The contrast in sporting fortunes between the two halves of one parish could hardly be starker. For Dunsany GFC, the long wait for an emergence from the JFC continues on for another year while the Kilmessan HC bandwagon just keeps rolling on as Brendan Boylan reports. Now, the Donnelly family have always been prominent members of the sporting community in the area. After all, Kilmessan's grounds are named in honour of Joe Loughran and Tony Donnelly of the famed clan, two Meath hurlers of the thirties and reputedly two of the best stickmen the county ever produced. It is easy to see why then that so many generations of the latter's family in particular have gone on to represent club and county with distinction. And the current generation are no different. Willie, Tony, Richie, Paul and David Donnelly are the members of the family that this writer can remember best and the last three mentioned above all made outstanding contributions to the latest chapter in the seemingly never ending success story. For Paul in particular, or 'Miley' as he is best known to GAA folk in Meath, it must have been a particularly sweet success. He missed the entire previous winning campaign due to suspension after his final act of 2002 was to deliver the long ball which led to Peter Reynolds getting the goal that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Dunboyne. In one way, it was hardly surprising that Bobby White and his selectors chose 'Miley' to be the team's leader this term, for no man would be more motivated to do well. And he didn't waste any time in making an impact either, getting his side's goal against newly promoted Drumree. Nicky Horan sent over seven points on a night when a 1-18 to 1-06 win was recorded against a side who fielded without the considerable influence of David and John Crimmins and who lost one of the Troy brothers to a red card. This writer earmarked the second round clash with O'Mahonys in Athboy as a possible banana skin for the treble chasing champions and travelled to O'Growney Park in anticipation of a thriller, though perhaps it was on this night more than any other that a clear marker was set down as to just how difficult it was going to be to dethrone them. And again, the Donnellys and Horans were very much to the fore. Paul Donnelly hit the net for the second game in a row, Horan again hit seven points but on this occasion it was the defensive work of David and Richie Donnelly and the evergreen Anton O'Neill, in curtailing a star studded O'Mahonys attack that included the likes of Ciaran Dunphy, Damien Moran and Tommy Loughran, that made the most telling difference. Though on the night Mark Reilly, Stephen Clynch, Nicky Horan and Paul Donnelly were razor sharp in attack as a comfortable 1-13 to 0-09 win was recorded. If nothing else, their third round win over Dunderry proved that White's warriors had strength in depth that very few other clubs in the county could even aspire to match. For any other club, to be short the services of Nicky Horan alone would have been enough to spell disaster, but even with Ger O'Neill, amongst others, also out, there were sufficient others there to take up the flack as Kilmessan strolled home by 0-15 to 1-05. Ever since the draw was made last March, the one fixture that stood out like a sore thumb was Kilmessan vs. Dunboyne in Round 4. As is so often the case with these hyped up clashes it turned into something of an anti climax as Longwood's defeat by Dunderry earlier in the same day meant that both sides had already qualified before a ball was hit in anger. It still didn't stop both sides going at it hell for leather from the very beginning though, as clashes between these two are always well contested. On the night, it was the supremacy enjoyed by Stephen Clynch in his duel with Paul Fagan and the ability of Nicky Horan to take action when it was required that won the day for the champions. Clynch was undoubtedly the best forward on view and when it became obvious that Horan was getting little change from Davin Reilly, either Bobby White or Horan himself realised that a switch to the corner would bare fruit, and the game changed thereafter. Horan, Clynch, Anton and Ger O'Neill, Mark Reilly and Joey Kenna sent over a flurry of scores as Kilmessan pulled away. Though there were other significant factors on that particular night. Dunboyne dropped a number of balls into the grateful arms of goalkeeper Mark Brennan and Paddy McGovern, Charlie Keena and David Donnelly did an excellent job in nullifying the threat of Neville Reilly and Sean and Stephen Moran while Anton O'Neill emerged the clear winner of his direct contest with Diarmuid Byrne. As is so often the case, when a team has