For the second time in a little over a year Navan O'Mahonys had to watch as their final opponents carried the Keegan Cup out of town. That hurts for such an outstanding club which has won the Senior Football Championship more times than anybody else. Wolfe Tones continued their incredible charge through the ranks when they beat O'Mahonys in the 2006 final and if they thought it couldn't get any more upsetting than that they were wrong as they lost to Seneschalstown in a replayed decider this year. That means O'Mahonys have failed in three attempts in a very short space of time to lift a trophy they have won 16 times. Making it victory number 17 is proving very elusive indeed and this latest disappointment signalled the departure of coach Mickey Downes who was also at the helm last year. With so many county players in their team O'Mahonys were rightly installed as favourites for outright success at the start of the competition, but few could have predicted the manner in which they stuttered through the group stages and played poorly in winning a preliminary quarter-final against St Patrick's. But after that there were definite signs that they were turning things around and that they had snapped out of whatever was holding them back. Impressive victories followed against Dunshaughlin and Dunboyne, but they were somewhat fortunate to survive in the drawn final, before Seneschalstown outmuscled and outscored them in the replay. Other former players Cathal O'Bric and Brian Reilly were Downes' fellow selectors and their first championship assignment in group B was against a Dunboyne team which had already earned a draw against champions Wolfe Tones. It proved to be a winning trip to Dunshaughlin as O'Mahonys triumphed by 0-12 to 0-11 thanks to a late point from a free by Henry Finnegan. But it was a success achieved at a price because Stephen Bray was sent off in the second period and missed the meeting with Skryne at Seneschalstown. They could have done with him as the Tara men finished strongest to win a low-scoring gnvavaname by 0-8 to 0-7. Next up were Wolfe Tones at Pairc Tailteann in a repeat of the previous October's final and the signs weren't exactly encouraging as the champions won again, this time by 1-11 to 0-11, to put a serious dent in the town side's qualification prospects. It was Tones' first win of the group campaign and they laid the foundations in the first half when building up a 1-7 to 0-4 interval lead. O'Mahonys closed the gap to three points seven minutes from the end, but even though five minutes of injury time were played they couldn't maintain the momentum. Their hopes of advancing to play knockout football were very much in the balance after that second successive defeat. Dunboyne had completed their group programme and were top of the pile on five points, followed by Skryne and Tones on four, O'Mahonys on two and Kilmianhamwood on the one point they gained from a draw with the champions. And it was the 'Wood who provided the final round opposition at Carnaross. O'Mahonys won by 3-8 to 0-9 after a less than convincing display and when the cheers started to come from their supporters as the final whistle approached the players knew the news from elsewhere was positive. Skryne had beaten Tones and the champions were out. O'Mahonys had done enough as they finished third in the section on four points behind table-toppers Skryne on six and Dunboyne on five. Tones were also on four, but had an inferior score difference to the Navan men. O'Mahonys were still alive, but they would have to take the scenic route to the decider. St Patrick's had finished third in group C and they were the opponents in a preliminary quarter-final at Pairc Tailteann which the local team won by 0-11 to 1-4 despite kicking 17 wides. There was no sign of any significant improvement. However, that all changed in the quarter-final against Dunshaughlin at Walterstown. Things didn't look good when Dunshaughlin pushed ahead by 1-4 to 0-0 after 12 minutes, but with Mark Ward and Stephen Mac Gabhann taking over at midfield O'Mahonys soon found their feet and went on to impress. With Finnegan highly impressive they got back to parity (0-7 to 1-4) at the break and continued to prosper subsequently, with a David Bray goal 13 minutes from the end leaving them ahead by 1-10 to 1-5 and on their way to the last four. Finnegan contributed four points to a 1-14 to 1-6 victory which did a lot to lift spirits in the camp. A repeat of the 2005 semi-final followed against Dunboyne who O'Mahonys had beaten by a point in the first round of group games. This was very much a case of retribution after what happened with the substitutes' mix-up two years earlier as the Navan men scored four goals to win with ease. Tommy Loughran notched 3-1 and Stephen Bray got 1-1 as the St Peter's men were blown away. O'Mahonys were slow out of the blocks, but once they settled they looked impressive as two first half goals from Loughran helped them to a 2-5 to 1-4 lead at the break. Goals from