Adding a 17th Senior Football Championship title is proving to be a very difficult task for Navan O'Mahonys. The most successful club in the history of the competition hasn't taken possession of the Keegan Cup for almost a decade and 2006 brought further frustration when they were the latest to suffer from the magnificent surge that Wolfe Tones have made through the ranks in a short space of time. By Paul Clarke. Mickey Downes' team was denied the opportunity to contest last year's decider following the unfortunate substitutions mix-up in the semi-final against Dunboyne and the big question this term was would they have the character and determination to successfully go through the whole marathon qualification process again and make the knockout stages. The answer to that was yes as they comfortably advanced from their section, eased past Trim in the quarter-finals, beat Blackhall Gaels at the penultimate hurdle and came face to face with Tones in the final. Unfortunately for the Brews Hill club, they under-performed on the biggest day in Meath club football and there was no denying that Tony Kearney's side were worthy winners of their first senior title only three years after making the breakthrough at junior level. Losing was a shattering blow to O'Mahonys, with Downes admitting in the aftermath of the defeat that they were "shell-shocked," but they have every right to be hopeful for the future because their panel contains so many young players who can play a key role in successes over the coming years. O'Mahonys opened their SFC Group A campaign last April with a match against St. Patrick's at Ratoath and there were no signs of any hang-ups from the previous year's shattering disappointment when they demonstrated tremendous battling qualities to recover from a seven-point deficit and win by 1-11 to 1-9. They were without the injured Stephen Bray and trailed by 0-4 to 0-6 at the interval, before St. Patrick's moved into what looked like a very healthy 1-8 to 0-4 advantage within five minutes of the restart. However, with Mark Ward and Stephen Mac Gabhann impressing around midfield O'Mahonys battled back admirably as a David Bray goal really ignited their challenge and they trailed by only 1-6 to 1-8 with 10 minutes remaining. They were ahead for the first time (1-9 to 1-8) by the 56th minute, before Pat's levelled again, but Paddy Smyth notched the final two scores of the match to secure a victory that must have acted as a great confidence booster for the side. Kilmainhamwood, who were later to avoid relegation when getting the better of Cortown in the play-off, proved no match for O'Mahonys in the second round at Kells where it finished 2-11 to 0-4. The 'Wood made the early running and opened up a two-point lead, but goals from Sean Keating and Cormac McGuinness helped the Navan men to a commanding 2-5 to 0-2 lead at the interval. There was no way back for Kilmainhamwood after that and O'Mahonys won the second period by 0-6 to 0-2, with goalkeeper Marcus Brennan saving Ray Magee's poorly-struck penalty. O'Mahonys had to endure a tense eight minutes of injury time before they edged out Dunshaughlin by 0-13 to 0-12 in the third round at Pairc Tailteann. Stephen Bray was in brilliant form, contributing seven points from play, but Dunshaughlin had the upper hand in the opening half and led by 0-5 to 0-0 after 18 minutes and by 0-7 to 0-4 at the break. But with Ward playing a significant role at midfield, O'Mahonys gradually took over and moved into a 0-12 to 0-8 advantage. However, they eased up subsequently and Dunshaughlin rallied to trail by the minimum (0-11 to 0-12). Bray eased Navan's worries with a point, but Niall Kelly knocked over a brilliant score for Dunshaughlin, before Stephen Ward almost got an equaliser when his difficult free hit an upright. The Navan derby against Simonstown Gaels was next up at Pairc Tailteann and, in a less than inspiring match, O'Mahonys won by 0-8 to 0-6 to make it four wins on the bounce. They could afford 13 wides in the process and led by 0-5 to 0-3 at the interval after playing with the wind. Simonstown got within a point twice in the second half, but they just couldn't catch their neighbours. That win meant that O'Mahonys topped the group on eight points, followed by Blackhall Gaels on six and Simonstown on five, and a fifth straight victory followed when the Brews Hill men made another short trip next door to Pairc Tailteann for a meeting with last year's intermediate champions Duleek. Conal McGinley gave Duleek a dream start with a fifth minute goal, but a couple of brilliant points