularly for training, the spirit among the players can't be all that bad and you have to remember that it's still a young squad. I think the team can put 2001 behind them and go from strength to strength over the next few years. Remember that in 2000 the team made only its first ever appearance in a senior championship final." Satisfied that the structures and organisation of the Truagh club stands comparison with even the most successful clubs around, Terry is fulsome in his praise of the work being done by juvenile co-ordinator Frank McKenna and all the rest of the mentors engaged at every level of the club. He looks forward to the day when his third son Neil (a current Under 16 player) will be part of blue-riband championship winning Truagh squad. Terry says the club has to keep its head down and continue to work hard. Clontibret and Magheracloone, he reckons, may have most to say in determining who rules the roost in 2003 but he's optimistic that history will be made by the red and blacks come next September. "We've had plans approved for the development of a gym, an extra handball alley and we're hoping to maybe install a bar in the downstairs part of the complex. It would be nice to win the senior championship and show off the cup when the work is done." And maybe a few more Tyrone men might want to pay their respects then too! Tweet

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