Aaron Duignan is one of Cavan's outstanding young attacking talents and is set to be at the forefront of Kildallan's challenge for JFC honours in 2006 Kildallan are building for the future but county under 21 star Aaron Duignan is determined to bring forward the day when adult titles are the name of the game for his club. Aaron is one of the most exciting attacking talents in Cavan right now and, like so many of his ilk at the go-ahead west Cavan club, is just itching to drive the team forward. Back in 1998, the livewire Kildallan attacker was one of the leading lights on the club's under 13 side which scooped the Roinn C title with a great swagger and confidence. That October day, Kildallan beat a Drumlane side - many of whom later went onto claim the Junior Football Championship title. Duigan and co. want to head the same way. Much was expected of that group of players back then and much is still expected of them as the majority of them prepare to ply their skills in the coming season. Ahead of the 2006 league season, Aaron portrays the same sort of confidence in Kildallan's ability to make the breakthrough this year that he exhibits on the field of play. "We're optimistic we can win something this year because we've a young team that has come up from underage level with a winning pedigree and ability," Aaron says "Most of the lads have proven themselves over the years by winning underage titles and they feel that they can match most teams around at junior level right now. "We'd be disappointed if we don't finish well up in the league and a good run in it early on will be a good stepping stone for the championship," the ace attacker adds. Aaron places a lot of truck in the importance of getting up and running pretty quickly in the league and getting some points on the board before the summer months kick in. At 20-years of age, he's been playing Gaelic football long enough to understand that a good start is half the battle and football is all about feeling good about yourself. "It's importance to get a few wins under your belt to help your confidence and to boost morale and this team is still developing and getting used to playing as a unit. "We've a good balance in the side though and I wouldn't want to start making excuses or running ourselves down because there's a lot in the tank and we hope to do well." Schooled by, among others, Paul Maguire, Noel Maguire, Emmet Curry and Brian Fee at underage level, Aaron's talents have been nurtured and nursed over the years. Like a whole raft of his team-mates, the quicksilver forward has become used to winning medals and beating the rest of the rest at each level that he has played in. Understandably he would dearly love to add to his crop of underage medals by steering his beloved red and whites to a long-awaited junior league/championship title. Not many young players can boast of the array of medals that Aaron has at home with under 13, under 14, under 16 and minor souveniers festooning 'teach' Duignan. Aaron's team-mates prior to 1998 and over the years since are beginning to mature into fine, adult players and Aaron expects them to continue to make an impression. "We're all still learning the game but we're getting more experienced and we're helping to increase the competition for places on the junior team which is a good thing. "The team is fairly strong all-round with a strong midfield, good backs and fast forwards and we showed last year in getting promotion that we're a good, consistent team. "We showed in getting promotion last year that we can string enough good results together to win something so hopefully we'll show that kind of consistency this year." Aaron and the rest of the crew in Ballyconnell will be keeping their fingers crossed that the good times will roll next year in the junior championship specifically. He expresses his disappointment that matters didn't work out as planned in the blue riband competition in 2005 but it wasn't for the want of trying on the team's part. "We kept up the training after the championship which was a big help towards getting promotion in the league and maybe we hit our best form a bit late in the season. "We should have beaten Shannon Gaels in Swad; we had nearly all the possession in the second half but weren't great up front and lost by two points in the end. "Then we played Redhills and we knew they'd be strong but we had our chances again and I think we missed something like 1-5 in the first half." Was Aaron - son of Paddy Duignan, a member of the last successful Kildallan JFC side - surprised that Redhills actually went on to win the final? "We lost by three points to them in Killeshandra and at the time I wasn't sure they were good enough to go the distance or that Shannon Gaels would make the final either. "When Redhills did win it out, it made our defeat to them a bigger pill to swallow and I definitely think if we had beaten them, we could have went the whole way." Of course further disappointment came later in the season with defeat to Shercock in the Division Three semi-final and, again, Aaron feels that was one that got away. "A lot of people said it was a shock result but they were a division two side and they've been our bogey team for a few years now," the west Cavan native argues. "We were confident going into the game but we knew they would be there or thereabouts and it was no surprise to any of us that they were in the semi-finals "Shercock deserved to win on the day and we haven't any excuses but it was still great to get promotion," says the former county minor. As for the coming year, Aaron maintains that the club's priority will be to win the championship title and, secondly, to retain its status in division two of the league. "I think it'd be a bit greedy to imagine that we could win a league and championship double but I'll take it if it comes along," he quips. It's 30 years or thereabouts since Kildallan won the junior championship crown and Aaron confesses that casting that particular monkey off the club's back is no easier. Certainly the days when teams like Maghera, Mountnugent, Corlough etc could almost be ignored are long since gone and there's a real competitive edge to matters now. "Every year it seems to get tougher and tougher to win the junior championship because there's definitely no easy match and no easy group to fight your way out of. "This year won't be any easier either with the likes of Shannon Gaels, Shercock, Killeshandra and Templeport all probably expecting to do very well." As to who to put a wager on for championship purposes in 2006 - Kildallan apart, of course - Aaron says his fellow west Cavan countymen, Shannon Gaels, look good. "They've a strong team and Eamon Reilly is a class player for them, especially from frees; he fully deserves to be on the county panel." As for his involvement with Cavan, Aaron says his under 21 stints in the Hastings Cup have made him a more confident player and given him a taste for more of the same. Togging out alongside the mercurial talents that are Cian Mackey, Ronan Flanagan etc has helped bring Aaron innate's skills to the fore and made him a better player. He says he hopes to improve further as a player in 2006 but, most of all, he hopes that Kildallan get their just deserts and end their barren days at junior level. Tweet

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