Naomh Malachi were an absolute revelation in 2007. The Courtbane men won matches in the SFC for the first time ever; came within a whisker of a Joe Ward semi-final place; and brought Cooley all the way in an epic, two-game Cardinal O'Donnell Cup final. Little wonder club captain and proud county man Ronan Greene looks back on the season with a strong sense of satisfaction. Silverware would have provided the icing on the Naomh Malachi cake. For so long mere also-rans in the Wee County's greater GAA scheme, the Armagh border outfit took the metaphorical bull by the proverbial horns in '07 and demonstrated powerfully that they are now a force to be reckoned with. The Malachis were the surprise packet of 2007, the most improved team, the neutral's favourite. Frankly, they were a revelation, causing the kind of stir barely seen since St Patricks stormed to the county final in 1995. And we all know what the Pats have gone on to achieve since. Whether Naomh Malachi can emulate the current county champions remains to be seen and is very much business for another day. However, they made remarkable progress in '07 and if they can sustain even a degree of the momentum generated in coming seasons then this traditionally unfashionable GAA outpost could yet emerge as real contenders. Having captured the previous year's intermediate championship, the Mals went into the new season with modest aims and expectations. Their chief priority was to avoid a repeat of 2003, when they'd suffered instant relegation after annexing the Seamus Flood Cup in '02. This was achieved with something to spare as the Red & Whites surprisingly marched to the knockout stage of the SFC. As Courtbane became a fortress, the Malachis' league form was impressive all year, culminating in a second-place finish on the Division One table and a place in the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup decider - the club's first ever senior final appearance. In that final, the underdogs pushed holders Cooley all the way over the course of two closely-contested matches before unluckily losing the replay by two points in atrocious conditions, 0-8 to 0-6 at Clan na Gael Park on Sunday December 2. It was a bitterly disappointing end to a truly great year but the players could hold their heads up high, safe in the knowledge that they had contributed enormously to the GAA year in the Wee County and that they had established themselves as a genuine force at senior level. County player and club captain Ronan Green was proud of the way Naomh Malachi stood toe to toe with the best in Louth throughout 2007. "I was a proud man, without doubt," he confirms. "We set out at the start of the year to stay up and we achieved that and then progressed even further. In the end, we exceeded all expectations. "The one thing that changed this year is that we started to really believe in ourselves. We had won the intermediate final without playing well and that brought us on. When you're winning games without hitting top form, then you know there's even more within you." In Group B of the SFC, Naomh Malachi found the target 16 times but still only drew their opener against Glyde Rangers on Thursday April 19: 0-16 to 3-7. After losing to Cooley and the Pats at Knockbridge and Tallanstown respectively, they recovered well to record a first-ever victory in the senior championship - a 1-10 to 1-8 defeat of Kilkerley on Sunday August 19. Amazingly, the group outsiders then prevailed by the exact same scoreline in their final group game against Sean O'Mahonys at Louth village a week later to steal an unlikely quarter-final place. Mattock Rangers were in the other corner for Naomh Malachi's SFC quarter-final debut at Knockbridge on Sunday September 2 and the Malachis gave their esteemed opponents the fright of their lives before falling unluckily to a one-point defeat, 2-10 to 1-12. "The last time we were up we suffered two embarrassing defeats to Cooley and the Blues but this time we got off to a good start in the league so we weren't afraid of any team going into the championship," Ronan explains. "The wins against Kilkerley and O'Mahonys were massive and we put in a good display in the quarter-final. It was unreal. Unfortunately, Mattock's experience showed in the closing minutes. We were very close but their cuteness got them through. Everybody was gutted to lose after coming so close to a semi-final place but we knew we performed well and we came out of that game with our heads held high." If the Malachis learn from the experience, they could become a frightening proposition in years to come! Instead of sitting around licking their wounds following championship elimination, they opted to give the league a proper lash and the team kept going right to the end. "Losing to Mattock hurt and we then had a few weeks to stand back and take stock," Ronan continues. "After losing to Kilkerley at home, we held a meeting and decided we would go for it in the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup as we might never have a better chance of getting to a senior final." True to form, Naomh Malachi finished second in Division Two, an impressive feat that assured them of an O'Donnell Cup final berth. "We were delighted because when teams have come up from intermediate in the past they've tended to struggle against the big teams. But we beat Mattock at home early on and that was a massive win. We got more confidence and strung a few more wins together. We were very strong at home - beating the Blues, Glyde and the Mairtins and drawing with the Marys. Cooley and the Pats were the only ones who beat us and, of course, we didn't get to play against the Brides." Ah, the controversy at the end of the league stage, when Brides failed to field and Malachi were awarded the two points. Brides appealed; the final was postponed for a while; then it went ahead; finished level; then Cooley went on holidays; the replay was delayed and for a while it looked like the year would never end and Naomh Malachi would never see off the litany of disruptions that were tempering their momentum. "It was a massive achievement to get to the Cardinal O'Donnell final," Ronan quite rightly points out. "Two points isn't a very big margin in any game and we had a goal chance right at the end, but they used the spare man well and held out. We never did ourselves justice in the replay. We were rusty after the three-week lay-off and gave the ball away far too easily. It's impossible to get any friendlies at that time of year and training is no substitute for a proper work-out. It took us the entire first half to get going and you'll never beat Cooley like that." How difficult will it be for Naomh Malachi to repeat the dose in 2008? They had a real element of surprise on their side in 2007 but they've shown their hand now and other teams will be ready for them. "Teams will take us a lot more seriously," Ronan agrees. "It's another challenge and we have to look at bringing the club on. The younger lads like Kevin Rogers and Jason Clarke are only going to get better and there are a few more talented lads coming through as well. We're picking from a small area and we need everybody to get involved, but we're certainly looking forward to the challenge. "What we showed in the two games against Cooley will bring the club on tremendously. That has to give us encouragement and it's a matter of believing in ourselves as a team and as players. With some exciting young talent in the pipeline, we have every reason to be optimistic." What exactly has caused the dramatic upsurge in Naomh Malachi's fortunes? They made little impact when they last went senior only four years ago, so what has altered so radically within the fabric of the border club? "This has been coming for a few years," their first county senior representative in 15 years contends. "We were very unlucky to get relegated by Stabannon in a play-off last time and then we were narrowly beaten by Geraldines in an intermediate final - so this team has been knocking on the door. This year, we made the most of it and took it to another level." For Ronan Greene, the personal highlight of the year was the closing stages of the original Cardinal O'Donnell final, when Naomh Malachi finished like demons and gave the peninsula representatives the run-around. In the end, Cooley were hanging on for a draw: "In the last 10-15 minutes of the drawn game you could see the belief in the players and they stood up to it. Everybody rose to the occasion and it was great to see a Naomh Malachi team playing with so much conviction against one of the best teams in Louth." As for his Louth career, the Naomh Malachi talisman concludes: "It's a huge honour for any player to represent his county and it's also good for the club. We have a few more young lads coming through and hopefully one or two of them will get a chance to pull on the county jersey as well." Tweet

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