Clan na Gael enjoyed the most successful period in their history during the 1990s. The undoubted kingpins of Louth football they were seen by most of their senior rivals as the team to beat. By Eunan Whyte. The Castletown side set the standards for the others to follow and on three occasions they brought the Joe Ward Cup back to Clan na Gael Park. With a better rub of the green, they might have had more championship success, but they underlined their consistency at the top by winning no less than seven over the last 12 years. At one stage they had nine players in the Louth senior panel, so with that sort of talent at their disposal, it was a fairly predictable starting 15 that was sent out to do battle. The likes of Peter Fitzpatrick, Seamus O'Hanlon, Gerry Curran, Niall O'Donnell, Barry O'Connor among others, were regulars at inter-county level and as a result formed the backbone of the club side. All at the Castletown club knew those players would not last forever and while some have hung up their boots and others coming to the end of their careers, the encouraging thing for the green-and-golds is that a new crop of players is emerging to take on the challenge. For the past number of years many have been talking about the exciting crop of young players waiting in the wings. This year, that potential looks as if it will be delivered and former goalkeeper and current Louth selector, Niall O'Donnell believes that the good times are on their way back to the club. "When you look at the team we put out against Cooley in the last group game of the championship, there were 11 players under the age of 22 and that augurs well for the club. "Although we didn't_t win the game or even manage to get out of the group stages, it was great to see so many young lads coming through and hopefully they will develop into a side that can bring back the glory days. "Seeing so many of the promising young players coming into the team and looking very comfortable at senior level is both a source of pleasure and a credit to the many men who have worked with them over the past number of years," according to Niall. A few years ago we identified the need to home in on our under-age structures. Aidan Kirk was probably the man who took on a lot of the responsibility and he hounded people for a long time to make sure this section of the club was not neglected. "We were lucky to have so many people willing to help out with the juveniles as many clubs are forced to rely on the same two or three men to look after all teams. "Along with Aidan, we had the likes of Larry Muckian, Sean McGeough, Barry Cullen, Gary Gray, Fergus Byrne, Benny McKeever, Paddy McKeever, Gerry McKeever, John McShane, Derek McCabe, Alan Moran, Fra Byrne and the McAllisters all putting in a lot of time and effort to coach players and make sure the stayed with the Clans. "All involved were very enthusiastic and the fact that so many players have come through together is a credit to those men. Nobody develops into a senior player overnight and it is only if the work is done from U-14 upwards that is possible." The efforts at juvenile level were rewarded with Minor Championship titles in 1999 and 2000 and the next challenge was to see the players make the step up to adult football. The list of players who lined out against Cooley in the summer is impressive and Niall believes it contains some star names of the future, not only at club level, but also on the county scene. "In goal we had Raymond McCabe, with Gary Hoey, Ciaran Drumm and Mark McCann in defence. Colin Hoey would have been added to that list had he not been injured, but he too is a fine prospect. "JJ Quigley was playing midfield at just 19 and he has a big future in the game. If he continues to get coaching and matures, he will be an excellent player. "The half-forward line of Paul Gartland, Paul Gore and Paul Savage are all under 22 years of age, while Mark McGeown will again be U-21 next season. "Coming on as sub was 18-year-old Colm Finnegan, a big strong player who is an outstanding talent. "When you add Brendan Begley, Padraig Staunton and Brian O'Hanlon to that list, it would be possible to field a full team under 23 and be confident that they would match any side on their day. "The challenge for us is to keep them together and make sure they do the right things on and off the field. If they do that, there is no reason why they can't succeed." Niall believes that this group of players is at the right age to carry the club forward and with a great atmosphere and games and training he feels they will continue to develop. "With Tommy Connolly doing the training, players never get bored and in fact even look forward to it. It is always a challenge to keep young players interested but they seem to be very keen to learn. "It is great to see them integrating with the more experienced players and with some great young characters they certainly don't feel inferior. The one thing you hate to see is cliques developing in a squad but everyone gets on well and are at ease with each other." Niall is also encouraged by the sense of ambition of the young players as all are determined to succeed at club level and make the step up to county standard. In his role as U-21 manager, Niall has seen a number of players wearing the county jersey. "Raymond McCabe played with the minors this year and came on as sub in the Leinster semi-final against Dublin, while Ciaran Drumm, Mark McGeown and Gary Hoey all lined out with the U-21s that gave Dublin a real test. "Mark is available again this year, while we would also hope to have the likes of JJ Quigley and Colin Hoey pushing for a place on the team. "County experience is great for any player as it makes them realise what they have to aspire to and the effort required to play at a higher level. From a club point of view, it means they are learning all the time and that can only be a benefit." As a result, it is no wonder that Clan na Gael can look forward to the future with a great deal of optimism and if they can bring this team on, the Castletown side may once again be the team to beat. Although Niall O'Donnell won't be involved on the field of play, he will take no less pleasure from seeing the new breed making their mark. "There is no doubt that we have the talent and are looking forward to the next few years. I don't think we should have any problems holding on to our senior status and after that the hope will be to challenge for honours, which is what it is all about." Tweet

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