There is no doubt that the year 2001 will not be remembered for the endeavours on the field of play, but Na Piarsaigh is a club made of strong stuff and, rather than allowing their heads to drop, are determined to come back stronger for the experience, writes Eunan Whyte. For the second successive year, the Rock Road club have experienced the disappointment of relegation, and next season will be plying their trade in the Junior ranks. The Dundalk side can take some consolation from the fact that other clubs in the town have also been finding times difficult with each one outside Junior facing a fight against relegation in the closing games of the season. Rather than feeling sorry for themselves Na Piarsaigh are determined to bounce back straight away and their enthusiasm is reflected by their endeavours off the field to create some of the best facilities in the county at their Rock Road base. As the youngest club in the county it is not surprising that they have a young and vibrant committee one of whom, delegate, Marc Wynne, is looking to a bright future after what has been a turbulent season in many ways. "On reflection this was a strange year for Na Piarsaigh. We began the year sadly with the loss of one of our key minor players, Peter Moran. Peter was one of the best goalkeepers at his age level in the county and will be sadly missed by all our clubmen." The death of Brendan O'Meara, an exceptional clubman, was another massive loss to the club. "Off the field, the year began with a new and vibrant Executive Committee with great aspirations and we enjoyed great success. With the completion of our car park, entrance gates and wall to the field, we have established the grounds as one of the finest in Dundalk. The plans will continue with the erection of floodlights on the car park and training area in the coming year," continued Mark. However, it was unfortunate that such progress wasn't matched on the playing field, despite some encouraging signs early on. "On the field we began the season with great results in the Grogan Cup and in the early part of the league we won some games convincingly. However, our form took a turn for the worst when we struggled to field 15 for a home game against St. Kevin's due to injuries and having a number of players at college. "Our next match against Sean McDermotts we decided not to play due to the death of the father of one of our Executive Committee members that morning. This was another sad day in the club and we lost an appeal to the County Board not to refix the game and overturn the fine. "This soured a lot of players in our club and made us wonder about the heart of our GAA. We cannot ignore the feelings of our club members in a bereavement situation. "The Division 2B team continued to struggle, losing marginally to St. Kevin's in the championship at Castlebellingham. Unfortunately heads went down and we only managed to get one draw from our next two matches. "As a result, with three matches to go, we needed to win them all to avoid relegation. Our fate was in our own hands but a draw against O'Connells when we were unlucky not to win, followed by defeat to Sean McDermotts, saw us relegated", explained Marc. However, he points out that the club are determined to overcome that setback and with a good underage structure, there is hope for the future. "Relegated in ranks, but not in spirit. We are still the youngest club in the county and we have a great crop of players and a good community to pick from. We are all doing our best to keep the lads interested in our games." While those at ground level are making great efforts to promote the game, Marc feels that more backing is required from the top level to assist their endeavours. "I believe it is up to the people at headquarters to take a look at a new and clever marketing campaign designed to maintain and regenerate interest in our games. We are now competing for the same pool of players with other sports, particularly soccer and rugby, not to mention work, school and social activities. "The GAA must take note. It is lovely to look at our marvellous stadium at headquarters - the envy of all other codes - but it is essential not to lose sight of the game at grass roots." While the present adult team may not be enjoying the best of times, there is some encouraging news from a healthy underage set-up. The minor team reached the Fr Feran Cup final, but their exit from the championship was a blow after so much work had been put in over the year. "Overall we were pleased with our outings at under-age. With participated on our own at all levels from U-21 down to U-13 and, even if our success was limited, I feel we were successful in keeping the children of our parish interested in Gaelic football", said Marc. Last season Na Piarsaigh staged the first Peter Begley Memorial Cup for the first time, but due to the foot-and-mouth crisis, it had to be postponed this year. It has already been pencilled in for 2002. The draw for the Intermediate Championship saw Na Piarsaigh given a bye into the quarter-final which ultimately paired them with last year's runners-up, St. Kevin's. The game took place at Castlebellingham and in a well contested game, the Dundalk men staged a great comeback and were unlucky not to force at least a replay. In the end the Phillipstown side advanced to the semi-final on a 1-10 to 0-12 scoreline. There was little between the teams in the first half and a point in the final minute from Cormac Malone saw the sides go into the break level at four points apiece. Points were exchanged early in the second half before the game turned when St. Kevin's scored the only goal on 40 minutes. The Phillipstown men stretched the advantage to five points, but Na Piarsaigh rallied and were unlucky not to earn at least a replay. There were good displays on the day from Carl Brennan, Barry Magill, Paul Smyth, Paddy Hearty and Kenny Sullivan. Scorers: Chris Malone (0-6), Cormac Malone (0-3) and Kenny Sullivan (0-2). Na Piarsaigh: Gerry Stewart, Ronan McCartney, Carl Brennan, Paul McCartney, Alan McCartney, Barry Magill, Paul Smyth, Paddy Hearty, Robert Nash, John Grealis, Kenny Sullivan, John Molloy, Mark Hazzard, Cormac Malone, Chris Malone. Subs: Paddy Quinn for Hazzard, Marc Wynne for P. McCartney. Tweet

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