The death of club chairman Ben Kelly cast a dark cloud over St. Oliver Plunkett's year, but new senior team manager Seamus O'Brien refuses to use it as an excuse for the club's lack of success. The St. Oliver Plunkett's club was dealt a devastating blow last May with the passing of its outstanding young chairman Ben Kelly. Aged just 33, Ben had suffered from a serious illness for a number of years, but his death still came as a massive shock to club members. Elected chairman in 1999, Ben was a hugely passionate Plunkett's clubman and his ambition had always been to lead the Mullingar outfit to the summit of Leinster hurling. "Losing a person of Ben's calibre was a huge blow to us," acknowledges St. Oliver Plunkett's new senior manager Seamus O'Brien. "He was a terrific clubman and there is no doubt that his enthusiasm and passion for Plunkett's rubbed off on everyone. "He was highly ambitious and always had it in his head that we could win a Leinster club championship some day. What convinced him that we could achieve that goal were the All-Ireland Feile successes we had in 1994 and '95. "His death has left a massive void and I don't think things will ever be the same again without him," he adds. By Plunkett's high standards, 2002 was a disappointing year on the playing front with silverware eluding the club for the first time in many years. While there is little doubt that the loss of such a respected figure as Ben Kelly was hugely upsetting for club members, O'Brien refuses to use it as an excuse for their trophy-less year. "You couldn't possibly use Ben's passing as an excuse," he says. "Yes, it was a huge blow to us, but how often have we seen teams triumphing in the face of adversity. Ben wouldn't have wanted us to feel sorry for ourselves - he would have wanted us to go out and win the senior championship. Unfortunately, we failed to do that, but it wasn't for the want of trying." O'Brien, who is a native of Castlepollard, feels that the exertions of 2001 when Plunkett's literally swept all before them, may have taken its toll. "Since this club was formed in 1976, we have been winning championships practically every year and it's difficult to keep that going. 2001 was one of our most successful years ever when not only did we win the intermediate, under 21, minor and under 12 championships, but we also won the Leinster junior club championship. "A lot of supporters would have expected us to go further than we did in the senior championship last year, but for me, consolidation was the main thing, especially after what had happened in 1999 when we were relegated after just one year." Plunkett's made a disappointing start to the championship when they lost to Castletown-Geoghegan by 0-12 to 0-16 in a game which had been originally postponed as a mark of respect to Ben Kelly. But they bounced back to beat Brownstown by 0-11 to 1-7 in their second outing on June 23. Plunkett's laid the foundations for their victory in the first half when they built up a 0-10 to 1-3 lead. And despite only managing one further score on the restart, they held on for a deserved win. An early Pat Clancy goal gave Brownstown a dream start, but a flurry of scores from Greg Gavin, Noel Gavin, Conaire Flanagan, James Coyle and Anthony Clinton ensured Plunkett's of a four-point cushion at the break. A kicked point from Coyle extended the Mullingar side's advantage on the restart, but it was all Brownstown thereafter with Plunkett's just about holding on for victory. Two weeks later, Plunkett's secured a quarter-final place with a 1-10 to 0-8 victory over local rivals Cullion. Cullion raced into an early 0-3 to 0-1 lead, but a Greg Gavin goal from a free helped Ray Smyth's side to a 1-5 to 0-4 lead at the interval. Cullion reduced the deficit on the restart when Colin Whyte pointed, but further scores from Greg Gavin, Noel Gavin and John Smyth saw Plunkett's run out five-point winners. Plunkett's were pitted against Clonkill in the quarter-final, and despite giving the reigning champions plenty to think about, they faltered to a 1-5 to 0-13 defeat. Clonkill were first off the mark, but points from Greg Gavin (two) and John Smyth had Plunkett's 0-3 to 0-2 ahead before Smyth increased their lead with the game's only goal. Paddy Dowdall and Brian Murray replied with points for Clonkill to leave them just two in arrears, 0-4 to 1-3, at half-time. The Loughegar men improved substantially in the second half and when they edged 0-8 to 1-3 in front with a quarter of an hour remaining, Plunkett's challenge looked to be fading. Displaying admirable battling qualities, however, they hauled themselves back onto level terms thanks to a brace of frees from Greg Gavin. A draw looked to be on the cards until a late scoring burst from Clonkill enabled them to pull clear for victory. While conceding that Clonkill were the most consistent team over the 60 minutes, O'Brien believes Plunkett's lack of scoring power proved their Achille's heel. "What was noticeable in that game and in quite a few others was our over-reliance on Greg Gavin for scores. He scored 1-20 in our four championship games which was more than the rest of the team combined. If we are to win a senior championship, we'll need a greater spread of scorers," he points out. At underage level, St. Oliver Plunkett's contested the under 14 and minor 'premier' championship finals, but both ended in defeat. The under 14s succumbed to Clonkill by 0-4 to 3-8, while the minors' bid for a third title on the trot was dashed by Castletown-Geoghegan on a 2-12 to 0-8 scoreline. Plunkett's, who were chasing their sixth minor championship in all, opened the scoring through Sean Maguire, but the challengers soon settled with a goal from Ger Linnane giving them the lead. The Mullingar side restored parity after 11 minutes and the scores remained level until the 25th minute when Maguire edged Plunkett's back in front. But Castletown began to exert dominance as the half drew to a close with points from Blaine Lahart, Eamon Og Clarke (two) and Ciaran Carey helping them to a three-point cushion at the interval. An Aonghus Smyth point reduced the gap on the restart, but a brace of points from Shane Fennell and another from Lahart had Castletown five clear by the 38th minute. Despite their dominance, it wasn't until the 53rd minute that the black and ambers copperfastened victory when Shane Fennell and substitute Eddie O'Neill combined to set up Ger Linnane for his second goal. O'Neill and Clarke followed up with late points to add to Plunkett's misery. "We were bitterly disappointed with our performance that day," recalls O'Brien who was joint-manager of the minors along with Michael Coyle. "We had high hopes of winning the three-in-a-row, but we never really got out of the starting blocks. Castletown seemed that bit hungrier and in Joe Clarke, they had a player we found very difficult to handle." O'Brien has since been promoted to the position of senior manager, taking over from Ray Smyth who guided the club to two intermediate titles during his tenure. Following a decade of unrivalled underage success, he believes the time has come for Plunkett's to deliver at senior level. "It's definitely time to start setting our sights on winning a senior championship. Along with my fellow-selectors Conleth McCormack and Davy Gavin, I intend blooding a number of young lads this year and hopefully this will lead to greater competition for places and a bit more firepower up front. "We have been handed the toughest draw imaginable, but if you are to win a championship you have to beat the best and that's the way we'll be approaching it," he concludes. The St. Oliver Plunkett's team which contested the minor 'premier' championship final was: Peter Collins; Niall Smyth, Eugene Burke, Michael Curley; Paul Christie, Paul Hickey, Stephen Carmichael; Cian O'Leary, Eoin O'Meara; Padraig O'Donnell, Aonghus Smyth, Sean Maguire; Darragh Ryan, David Miller, Joseph Healy. Subs used: Keith Noonan and Stephen Conway. Tweet

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