been riding so high for so long there is bound to be a slip up somewhere along the line. Now, with the opinion widely being circulated that everything was set for a third successive Kilmessan vs. Dunboyne final, the fixing of the O'Growney Cup Final of 2003, between the two sides, before championships end, could have important consequences for both sides. For whoever won it would be a massive confidence boost while the beaten side would feel that they had ground to make up before a possible future meeting. On the night, the script seemed to be running along normal lines for a clash between the two as Kilmessan led by 1-07 to 1-04 at the interval with the aid of a Mark Reilly goal and points from Anton O'Neill, Ger O'Neill, Nicky Horan and Joey Keena. In the second period, points from the O'Neill and the Keena brothers had the side in blue and white clear by 1-11 to 1-09 at it appeared as if they were about to maintain their spell of dominance over John Gorry's side. Though once Diarmuid Byrne's second goal of the game put Dunboyne back ahead there was no turning back as scores from Byrne, John Watters, Barry Watters, Leo Reilly and Neville Reilly left Dunboyne clear by 2-15 to 1-11 at the end. While it's always disappointing to lose, in ways, this was exactly the kick in the backside Kilmessan needed as it refocused them for the tasks that lay ahead. And, as it transpired, there would be no rematch with Dunboyne after they were somewhat surprisingly beaten by Trim. In truth, with no disrespect to Kiltale, with Dunboyne out of the equation, a Kilmessan/Trim confrontation almost looked inevitable. In the early stages, with Cathal Sheridan, Paul Garvey and Peter Durnin in fine form, the challengers put it up to the champions and were level, 0-03 apiece, in the early stages. However, once 'Miley' Donnelly added another goal to his haul for the campaign, which left Kilmessan 1-06 to 0-03 clear, one felt it could be plain sailing for the champions. Though I doubt anyone could have predicted the waters would have been quite as calm as they were! In truth, the second half turned into a rout as Joey Keena registered a hat-trick of goals as the champions wracked up 5-14 as opposed to a meagre 0-07 for their opponents. Now, a Kilmessan-Trim clash is always eagerly awaited, and always has an amount of intrigue to it and this one was no different. Trim had won the last three meetings of the two, Kilmessan hadn't won three in a row in over half a century and this particular blue and white bunch had never toppled Trim in a final. Added to all this was the fact that Trim, as a club, were going into the game on a high and at that stage harboured ambitions of a senior double. In the early stages it had all the hall marks of a classic and, in other sense, a straight shoot out between Nicky Horan and Joey Toole. A superb line cut by the latter to narrow the deficit to 0-05 to 0-06 was one of the highlights of the entire game before the former had the most telling impact of all, if indirectly. Horan's long range free dropped short and this allowed Christopher Curtis to drive low to the net and by half time the treble seemed to be very much on as the score stood at 1-08 to 0-05. A further free from Kilmessan's scoring machine seemed to cement that view even further but, then again, it would have extremely unlikely that a clash between these two would pass without a few twists, and it didn't! Despite the excellence of the Kilmessan rearguard, and Anton O'Neill in particular, Toole and Shane Ashe did get in for goals which set things up for a grandstand finish, but, as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going and it was then that the imperious O'Neill was at his best, and he received brilliant backup from Paddy McGovern, David Donnelly and, indeed, Mark Reilly, who, after sending over three points, dashed into goals after Mark Brennan was dismissed and held the fort as a 1-12 to 2-06 win was recorded. And in so doing, Paul 'Miley' Donnelly's roller-coaster ride got, what was, I suppose, almost the inevitable outcome! So they've broken the Trim hoodoo, they've done the three in a row, and with plenty left in this current squad yet, more improvement to come from the likes of Richie Donnelly, Stephen Clynch and Joey Keena, and undoubtedly, other talented young lads coming through, the winning sequence may not end at three! The team and scorers from the final were: M. Brennan; P. McGovern, D. Donnelly, R. Donnelly; C. Keena, A. O'Neill, P. Farrell; M. Horan, G. O'Neill 0-3; S. Clynch 0-1, N. Horan 0-5, M. Reilly 0-3; J. Keena, P. Donnelly, C. Curtis 1-0. Subs - A. Keena, M. O'Shaughnessy Tweet

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