Damien Foster has led the line, held the fort and battened up the hatches at Kill for quite some time now. In 2007, he's hoping to lift some silverware. Kevin Carney reports. In an ideal world, Kill gaels would have 20 Damien Fosters to count on within their ranks. In the real world though, not even the Shamrocks could begin to imagine being afforded such outrageous good fortune. Truth is, while the green and white bridade didn't actually benefit from having a squad of Fosters parachuted into Rathluden Park, the club had a tad of good fortune in 2006. "We were very disappointed to be relegated to division three but at least we weren't relegated in the championship. Overall though it wasn't a great year but hopefully 2007 will be better," Damien opines. The Shamrocks manfully struggled to make the best of a year that saw injuries engineer the sort of travails that would have bowled over most other clubs of similar resources. Invariably without the services of such key players as Pierce McKenna, Conor and Brian McCarey plus TJ Byrne, Kill Shamrocks reeled on the ropes for most of the year in a rollercoaster ride. Under the management of Cootehill native Tony Greenan plus Joe McQuillan and Peter Smith, the Rathluden Park-based crew experienced a hit and miss type season as Damien acknowledges. "Like most other clubs, we played well in some parts of the season but mostly things didn't work out for ourselves and, to be honest, I think we got what we deserved at the end of the year for the effort that was put in. "Last year was the same as every other year in that not everyone on the panel gave it 100% - that's what happens at most clubs too and we've been no different over the years. "We've a fair few young lads in the panel and after things started to go wrong, they naturally lost a bit of heart and without the strength in depth in the panel, the injuries just made things get worse. "Not many clubs would expect to do too well with maybe eight or nine first team players missing at different stages of the year and that's what we had to cope with for the league and the championship." Damien has ploughed enough furrows now on behalf of his fellow gaels in Kill to gain as good an insight into the potential and capabilities of the Shamrocks in any given year. In that regard, one has to especially respect his opinion when he says that expectations within the club at the outset of 2006 certainly were higher than fighting against relegation on any front never mind two fronts. And given Kill's pedigree in both league and championship in recent years, one can only imagine the bookies giving generous odds at the start of 2006 on Kill suffering the fate of relegation. "We had given the championship a good run over the years and in 2005 we reached the quarter-final of the championship and only lost out to Cuchullains who went onto win it out." Reflecting on a championship season that promised much but ultimately delivered mere respectability, Damien fingers the drawn game against Laragh in Cootehill as indicative of the team's enigmatic form. "It was a poor game overall and we only played well in fits and starts. It was a match we could and have won but at the same time I suppose Laragh would have felt hard done by had they not got at least a point. "It was a bit better against Swanlinbar and we played well for most of the match but for some reason we hit a brick wall when we got the ball up near their goal and got it very hard to get through for scores." The long-serving defender 'cum midfielder realises though that anything much less than 100% commitment from everyone in the panel will result in another year of under-achievement. "There's a good atmosphere and a good spirit in the club right now and hopefully everyone will give it their best this year and will understand that it'll take a big effort to do well in the championship and the league. "Even at club level, the commitment is huge now with training on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings and it''ll probably be at least three days a week for the rest of the year. "I definitely think the gap between the training that club players do and what county players are asked to do is closing all the time and eventually there'll probably be no difference in the intensity." Damien is optimistic that Kill can rebound straight away from the wallop in the solar plexus that was relegation to division three but he's taking nothing for granted. He feels that the material available to the club this year is more than good enough to secure the quickest return possible to the second division and a place at the championship's banqueting table. The club has recruited the services of former Cavan Gaels star and latter day club selector Charlie O'Donohoe plus respected trainer Chris Rowley (Butlersbridge). "I think we've a panel of players who are willing to train and put their head down and work hard and when you see 25 fellas out on a Sunday morning, you do feel that we could be in line for some success this year. "The panel should be stronger this year; we've a few fellas back at training that weren't there last year and Pearse (McKenna) as captain will help have the lads motivated for the games. "Relegation in the league left a very sour taste in our mouths last year but that's behind us now and we don't want to go down that road again even though it's really probably no more than we deserved. Damien is one for looking forward though rather than back to yesteryear and he is heartened by the buzz there is around Corick and beyond as the 2007 season gets up and running. And the strong-running Kill man reckons that there is very little difference separating the quality of teams who revel in the silverware at season's-end and the posse of wannabes. "It's a very level playing field in the intermediate championship and very little separates the teams in terms of the quality of their panels or the quality of the football they play. "I don't think we've an awful lot of ground to make up - there's no team that you could say stands out in the championship and I definitely think we're good enough to geet promotion from division three." Damien is resigned to the fact that the club will probably not be able to avail of the services of the three Carey brothers for most or all of the year and he acknowledges that that is a huge negative factor. He says it would be a huge bonus if either Conor, Brian or John were in a position to lend their talents to the club for some part of the year but he has faith in the squad as a whole to do well nonetheless. "We have the squad; we have the facilities and if we get off to a good start to the season, morale will be good and the younger lads especially will gain in confidence and play to their potential hopefully." Despite being only 30, Damien reckons that another "two or three years" will see him hang up the 'oul boots but those within Kill's inner circle doubt he'll walk away from the sport that quickly. A natural athlete, a good clubman and a player who plays with his heart on his sleeve, Damien says he is as enthusiastic as ever about his football as a the ACFL season draws ever so nearer. A veteran of Kill's 1997 JFC triumph, he believes Kill's return to the medals podium is very much overdue and he find it easy to empathise with the frustration of the club's long-time administrators and supporters. "I think the players are as anxious as anyone at the club to win some silverware but, in fairness, there are a lot of people behind the scenes who have worked hard over the years and deserve to see the club do well. A player with a penchant for taking the most direct route to goal and someone you'd like to have on your side in the trenches, Damien is a winner though first and foremost. His eagerness to get back on the winning trail with the Shamrocks brooks no debate and he is confident that, with Kill, he can achieve the sort of success that every player in the Autumn of his career yearns for. He's greatly encouraged by the vim and vigour that he has seen light up Rathluden Park on those dreary, dank and dour pre-season winter evenings. In addition, he is convinced that there's no team lying in waiting that Kill Shamrocks should feel they have to tip their forelock to. "There's new ideas and new players this year and I think everyone is looking forward to putting last year behind us and really pushing the boat out now," Damien enthuses. "It's a very level playing field at intermediate level and there's a fine line between being at the wrong end of the table in the league and winning the championship and going out at the quarter-final stage. "It would be great for the club if we could get our hands on a medal this year; it would do the younger players the world of good." And a few of the older ones too, one suggests. Tweet

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