Rumours of Wolfe Tones' demise are indeed greatly exaggerated. The hive of juvenile activity within the club in 2002 was once more testimony to where the Drogheda outfit's current strength lies. The Tones have at their disposal a group of players capable of boosting their flagging fortunes . . . with a bountiful supply of young talent in the pipeline to boot! Wolfe Tones aficionados won't remember their first team's 2002 JFC or Division Three odysseys with any particular fondness. In all honesty, it all amounted to instantly forgettable stuff. Eventually, the state of affairs became so unfavourable that the committee decided - out of courtesy to the other junior clubs in the county - to pull out of the league altogether. It was bitterly disappointing to everyone associated with the great and proud Drogheda club. But it's not all doom and gloom up Duleek Gate way. The Tones are facing up to their trials and tribulations and are prepared to meet all challenges head-on. They're determined to battle their way out of the trough that's been swamping them of late . . and have every chance of doing so. Looking at the bigger picture, Wolfe Tones GFC appear to have all the necessary structures in place to bounce back in a strong fashion and once more compete for honours at junior level (at the very least): they have a strong and hardworking committee in place; they are reasonably secure financially; they boast excellent facilities. Most importantly of all, they have an exceptionally strong underage section, which continues to go from strength to strength under the watchful eye of juvenile chairman Paddy Fanning. Paddy is a Wolfe Tones man to the core and is convinced that the club can survive in the face of adversity and reclaim lost ground. He insists: "The players are certainly there. The structures are in place, the facilities are second to none, and it's just a matter of somehow getting everyone motivated and pulling in the same direction. "The cornerstones are there. The backing from the committee is there, but things have gone a bit stale and we need an injection. If we do manage to turn things around, there's great potential and we have the makings of a team that could win a junior championship. "Maybe the people in the club have taken things as far as they can go and we need to bring someone in from outside to provide fresh ideas and a fresh impetus. If everyone was starting from a clean slate, with no baggage, we have a lot of room for improvement and could do really well." And that's without even mentioning all the young talent that continues to flood through on Wolfe Tones' relentless juvenile conveyor belt. Two-thousand-and-two was another typically busy year for the club on the juvenile front. They streamlined the number of teams fielding competitively, but this had no effect whatsoever on the enthusiasm and dedication demonstrated by players and mentors alike. Paddy explains: "We took a decision early in the year to reduce the number of teams playing in the Drogheda area. In previous years we had U10, U11, U12, U13 and U14 teams playing in Drogheda. We couldn't justify having that many teams any longer and we couldn't give them the attention they deserved." Thus, only U10 and U12 teams played in the local town league, while the U14s and U16s fielded under the auspices of Louth Minor Board, competing at county level. "We hold our Blitz in May of every year," Paddy continues. "That attracts a lot of players from six or seven up to U12 level, mainly local kids from the school on Congress Avenue and the Duleek Gate area in general. "For this year's Blitz, we had about 80 or 90 kids on the day, about 50% of whom would have been known to us already from previous years. But it's very good for new young players coming through at seven or eight years old and we unearthed some good new talent, which is always the most important thing at juvenile level." All in all, between the four underage teams fielded in '02, Paddy says Wolfe Tones catered for up to 100 juveniles during the year. U10 The U10s had a very good year, winning a very competitive Drogheda league (which was contested by nine teams). John Gallagher and Darren Kelly managed that all-conquering side. They played consistently well over the course of the year, beating none other than Mattock Rangers in the final - the very day before the Collon club captured the county SFC for the first time. A number of new players were blooded and, all things considered, it was a most satisfactory year at U10 level. U12 The U12s, meanwhile, were a crop of players Paddy Fanning was particularly familiar with . . . he managed them at U11 level in 2001. This time around, Mickey Kelly, Michael Reilly and Pat Reilly took charge and the team performed reasonably well, reaching the semi-final of the Drogheda league 'shield' competition. Says the club's juvenile board chairman in relation to the U12s: "There's a good team there and they won their shield competition last year. It's possibly a group of players we're going to have to work a bit harder with next year, when some of them go on to U14 level and some stay at U12." U14 Under 14 team affairs were handled by Paddy himself and Brendan O'Connell. After playing five or six games in their own area first to determine their appropriate level, the U14s were placed in Division Two of the all-county league. They started extremely well - winning their opening five matches - but dropped three points in their last two outings, to finish third in the division. In the county championship, they lost to Sean Treacys at the quarter-final stage. The Tones had home advantage and had beaten the Treacys in the league three weeks earlier. Again, they played really well on the day, but it just wasn't to be. The players couldn't be faulted for their overall effort . . . things just didn't work out for them on the day. Wolfe Tones also reached the semi-final of the all-county league, wherein Sean Treacys once more proved the bane of their aspirations. U16 The U16s - under the expert guidance of David Tully and Andrew Matthews - were arguably Wolfe Tones' best team over the year. Indeed, this side would have done exceptionally well but for the fact that a strong Valley Rangers outfit thwarted them over and over again. It took them a while to get going, with the result that they winded up in Division Three of the all-county league. They won five and lost one (to Valley Rangers) of their six games therein. Subsequently, they also lost to Valley Rangers in the championship, at the quarter-final stage. "It was an unfortunate draw for us because we had already beaten the other six teams in the league," Paddy notes. The championship exit wasn't a complete disaster, however. After bowing out of contention at such an early stage, the Tones came back to win the secondary competition, defeating St Michaels in the decider. Amazingly, however, Valley Rangers also beat them in the Division Three league final. "Valley Rangers really were a thorn in our side at U16 level all year. We were definitely the second best team in the section but unfortunately we came up against them three times and they beat us three times," Paddy reflects. Wolfe Tones were unable to field a minor team as they only had five or six players who qualified to play minor football. While this was obviously a source of disappointment to the club, the overall picture is more encouraging. "There are plenty of young lads there and it's basically just a matter of getting them interested and motivated and going in the right direction," Paddy Fanning points out. "If the sport wants to go forward, then all clubs have to treat it with the respect it deserves because we're competing with other sports. "That's why we look after our facilities and make sure our pitch and dressing-rooms are in good condition for all matches and that the nets are up for every home game. These are the basics that every club has to look after. "We introduced a rule in the Drogheda area last year that if a home team didn't have nets up then the visiting team would get a five-point start on them, and things certainly seemed to improve a little bit." What does next year hold for Wolfe Tones? "We should be okay, juvenile-wise. The people we have in the club are doing an excellent job, but new faces are always welcome. There's always room for new blood, to bring in fresh ideas and perhaps bring things a step further. "The juniors were a bit unlucky to lose so many games by two or three points last year. The championship against Tullyallen was a disaster and it was a pity we had to drop out of the league. But it's vitally important that we keep fighting because if we haven't got a junior team then there's not a lot of point in bringing the juveniles through. "We have excellent facilities. We've even got a grounds man in from FAS and he's doing excellent work. We're okay financially too. "We just need a spark to get things moving on the pitch, because there's definitely a pool of players here who can hold their own ... at the very least." Wolfe Tones still an integral part of the Louth GAA landscape then? You'd better believe it! Tweet

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