There is a whole host of young, vibrant football talent emerging up through the ranks in Monaghan. For instance, the Sean McDermott's club has a gem or two in its midst - one of them being exciting attacker Damien Larkin. It was a bitter-sweet year for exciting young Sean's player Damien Larkin. Operating on both the club and county fronts, the past year saw the ace attacker experience a mixed bag of fortunes with a run-out in a provincial final vying for top billing with semi-final defeats in both domestic league and championship fare with his club over the course of a hectic 2001. Not that Damien is into nit-picking his way through the past year with any great determination. Instead, for the 18-year old, it seems that 2001 has been disposited in the file marked 'learning process.' To say that Damien has time on his side would be a banal exercise in stating the obvious. However, many's the teenager who tripped up on his own high expectation and his own inflated value of his worth to a team. The Sean's starlet has, however, got his feet clearly on terra firma. "I'll continue to keep working on my game and hopefully get better and better. I think I've a great chance of achieving success with my club and if I can get myself in the picture at county under 21 and senior levels in the years to come, then all the better." Those privvy to the commitment and energy young Larkin puts into his game will tell you that if application is all that's needed to make it to the top, then the Dundalk Institute of Technology student is well on the way to achieving his goals in the world of Gaelic football. Brother of Sean's outgoing team-captain Adrian (plus eight year old Shane and Aisling of Monaghan Harps ladies fame), Damien's enthusiasm is also one of his stand-out characteristics as a budding football star. It's probably one of the reasons why he made it onto the Monaghan county minor squad for three years running. The county scene apart, one gets the impression though that Damien is, first and foremost, a Sean McDermott's clubman. Home is where the heart is and the Threemilehouse-based club is certainly very, very close to his heart. Predictably Damien's reflections on Seans' league and championship campaign in 2001 have all the joy and joie de vivre of a bride's lament on being left sitting high and dry at the altar. "We don't seem to be able to get it together when we get within striking distance of a final and that's the way things worked out again in 2001." And any particular reason for this ongoing malais? "It's hard to put your finger on it. We just don't seem to have it in us for a while now to grasp the nettle when the chance comes around. When the pressure is put on, we tend to fold up and not perform to our best on the day." Unlike the bridegroom who can't ever see herself as being the principal guest of honour, Damien espouses great belief in the ability of Seans to hit the jackpot sooner rather than later. "We've definitely got the players to go the distance. With a little bit of luck and a bit more of a cutting edge and self-belief we can make amends in the coming year, I've no doubt about that. "In 2002, Ballybay and Tyholland will be out of the equation. They beat us in the championship and whereas the likes of Carrick and Emyvale will be back down and anxious to have a crack at the intermediate championship title, we wouldn't have any fear taking on either of those two teams or any other opponents either." Certainly, Sean's showed typical promise as the early stages of the league and the opening round of the championship got up and running. Some fine wins in the league helped boost morale and helped whet the appetite of the team in the run-up to their championship tilt with Monaghan Harps in 'Blayney. It would take a second bite of the cherry though for the Threemilehouse-headquartered outfit to progress to the next stage. Having been suspended after a very controversial sending-off decision by the referee in an Ulster Minor League tie in Derry some weeks previously, Damien wasn't able to take part in the clash with the county town side. Nevertheless, Sean's ought to have progressed after the first meeting of the sides but, instead, opened the door for the Harps to make a late surge and so snatch the draw. "We should have put them away the first day. We were confident going into that match because we had been doing well in the league whereas they hadn't been. "The win in the replay boosted morale though. We got the goals when it counted in the replay and a lot of the lads had the feeling that it was going to be our year." With the likes of Mickey McMahon, James Coyle, Niall McGuirk and Paddy Kieran adding the experience to the youthful vigour of the said Damien, Emmet and Stephen McElvaney and Derek McMahon on the panel, the Sean's troupe approached their tussle with Tyholland in fine spirits. Without the valued services of US-based Conor McElvaney and the injured Colin Murphy, Seans were always going to be up against it in facing Tyholland, one of the pre-competition favourites for the championship. And so it proved. A lifeline in the form of a tussle with near-neighbours Aghabog at Clontibret beckoned though. A goal by Colin Murphy paved the way for Seans to lead at the interval by 1-4 to 0-6. For his part, Damien chipped in with two points as his side won the day by 1-10 to 0-10 to make it through to the semi-final. Ballybay proved to be Sean's nemesis thereafter in the penultimate round of the competition. Sean's went down by 1-7 to 0-12 having led by the odd point in eleven at the interval. "We faded badly in the last quarter against Ballybay and paid the price. The game was there for the taking but we didn't convert as many chances as we should have and that's what football's all about," Damien says philosophically. Defeat thereafter at the same stage in the league just about summed up Sean's year at adult level - the bridesmaid's tag doesn't rest easily with Damien though. "We're a young team and an improving team and I think the best has yet to come from us and, hopefully, the year ahead will see us go at least one step further in both league and championship," the Business Studies student adds. Meanwhile, Damien's reflections on his involvement with the county minors is similarily tinged with thoughts of what might have been. Having been suspended for the opening tilt with Donegal, Damien was relieved and pleased to be able to come on as a substitute in the provincial semi-final against Cavan and later in the final against Tyrone, Damien says the taste of inter-county championship fare has whetted his appetite for more of the same. "It was a great experience. To play in Clones in front of such big crowds was fantastic and the only pity is that we didn't win the Ulster title. "I'd love to get another few outings with the county in the years ahead. I suppose a lot of it is down to players themselves if they want to play at the highest level but I personally would like to play for the senior county team at some stage. Hopefully, I'll have collected a few medals with Sean's before I get that opportunity." Watch this space! Tweet

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