The county's junior footballers almost brought a long-overdue Leinster championship to Louth in 2005. Despite a crippling injury crisis, Eamonn McEneaney's second string demonstrated the growing strength in depth of Wee County football by progressing to the provincial final by virtue of impressive victories over Offaly and Dublin but - shorn of a number of key players who had advanced onto the senior team - they came unstuck against neighbours Meath in a closely contested Leinster final at Croke Park on the afternoon of Sunday June 25. Junior football is a strange beast. Management are never sure what players they will have available for particular games. Once an individual represents his county in the senior championship, no matter how fleetingly, he becomes ineligible. Ultimately, this was what deprived the Wee County of the 2006 Leinster JFC title. Utilising a number of fringe players from their senior panel, Louth saw off Offaly and were highly impressive in their semi-final defeat of the Dubs. With the same personnel on duty, they would have stood an exceptional chance of beating the Royals on provincial final day. However, there was one downside to the great first-round qualifier performances against Tyrone and it would hamper the junior team's prospects rather badly. Over the course of those epic matches and almost three hours of action in Navan and Omagh, Ray Finnegan, Brian White, Trevor O'Brien, Mick Fanning and Alan Page were all elevated into the senior team. Finnegan actually started the replay, while the other four were all used as subs over the course of both matches. Though Louth still had some big names at their disposal for the Meath game, their options had certainly been limited. Such is the Russian Roulette nature of intercounty junior championship fare. Of course, if management could do it all over again, they wouldn't change a thing. The senior team takes priority and the junior side is more of a 'feeder club', to borrow a soccer phrase. Reaching a Leinster final amid such uncertainly was a fine achievement by any standards. Encouragingly, this was Louth's second year to reach the provincial decider. Meath won the Leinster final by 1-12 to 0-11, thanks largely to a late goal from Trevor Dowd. The depleted Wee County still had players with senior experience in the likes of Ronan Greene, Sean O'Neill, Francis McCullough, David Reid, Shane Lennon, Nigel Shevlin, Dessie Finnegan, John Doyle, Nicky McDonnell and David Bracken and it was Kilkerley's full forward Lennon who got them off to a good start with a fifth-minute point from a free. Meath hit three in a row before Newtown Blues clubman Colm Judge and Francis McCullough drew the Wee County level. Meath led by 0-7 to 0-4 at the interval and pulled further clear with two pointed frees upon the resumption, but Louth levelled at 0-9 apiece thanks to some good shooting from corner back Derek Shevlin in the 36th minute, McArdle, Shane Lennon (who finished with five points) and substitute Nigel Shevlin. However, despite dominating most of the exchanges, Louth were unable to move ahead. The Royals registered three times in succession and Louth replied with points from Lennon and Judge to trail by just one with three minutes plus stoppage time remaining. However, as has been the case so often in the past, it was Meath who produced the grandstand finish with a late clinching goal. Louth had opened their campaign with a 0-15 to 1-9 defeat of Offaly in Drogheda on Wednesday May 31. This was an extraordinary victory as only a small percentage of players the manager wanted to 'look at' or field were at his disposal. Players like Shane McCoy, John Doyle, Simon Gerrard, Colm Judge, John Kermath, Conor Sheridan, Philip McGahon, John Moroney, Sean Brassil and Alan Page were all unavailable. The hosts registered nine times in the first half but were unable to shake the plucky Faithfuls off and it was level at the break, 0-9 to 1-6. Ray Finnegan opened the scoring but Offaly then moved ahead before David Bracken and David Reid restored the Wee County superiority. Offaly then got a fortuitous goal but Louth refused to panic and equalised through Sean O'Neill and Trevor O'Brien. When the midlanders went back in front, Louth replied with a Bracken leveller and the lead point from a Reid free. Offaly had two points in a minute but it was Mick Fanning who found the next equalising score. Just when it looked like the visitors had sneaked an interval advantage, Trevor O'Brien managed to find a late point just before the short whistle. Upping the tempo on the turnaround, Louth pulled away for a deserved victory, with O'Neill and Fanning dominant at midfield. Substitute Cormac McArdle chipped in with the winners' last three all-important points and the Reds could have won by more but for some desperate last-ditch Offaly defending that denied O'Brien and McArdle goals. Next up was a spectacular 1-11 to 0-9 semi-final defeat of 14-man Dublin in their Parnell Park stronghold on Wednesday June 14. Though short five players who had impressed in the opening round, Louth played with purpose and conviction throughout. They trailed by a point early in the second half, 0-9 to 1-5 but notched the last six scores of the match to win at a canter in the end. The winners didn't hang around and had points on the board from Trevor O'Brien, Cormac McArdle and Ray Finnegan shortly after the throw-in. Brian White presented Shane Lennon with a goal chance but the Dublin netminder saved well. Dublin hit four consecutive points before McArdle traded scores with Andrew Moffett. The Wee County then produced their first match-winning purple patch, landing 1-2 with a goal from O'Brien and two points from Lennon. Louth led by 1-5 to 0-6 at the break and would extend this two-point cushion to five by the final whistle. It looked like matters might be different when Dublin has gone ahead by the 37th minute but JJ Quigley (41) levelled matters before the Metropolitans were reduced to 14 men. From that stage on, Louth dominated and they totally controlled the closing quarter. The Louth second string progressed to the provincial decider with five more unanswered points from White (2), Francis McCullough, Quigley and John Doyle. Louth, 2006 Leinster junior football championship finalists: S Connor; D Shevlin (0-1), D Finnegan, F McGuigan; JJ Quigley, G Long, R Greene; S O'Neill, J Doyle; F McCullough (0-1), D Hughes, D Reid; C McArdle (0-1), S Lennon (0-5), C Judge (0-2). Subs: N McDonnell, S Fitzpatrick, P Osbourne, N Shevlin (0-1), D Bracken Tweet

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