The 2008 campaign was an intriguing one for the Clann na nGael hurlers as they made their return to the senior ranks following last year's success in the intermediate championship. However, the club has found itself in this situation all too often in recent years and the main emphasis during the season was to retain their senior status. The Royal County Yearbook takes a look at how their season went, while we also take a look back at their success in the under-15 hurling championship. Like all clubs, a greater emphasis has been placed on the underage structure within Clann na nGael in recent times and following a number of barren years when there was no success in terms of silverware, they are now starting to reap the benefits on the hurling field. For many years, hurling at underage level in the club was neglected and this is the main reason why the adult team has struggled to maintain its senior status. The finger of blame can and has been pointed in many different directions, but the fact of the matter is that the club now has in place a structure to cater for all juvenile grades, which has become the envy of many of their rivals. Men like Matthew Mullen, Kit McGovern, and Anthony Sheridan have taken on the responsibility of looking after the successful under-15 side for the past few years, while they also oversee the fortunes of the under-16 and minor side. In the younger grades, former hurlers Padraig Reilly, Sean and Liam Leavy, Kit Ennis and Pearse Ferguson are ensuring that more stars of the future learn the skills of the game from an early age. Indeed, the success of this year's under-15 side when they defeated Kiltale in an enthralling final was their first underage success since the mid nineties, way too long for a club of its stature and this just proves how with the right work ethic and commitment, anything can be achieved. However, it is onwards and upwards for Clann na nGael and they have begun to produce some outstanding hurlers that will no doubt have a major impact on the club for many years to come. Some have already begun to earn massive reputations in the game and Ciaran Fitzsimons, Ciaran Garry, Aaron Ennis, the Sullivan twins John and Jerry and Ronald Hamilton are just a few that were outstanding this year, but it certainly was not just about these individuals as all the squad played their part in the success. A number of these players have already represented Meath and indeed clubmen Kit McGovern and Brendan Fitzsimons were part of the under-15 county hurling management team. The Athboy/Rathcairn amalgamation has certainly laid the foundations for the future and the hard work of all involved should be commended and while it must be kept up to the same level, they look to have the right people in the job. At senior level, the draw for the championship was unkind to Clann na nGael to say they least as they had to face Kilmessan, Kildalkey, Killyon, Rathmolyon and Trim, all seasoned campaigners in the top flight. The step up from intermediate to senior is vast as they have found out during the course of this decade as Clann na nGael have yo-yoed from one to the other, and the main goal this year was to put a stop to that trend. For the second year running the management team of Westmeath man Frank Aughey and former players Kit Leavy and Brendan Fitzsimons oversaw the fortunes of the side. There is no question that they have some excellent hurlers at their disposal, but even still, making an impact in this group was still going to be a tall order. The first match of the campaign was against a Killyon side that have struggled since their championship success three years ago and there was a genuine belief within the Clann na nGael camp that two points could be obtained here. Nonetheless, scores win matches and although this turned out to be a close game, Aughey's charges could not turn possession into scores and they were left to rue a number of missed opportunities as Killyon won by a narrow margin. Indeed, there was a lot of talk about a Paddy Geraghty strike that the Clann na nGael players felt had flew into the corner of the net and not went through the side netting as the umpire adjudged, but in fairness they should have won this game regardless of that contentious decision. It wasn't the best of starts for the O'Growney men, but there were certainly many positives to take ahead of the remaining games in the campaign. Old rivals Kildalkey provided the opposition next and probably the least said about this performance the better as the 'village' once again reigned supreme as has been the case in recent encounters, although not many have been as emphatic. Kildalkey ran out comfortable victors, but to be fair, Clann na nGael never reached anywhere near their potential and the only bright spot was the performance of centre back Gary Mangan, who was outstanding and earned a recall to the county panel. If moral was low after the Kildalkey game, then meeting Kilmessan in the next round was the last thing that they wanted, but that's exactly what faced the side. Boardsmill was the venue on one of the few fine sunny evenings that we encountered this year and the general consensus amongst the neutrals, and supporters of both sides was that this could be a one-sided affair, particularly after what happened against Kildalkey. The fact