from Stephen Bray helped O'Mahonys to trail by only 0-5 to 1-3 at half-time. The introduction of Neville Dunne to midfield for the second period gave them added impetus and, though Duleek extended their lead to two points on the restart, O'Mahonys responded well to move five clear and that deficit proved too big for Barney Rock's men who were adrift by 1-9 to 0-15 at the end. O'Mahonys were safely through to the quarter-finals ahead of their sixth round meeting with Summerhill at Trim and this game had one of the best recoveries of the year. They were without Niall and Shane McKeigue, Kevin Reilly, Stephen Mac Gabhann, Tommy Loughran, Marcus Brennan, Mark Ward and Neville Dunne and looked doomed to a first defeat of the competition when the 'Hill moved into a 10-point (3-5 to 0-4) lead after 25 minutes. However, it all changed and goals from David Bray and Sean Keating revived O'Mahonys who trailed by only 2-4 to 3-5 at the change of ends. A third goal from Henry Finnegan had them level in the second period and Bray added a point to his goal to edged them ahead for the first time. But Damien Byrne had the last say with an equaliser for Summerhill. O'Mahonys' only defeat of the group campaign came in the last round at Dunshaughlin when Blackhall won by 0-8 to 0-7 to move ahead of them at the top of the group on scoring difference. To add to O'Mahonys' woes Mark Ward received a straight red card early in the second half. Blackhall led by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break and pushed three points clear, but when Stephen Bray kicked a wonderful point 10 minutes from the end O'Mahonys were level (0-7 each). However, with Ward proving a big loss O'Mahonys gave away the last point of the game to David Carty and the Kilcloon/Batterstown combination filled top spot in the section. With the group campaign out of the way the serious business started and O'Mahonys, without Ward, comfortably negotiated the first knockout hurdle when they defeated Trim by 1-13 to 0-10 in a quarter-final at Pairc Tailteann. They led most of the way, including by 0-7 to 0-4 at the interval, and a Stephen Bray goal two minutes into the second half left the reds playing an unsuccessful game of catch-up. When O'Mahonys led the semi-final against Blackhall by 1-8 to 0-4 at half-time they looked set for a comfortable victory and revenge for the group defeat, but that's not exactly how it worked out, though they did win. They were without Dunne and Ward, but Cormac McGuinness was impressive at midfield and Stephen and David Bray also performed very well. Tommy Loughran got the goal that helped open up that commanding interval advantage, but Blackhall battled back courageously to be level (2-9 each) with 12 minutes to play, by which stage Loughran had scored a second goal for O'Mahonys. They were in danger of succumbing to a Blackhall comeback similar to the one against Simonstown in the 2003 final, but they found their composure again to edge through by 2-12 to 2-10. O'Mahonys were favourites against Wolfe Tones in the final and, though not setting the world alight, they were in with every chance when trailing by 0-5 to 0-6 at the interval after playing against the wind, with Stephen Bray (three), Cormac McGuinness and Paddy Smyth scoring their points in the first half. However, they were rocked by a Cian Ward salvo of 1-2 in the opening seven minutes of the second period - including a sensational goal in front of the O'Mahonys supporters at their clubhouse end - and with a deficit of 0-5 to 1-8 they were clearly in very big trouble. But O'Mahonys enjoyed the majority of the possession subsequently and when Stephen Bray fired home a great goal 20 minutes into the second half the deficit was down to the minimum at 1-7 to 1-8. But they didn't score again, missed crucial chances and saw Alan Fox demonstrate the composure so many of the losers' players were lacking when he kicked the final point of the game to make it 1-9 to 1-7. O'Mahonys had a damaging tally of six wides in that second half, but full credit has to go to Wolfe Tones for the tigerish manner in which they defended. "We're shell-shocked," was Mickey Downes' comment as he reflected on the defeat. "We never developed the fluency in our game that you require at that level and even after the goal, which brought us back to within a point, we didn't build on it. "The reality is that there was a lot of panic play and we always seemed to be playing catch-up. The plans we had made on the run-up to the game didn't come off and we gave away 11 frees in scoring positions, which is too many. "Wolfe