John Mitchells have been going through lean times since hitting the junior jackpot in 1998, but Des Halpenny is helping them weather the storm. It's virtually impossible to put one's finger on what exactly it is about sport that's so addictive, to find that kernel of insight and nail it down. Sport is totally compelling and seemingly encapsulates life itself. It can be exquisite or cruel, unfair or divine, exhilarating or disappointing. But either way, it never fails to give rise to some form of emotion. Sometimes I wonder is my interest in gaelic games really little more than a morbid fascination. After all, there are always more losers than winners, more tears spilt than smiles cracked, more ranting and raving than grateful supplication. Then again, weren't Shakespeare's tragedies his most intriguing works? You know the ones with the excessive body counts, where the curtains fall down to briefly caress a mass of corpses strewn like confetti across the set . . . much to the obvious pleasure of the assembled throng. Then the show is over. The audience goes home, high on the fumes of the bloodfest, content that the massacre was all-encompassing. It's blood and guts we want, not sentiment. Sure, it could have been any game in the Wee County's intermediate championship. Once that particular competition gets under way each summer, it's sink or swim stuff as the participants do battle for a prize only one of them can have. Everyone else is like ice cubes in hot coffee, struggling against all real hope. Since moving up from junior ranks so impressively in 1998, John Mitchells have come to know that championship sinking feeling all too well. While the likes of the Brides, Dreadnots and Glyde have passed them out, the Ballybailie men have languished in the middle grade. They, lo and behold, in 2001 it got even worse as the Mitchells encountered a different kind of sinking feeling - relegation to Division Three and junior football once again. But, as attacking stalwart Des Halpenny is keen to stress, at least the Mitchells showed signs during the season that perhaps they are bout to turn the corner. Despite having suffered terrible league form in their championship build-up as well as the sort of injury crisis that would knock the stuffing out of any side, John Mitchells showed tremendous spirit against O'Connells in the first round at Tallanstown on Friday June 29th. They were decidedly unfortunate to lose by two points (1-9 to 1-7) and Des - who scored 1-4 of his side's tally from the right wing, including a fine fisted goal in the 48th minute - is keeping his fingers crossed that the cloud that has hovered over Ballybailie since the heroics of '98 may have finally bled itself dry: "Looking back on the championship game I'd have to hold my hands up and say 'ok, you're always disappointed to lose in the championship' but, considering the season we'd endured up until that, we could draw some encouragement from that performance. "It was certainly a marked improvement on our previous two campaigns, when we were well beaten by both Dreadnots and Geraldines. At least this time we gave a creditable display. We didn't do ourselves justice in the first half and were four points down at the break but we came back well at them and drew level late on. Unfortunately, they scored two late points. We played fairly good football in the second half and I think we probably deserved a draw." The fact that the Mitchells had lost their winning touch in the weeks and months leading up to that game certainly had a bearing on the end result. Des agrees: "Winning is a habit and we had forgotten how to win. We were stuck in a rut. When you're losing, it tends to have a knock-on effect - morale in the camp is low, players lose interest and the numbers at training start to drop. Then you lose more games - it's a vicious circle. "We were also missing six first team players for the championship, which was a huge blow. "As well as our county star Brendan Reilly, we also had to field without Gary Maguire, Hugh Durrigan, Barry Reilly, Derek Devine and my brother Paul. Those are six influential players who all play in vital positions and it's very hard to compensate for that." Since blazing through junior ranks in such swashbuckling nature in '98, the Mitchells have been forced to subsist on humble pie. They had viewed intermediate football as a stepping stone, but instead found it to be a desert island. "We won the junior double without losing a game, so we had great expectations of holding our intermediate status for a couple of years and then maybe making a bid for senior. We've never been senior before and we felt we finally had a team that could bring us places. "It's puzzling when we look now at Dreadnots, the Brides and Glyde. We had beaten them all in '98, and we all still have virtually the same teams. But they all progressed much further than we did. It's very difficult to put your finger on it but I'd say it's down to a combination of things - injuries, a bit of bad luck, and getting stuck in a rut. With a full panel to choose from, we'd certainly be a lot more formidable." What are the hopes for next year? "We hope to finally start going in the other direction again. I think it's important, however, to be realistic about things and put them into perspective. It's not exactly the end of the world. We've had three quiet seasons, but we've had our share of good times too . . . probably a lot more than many other clubs. "We can't complain too much. We've had successes that other teams would love. Winning the double in 1998 was great. We also won a junior final in 1992 and got to an intermediate final in '94, so we've had our fair share of success, particularly in the 'nineties. We're just in a bad rut right now but hopefully we'll soon work our way out of that. "The average age of the team is still only about 23 or 24 so we should be able to turn it around. "We're also going to have to start investing more effort into the underage side of it. We let that slip for a while and have to get back into it now." An under 14 county championship winner with Ardee in 1985 (prior to the setting up of Baile Talun, John Mitchells were amalgamated with St Mary's and Hunterstown at juvenile level), Des has been club PRO for the past five years and also acts as Assistant Secretary. He's been on the Mitchells first team for 13 seasons and still harbours slim hopes of maybe one day playing senior football: "To be honest, we'd have to accept that it's a long way down the line at the moment. But if we put our heads down and if we get the right breaks, there's no reason in the world why we can't reach that level one day." Other players have been known to switch clubs in their quest for glory. But Des Halpenny would never consider such a move. He's a Mitchells man to the core - just like his grandfather Paddy (a club founder) and father James (who represented the club for many years on the field and is current Treasurer). Generations later, the cause is as important as ever it was. Tweet

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