that Clann na nGael, who despite being able to field a junior team that indeed reached the county semi final had only four substitutes to call on that evening did little to inspire confidence amongst their following. One can understand a player's 'fear' of losing their junior status by playing, even a few minutes in the senior championship, but surely the first team should take precedence in any eventuality. Nevertheless, despite a sluggish start, Clann na nGael slowly got to grips with their more illustrious adversary and some fine scores from Daithi Geraghty kept them in the match, while a goal from midfield workhorse Darren Heaney left only two points between the sides at half time. The expected Kilmessan pull away never materialised during the second period as Clann na nGael showed great spirit and determination to match the blue and whites all the way. Their downfall once again was the lack of a scoring forward and although the six attackers sent out worked hard, they needed someone to convert the many chances created as Kilmessan were relieved to come away with the points. A win was needed badly if they were to avoid a relegation final and after a long lay off due to the county's participation in the Christy Ring Cup, Clann na nGael resumed with a match against old rivals Trim, a side that they had beaten in the championship since the early eighties. Every team usually hits form at some stage of the campaign and this was to be Clann na nGael's day as years of heartache was put to rest with an accomplished performance. Trim raced into a 1-4 to 0-1 lead and the situation looked bleak, but slowly they gathered momentum and reeled in the former champions and ran out winners by a resounding six points. There were many heroes on the field that day as goalkeeper Paddy Foy was exceptional as he had been during the campaign since taking over midway through the season from the injured Vinny Doyle. Mangan once again excelled at centre back scoring some inspirational points, while midfielder Darren Heaney worked tirelessly as did forwards David Wright and Gearoid Breathnach. The win meant that Clann na nGael were now on the same points as Killyon, while more importantly Trim were still at the bottom of the group and despite a defeat to Rathmolyon in the last group match, a better score difference meant that the Athboy/Rathcairn amalgamation finished a credible fourth in the group. Next year the side needs to move on from this and make a stronger challenge for the knockout stages, they now have the belief and confidence to take on any of the sides in the senior grade and as the younger brigade begins to come through, it may only be a matter of time before the Jubilee Cup makes a long awaited appearance back in the town of Athboy. Coyle's Clann hold their own The gulf in talent between the sides scrapping it out for JFC honours and those that hold intermediate aspirations can often be a substantial amount but hopes were high that Clann na nGael could launch a serious bid for Mattie McDonnell Cup honours in their first year in the grade. However, after making a bright start to their IFC career Padraig Coyle's charges bowed out of the competition at the end of the group stages. GAA enthusiasts out Athboy and Rathcairn direction must have been pinching themselves at the end of last year. First, the footballers got their paws on the Matthew Ginnity Cup. Then they annexed Leinster JFC honours en-route to an extremely unfortunate exit at the penultimate All-Ireland semi-final. And let's not forget the hurlers who returned to the SHC following a hard-fought victory over Gaeil Colmcille. Celebrations became part of the weekend routine, with the hostelries of Athboy being packed to the rafters on several Sunday's during the year. And given the quality of players at Coyle's disposal, followers of the green and gold jersey were anticipating plenty more glass clinking in 2008. But it proved to be a frustrating year for the amalgamated side who failed to stay the trip in the race for Mattie McDonnell Cup honours while in the small ball code, Clann just couldn't get any momentum going despite holding their own in plenty of outings. But there was one last chance of silverware on the first Sunday in September when the club's second string tried to turn a remarkable season into the stuff that dreams are made when they tackled Wolfe Tones in the JFC 'D' Final at Pairc Tailteann. But despite an admirable showing, especially in the first half where they played some breathtaking football, they were forced to settle for the runners-up spot as the Oristown parish side proved their masters on a scoreline of 1-16 to 1-8. But the final scoreline was very harsh on Clann na nGael who certainly did not deserve such a sound beating. They kicked some lovely scores before the change of ends with Gerard Walsh, Michael McDonagh, Sean Fitzsimons and Damien Tuite all finding their range. The latter of these also found the net just before the short whistle, blasting to the roof of the net from an acute angle, and that major reduced the half-time deficit to three points 1-6 to 1-9. But they only raised two white flags for the entire second half and Wolfe Tones stretched clear in the second period to record a comprehensive victory. But the fact that Clann na nGael's second string progressed to