Tones also appeared to be more hungry than us. I find that hard to explain. The fact that they have played in so many finals in recent years, including Leinster and All-Ireland finals, probably stood to them. They have learned about intensity, while we didn't have that level of intensity." But surely this O'Mahonys team has a bright future with so much youth in the panel. "It was a learning experience and we are a young team," Downes added. "We probably had 12 or 15 under-21s in the panel all year. Tones are no different, I suppose. Next year, with Shane McKeigue fully fit and Barry Regan there, we have to have hope. You would like to think we are a team in progress." And will he be there to guide O'Mahonys through another SFC campaign in 2007? "I'll have to think about it," he said. "You have to think about other aspects of life too. Of course, you would like to be there." Busy on all fronts Further evidence of O'Mahonys' footballing potential was provided in the Division 1 FL as the club made a bold bid to win the title for the first time since 1995. In the early years of the competition that was launched in 1986 the Brews Hill side was a dominant force. However since 1990 they have only managed to secure the Mooney Cup on two occasions 1993 and 1995. By Liam O'Rourke. As in the championship, the club suffered demotion in the early part of the decade, suffering relegation in 2000 but bouncing back with the Division 2 title under their belts at the end of the following year. At the time of writing O'Mahonys have an outside chance of making the Division 1 decider and require Dunboyne (who are already in the final) to beat or draw with Wolfe Tones in their outstanding regular fixture. Having lost to both of their rivals already the Brews Hill side are at a disadvantage as results between teams tied on points decides which side advances to the final. O'Mahonys opened their Division 1 FL campaign on Sunday, February 19 with a 0-11 to 0-7 home win over Kilmainhamwood. Paddy Smyth and Stephen Bray shared six points for the Brews Hill side who led by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break. The following Sunday at Kilberry a late John Tiernan goal boosted Wolfe Tones to a 1-6 to 0-7 success and could prove to be the score that ultimately deprived O'Mahonys of a Division 1 FL final appearance. O'Mahonys returned to winning ways with a 0-10 to 1-4 home win over Duleek on Sunday, March 19 but the posting of 15 wides in the last league campaign before the SFC got underway was a major concern. On a more positive note ten different players got off the mark in the club's fourth league outing which resulted in a 1-16 to 3-5 home win over Summerhill on Sunday, May 7. Darren O'Toole top scored with 1-2 while Stephen Bray chipped in with 0-4. Just over two weeks later, on Thursday, May 25, seven players got on the scoresheet as O'Mahonys recovered from the concession of an early goal to win by 0-16 to 2-5 at Walterstown having trailed by 0-8 to 2-3 at the break. Stephen Bray top scored with five points. O'Mahonys were now in a strong position having won four of their first five league outings. The league fixture against Simonstown a fortnight later at Brews Hill also doubled as the annual Heaney Cup fixture between the clubs that honours the memory of the late Seamus Heaney who passed away in 1998 having served both clubs with distinction. The fixture was also a fundraiser for the oncology unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. Goals from Thomas Loughran and David Bray gave the home side the verdict on a 2-9 to 0-12 scoreline after Simonstown led by 0-9 to 1-4 at the break. On Tuesday, June 27, O'Mahonys suffered their second defeat of the campaign going down at home by 0-13 to 2-10 to Dunshaughlin having led by 0-10 to 1-4 at the break. In their penultimate league game they suffered a 0-7 to 2-13 defeat at Dunboyne. Mick Downes's men wrapped up their regular league programme with 0-9 to 0-6 home win over Trim on Friday, August 11 when four late points gave them the verdict. Having reached the JFC final in 2005, there was good reason to believe that the club's second string could go one step further this time round. The difficulty in sustaining a second string side in any club is exacerbated when your first team is afflcted with injuries. O'Mahonys - managed by Peter O'Toole - lost by 0-9 to 1-10 to eventual finalists Kilmainham at Dunsany on Sunday, April 16 in their JFC Group B opener having trailed by 0-4 to 0-7 at the break. Team - Keith Lane; Ian Matthews, Kevin Smith, Sean Conaty; Lee Geraghty (0-1), Alan