Geraldines celebrated their return to the senior ranks this year and one man who rejoiced in their intermediate football championship success was one of the club's main fundraiser, Shane McGuinness. Geraldines will have senior football to look forward to next year for the first time since 2000 following their dramatic victory over Naomh Malachi in the intermediate football championship final at Pairc Clan na Gael on September 18 last. The Haggardstown/Blackrock side snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and in the process, avenged their loss to Naomh Malachi in the 2002 decider. The Malachis led by a point with only four minutes remaining, but Joe Corcoran then levelled the scoring from a free. A replay looked inevitable after Naomh Malachi missed two glorious chances to regain the lead, but Geraldines weren't to be denied with Barry Reneghan's last-gasp free giving them a 0-11 to 0-10 win. "This was a big breakthrough for us after a lot of barren years and we're really excited about the prospect of playing in the senior championship again," says Geraldines committee member and chief fundraiser, Shane McGuinness. "A huge effort went into this year's campaign and I think the lads got their just deserts in the end. For some of the more senior members of the team, it may have been a last hurrah but I'd still be confident of us doing well at senior level in the next few years. We have an excellent underage structure in place and that's already beginning to pay dividends." Shane has been a member of the club committee for the past 12 years and was a member of the panel when the Geraldines last won an intermediate championship in 1995. He is also the holder of two junior championship and junior league medals and was a regular for the club's junior side this year. "My family moved from Dungannon, Co. Tyrone to Blackrock in 1975 and my father John was elected onto the Geradlines committee soon after that," he explains. "Both of my brothers, Patrick and Fergal, have played for the club and Patrick was full back on the team which won the intermediate championship this year. He has given great service to the club as a player and this was one of his sweetest victories." Shane has done tremendous work on the fundraising front in recent times and over the last number of years his efforts realised over EUR20,000 for the club, through ticket sales and other fundraising ventures. "Last year we celebrated our centenary and to mark the occasion, we organised a number of fundraising events. One of the most successful was our auction night at which I bought a signed Tyrone jersey that was of personal value to me. It costs between EUR55,000 and EUR60,000 to run this club every year and there is always a need for some sort of fundraising. "I go to the same eight or 10 people every year looking for sponsorship and I'm very appreciative of their continued support and generosity." Under the management of Kevin Lynch, who guided the club to their most recent senior championship success in 1982, and his selectors John Lynch, Stephen Thornton and Padraig McDonnell, Geraldines posted a 100 per cent record in this year's intermediate championship. They chalked up victories over Dundalk Gaels (0-10 to 0-7), St. Nicholas (1-9 to 1-6), Naomh Fionnbharra (2-15 to 2-3) and St. Fechin's (1-10 to 0-5) before edging out St. Mochta's by 0-11 to 0-10 in a tense semi-final at Knockbridge. Geraldines enjoyed the better of the first half exchanges and held a 0-6 to 0-3 lead at the interval. St. Mochta's improved after the restart and they got to within two points of the green and whites before points from John Neary and Barry Renaghan left four between the sides. After Mochta's had reduced the gap to two again, Joey Corcoran restored Geraldine's three-point advantage. Two Nicholas Browne points ensured a nail-biting finish, but Geraldines held on for a narrow victory. The final attracted a big crowd to Pairc Clan na Gael and it was Naomh Malachi, who were bidding to make an immediate return to the senior ranks, who got off to the better start when Feidhlim Daly kicked them into an early lead. Barry Reneghan quickly brought Geraldines onto level terms, but they weren't to score again until the 19th minute, by which time Malachis had built up a four-point lead courtesy of scores from Colin Murtagh (two), Gerry Hamill and Mark Meegan. But it was all Geraldines in the lead-up to the half-time. After Corcoran had ended their scoring drought, Reneghan, Paidi Lynch, Shane Thornton, Reneghan again and John Neary added five more points to give the Haggardstown/Blackrock side a two-point cushion at the interval. Geraldines had wind advantage in the second half, but within two minutes of the restart, Naomh Malachi were back on level terms. Man of the match Barry Reneghan and Joey Corcoran restored Geraldine's two-point advantage, but Naomh Malachi were battling as if their lives depended on it and after a couple of near-misses, they registered three unanswered points per Michael Daly (two) and Colin Murtagh to edge in front with less than five minutes remaining. The pressure was now on Geraldines to respond and that they did in impressive fashion. Corcoran levelled the match for the fourth time from a free before Reneghan held his nerve to slot over the winning free two minutes into injury-time. McGuinness is confident that the right structures are in place for Geraldines to make their mark at senior level in the coming years. He takes encouragement from the club's recent successes at underage level under the St. Fursey's banner, which included an under 14 league and championship double last year. "Our ultimate aim is to win the senior championship, something we haven't managed to do in 23 years. We are following the Tyrone and Armagh models where a major emphasis on underage coaching has led to success at All-Ireland level," he says. "We have a good crop of players coming through the ranks at the moment and I was highly encouraged by the response of the children in Blackrock and Haggardstown National Schools towards our intermediate success. It is vital that we harness that enthusiasm. "It is also vital that we consolidate our position at senior level next year. If we can survive next year, we could be senior for many years to come. We have laid on the best of facilities, including two new pitches and state-of-the-art floodlighting, and we have every reason to be optimistic heading into 2006." Despite his strong involvement with Geraldines, Shane still finds time to run two companies, Shane McGuinness Ltd and Powerlines Maintenance and Construction Ltd. Shane McGuinness Ltd is a property development company based in Newtownbabe, Ardee Road, Dundalk. The company is currently constructing eight apartments and two houses at Cahirlinn, Blackrock. Further developments in Haggardstown and Blackrock are at the planning stage. Powerlines Maintenance and Construction Ltd is based in Ballinahinch, Co. Down and has carried out extensive contracts for the ESB, NIE and London Power. He concludes: "The Geraldines GFC is a club I feel very proud to be a part of. Management of teams and committee work are all thankless jobs at times, but when you see a group of players coming together and having such pride in their jerseys, it makes everything very worthwhile." Tweet

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