the last two in the race for Junior D honours was a clear indication of the talent that is filtering through the club. And it looked as though the club's first team was going to make a real impact on the intermediate stage as well. It usually takes a couple of games for the previous years junior champions to get their bearings in the IFC but Clann na nGael managed to get off the mark at the first attempt. Plying their trade in Group C, Pauric Coyle's charges had a bye in the opening round and looked to have been handed a stiff assignment in their first outing as they were paired with a fancied Carnaross side. Carnaross had impressed many astute judges in their landslide success over Dunderry but Clann na nGael weren't fazed and they turned in the type of performance that had served them so well. After making a bright start, thanks to points from Jamie Shaw and Gary Woods, Clann na nGaeil established a sizeable advantage by the halfway mark and they keep that momentum going right up until the final whistle to record a most impressive 1-14 to 0-11 victory. That display sparked plenty of interest in Clann na nGael for outright honours with one local bookmaker and a shot to the head of the IFC. And those that emptied their wallets on the Athboy/Rathcairn outfit must have been delighted with their decision when Coyle's charges continued their winning run by dishing out a hammering to Ballivor. Caoimhìn O'Comhgaile, Gary Woods, Michael Priest, Jamie Shaw and Graham Geraghty all got in on the act as Clann na nGael sauntered past the winning post in splendid isolation, kicking a massive 17 points in comparison to Ballivor's 1-4. Those two victories set Clann na nGael up perfectly for a crack at neighbours Dunderry and a huge crowd made their way to Sean Newman Park, Bohermeen to witness the event unfold. But it proved to be a bit of a disastrous evening for Coyle as Graham Geraghty was dismissed after picking up two yellow cards and their other county star Shane McAnarney also didn't finish the game as he suffered a broken nose following an off-the-ball collision with Kevin Dowd. And Clann na nGael were unable to recover from those setbacks, eventually losing out on a scoreline of 0-7 to 0-11. That reversal meant that Clann na nGael's last group outing with Gaeil Colmcille was win or bust. Whoever prevailed would claim the runners-up spot behind Dunderry and advance to the knockout stages. For the loser it was curtains. Unfortunately for supporters of the side in green and gold, their team never turned up for the battle and were comprehensively beaten by Benny Reddy's men who prevailed by 2-11 to 0-9 after a fairly one-sided encounter. So what went wrong for Clann na nGael in the latter stages of the campaign? Manager Pauric Coyle couldn't really offer an explanation and stated that he side just didn't perform in their last two outings after starting the campaign on a winning note. "I suppose you would have to class the campaign as a little disappointing. Perhaps if we had lost our first two games and won the second two, you could say that it took us a bit of time to find our feet. But to win the first two games so well and then to lose the last couple was a bit disappointing," Coyle said. "We played some excellent football against Carnaross in the opening game and to beat them was a great result for us. They had beaten Dunderry in their opening game but we just seemed to do everything right," he added. "Then we went out against Ballivor and beat them easily but they struggled a bit this year after losing players to Kildalkey so I suppose we would have been expecting to beat them. "Then we went on to play Dunderry and we just didn't perform. We knew beforehand that we couldn't concede frees but we still managed to do so and T.J Garry had a field day with placed balls. "That left us needing to win our last game against Gaeil Colmcille and again we just didn't seem to turn up. But they did progress to the semi-final of the championship so they aren't a bad side." Last year was the stuff that dreams are made of for Clann na nGael and Coyle was keen to stress that the Leinster Championship success - beating Rosemount by 0-15 to 1-6 - was a marvellous achievement for all involved with the club. "The Leinster Final against Westmeath champions Rosemount was a fantastic game and it was great to come out on top and claim another piece of silverware," Coyle said. "There was a bit of pressure on us in the Meath championship and I felt that we didn't play to our full potential in some of the games but once we got that weight off our backs we seemed to play a lot better when we played in the Leinster championship." After gaining a year's experience on the intermediate stage, Clann na nGael should be able to mount a serious challenge for top honours in the next campaign and these thoughts were echoed by Coyle. "Hopefully the lads will learn from this year and you would hope that progress will be made in the next few years. The players are certainly there and there is platy of players coming through. "A lot of teams in the IFC are quite evenly matched and out of the 16 teams that take part, at least 10 of them have a chance of winning it. So it's just a case of who hits form at the right time," Coyle concluded. Tweet

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