Reilly, Andrew Rogers; Frank Harrington, Trevor Ratty (0-1); Davy Byrne (0-1), Darren O'Toole (0-4), Gary O'Brien; James Power (0-1), Keith Gillick, Derek Loughran. Sub - John Brennan for Byrne. In the second round eight players got off the mark as they beat Summerhill by 1-15 to 1-8. Darren O'Toole top scored with 1-3 to the town side who led by 0-9 to 0-7 at the break. Hopes of making the business end suffered a big setback in round three with a 2-12 to 0-8 loss to Longwood - the side they overcame in last year's JFC semi-final - in round three at Pairc Tailteann on Friday, June 2. O'Mahonys' second string also lost to Gaeil Colmcille (0-6 to 0-9), Drumbaragh (1-7 to 2-14) and Curraha 0-6 to 1-8. The walkover they received a walkover from Dunderry which meant they avoided the possibility of a group relegation play-off O'Mahonys were B FL Division 1 winners in 2005 but their top flight status hangs in the balance as they have to date only picked up two points from draws with Gaeil Colmcille (2-12 to 3-9) and Syddan (0-9 to 1-6). The third team withdrew from the JFC B after losses to Cortown and Blackhall Gaels. In November 2005, O'Mahonys - under the guidance of Cathal O'Bric and captained by goalkeeper Marcus Brennan - won the under 21 FC for the fourth time in five years beating first time finalists Wolfe Tones by 1-10 to 0-8. The sides were tied at 1-3 to 0-6 at the break. Kevin Reilly top scored with 1-2 while four David Murtagh points in the third quarter were crucial to this success. At the start of the year the hurlers lost the services of Padraig Coone, who transferred to Dunboyne where he now resides, but Mick Dineen's charges began their SHC campaign with a 1-10 to 0-11 win over Kiltale at Kilmessan on Sunday, April 30. Ciaran Dunphy helped himself to 0-9 (0-4 from play) while substitute Derek Loughran chipped in with 1-1 as the Brews Hill side overturned a 0-4 to 0-8 interval deficit. A 1-10 to 1-15 defeat to Kilmessan at Trim on Saturday, May 20 was their lot in round two. O'Mahonys trailed by 0-1 to 0-7 after 20 minutes but an Andrew Snow goal and a David Murtagh point revived them before Mark Reilly found the net for Kilmessan who led by 1-8 to 1-4 at the break. Over two months elapsed before their third round outing against Kildalkey at Boardsmill on Friday, July 28. Due to a clash of colours the Brews Hill outfit wore maroon jerseys (the colours of the De La Salle juvenile club that merged with Navan O'Mahonys in 1989). After being 1-4 to 1-8 in arrears at the break, O'Mahonys got back on track when Thomas Loughran sent a close range free to the net but the town side conceded seven unanswered points in the final quarter before losing by 2-10 to 1-18. The minimum margin fourth round defeat (0-17 to 2-12) to holders Killyon at Boardsmill on Saturday, August 19 hinged on two goal chances that presented themselves shortly after the interval. Ciaran Dunphy's attempt from a free was unsuccessful and seconds later Calvin Ryan notched his second goal of the evening. Dunphy registered 0-13 while Thomas Loughran (0-3) and Kevin O'Rourke also got off the mark. A 1-10 to 1-7 win over Clann na nGael in the final round staved off the relegation threat. They led by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break and Willie Stynes' goal gave them some leeway. However, the concession of a similar score and the dismissal of Kevin O'Rourke and Sean Kane left them hanging on at the end. In underage hurling O'Mahonys claimed the Under 16 B and Under 14 B titles. The Under 16s outscored St Martin's by 1-10 to 0-5 in the decider at Dunsany on Saturday, May 27. The Brews Hill boys led by 0-5 to 0-1 at the break. After the Dunshaughlin-Drumree side cut the margin to the minimum John Power's goal proved decisive for O'Mahonys. O'Mahonys - Shane O'Brien; David Quirke, Martin Collins; James O'Reilly, Jamie Murtagh (0-1), Stephen Lyness; Jake Regan (0-2), Eoin Devilly; John Power (1-2), Michael Kelly (0-3), Paul McGrath (0-1); Barry McEvoy (0-1), Brian Dillon. Subs - Shane Gillespie for Devilly, John Foley for Dillon. The under 14 final at Kiltale on Monday, June 5 was a much closer affair with a strong second-half showing helping O'Mahonys overturn a 0-3 to 1-4 interval deficit to win by 2-6 to 2-5. O'Mahonys - David Dillon; Barry McEvoy, Mark Byrne; Shane Stafford, Brian Dillon, James Murphy; Conor Finnegan, Shane Swords; Liam Burke, Lee Morrell, Macdara Fitzpatrick (1-0); Dylan Regan (1-0), John Foley (0-6). Subs - Niall Coughlan for Fitzpatrick, Jack Walsh for Morrell. Tweet

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