Loughran and Bray in the space of 90 second half seconds pushed the advantage out to 4-9 to 1-6 and a late consolation goal from a penalty for Dunboyne did nothing to lessen the feeling of euphoria. It finished 4-12 to 2-7 and after a difficult campaign they were back where they wanted to be - in the final. Seneschalstown hadn't set the group stages alight either, but they had demonstrated tremendous improvement in the quarter-final against Summerhill and the semi-final against Simonstown. In any case, after what happened a year earlier, O'Mahonys were never going to take anything for granted. Again, captain Niall McKeigue didn't start, though he was introduced, but with Seneschalstown without key scoring forward Brian Sheridan things were evened up. The drawn final was a dreadfully poor match in which O'Mahonys had to score the last three points to earn a second chance. The sides were level six times in the first 27 minutes, but a fine goal from wing-back Mark Carey helped Seneschalstown lead by three points late in the period, before new All-Star Stephen Bray split the posts to leave his side adrift by 0-7 to 1-6 at the interval. He brought the deficit back to the minimum with another point on the restart, but Brian Clarke slotted over two frees for Seneschalstown to bring his personal tally to seven and make it 1-8 to 0-8. They were the Yellow Furze side's only scores of the second half as O'Mahonys set about rescuing the situation. Paddy Smyth converted a free, David Bray fisted a point and Mac Gabhann had the final say when he fired over a very good equaliser from the right. However, the drama wasn't over as substitute Shane Clarke was wide with a tricky injury time free which would have won it for Seneschalstown if he had been successful. It finished 0-11 to 1-8. Relief at getting another chance was probably the strongest emotion in the O'Mahonys' dressingroom, but there was no doubt that Seneschalstown deserved to win the replay two weeks later. This was a superb contest and one that was highlighted by a great display of kicking by Brian Clarke who scored nine points, made up of eight frees and a '45'. McKeigue was back in the O'Mahonys' defence from the start, but with Loughran ruled out through injury Cormac McGuinness was switched to the attack. He didn't have a happy day and was substituted, as was Mac Gabhann. Ward made a decent start at midfield and O'Mahonys might have got an early goal when a Smyth effort hit Cormac Quinn who was on the goal line. As other chances were missed it took them 10 minutes to open their account when Ward pointed, but with Damien Sheridan and Robert Ruddy assuming control around midfield Seneschalstown took over. Smyth, Stephen and David Bray also scored first half points, but it was Seneschalstown who led by 0-8 to 0-4 at the break, by which stage the younger Bray had kicked a couple of very bad wides. Clarke stretched the advantage early in the second period, but points from Ward, David Bray (both tremendous scores), Paul Quinn and Stephen Bray enabled O'Mahonys to cut the deficit to just two with almost 20 minutes remaining. But Seneschalstown possessed the necessary passion to push on again and they won the remainder by 0-5 to 0-1 to be worthy winners on a 0-15 to 0-9 score line. Gary O'Brien had a goal chance when the deficit stood at 0-8 to 0-13, but winners' goalkeeper David Lyons made a tremendous save at the expense of a point. It was that same miserable feeling all over again for O'Mahonys. And again so many of their big name players had under-performed. "I suppose everything went wrong for us and nothing went right," reflected Downes. "You have to give credit to Seneschalstown because they are the team with the Keegan Cup and it is fully deserved. "They had a game plan and they stuck to it. We couldn't cope with it. We didn't match their intensity, we didn't match their determination and we didn't match the clinical way they played and that's why we lost. "We missed an awful lot of chances in the first half when we were well in the game and they seemed to score most of their opportunities in the first half. Their defence was excellent, but we had three goal chances in the first 15 minutes, but we didn't take them. You have to hand it to Seneschalstown because they didn't panic. They stuck with their plan, they kicked some brilliant frees and all their big men performed for them on the day. "We saw the last day that Brian Clarke can kick frees from 60 yards and he did that again, so we didn't learn from the first day. We got out of jail the first day and there was a feeling that because we got out of jail then we would do it this time. But everyone in O'Mahonys knows that if you want to win a county final then you have to play and we simply didn't play. "They seemed to control the midfield area. They were in control in most areas on the pitch and when you are not in control then you are not going to win." And what of his decision to opt out? "I travel down from Dublin and there is an awful lot more involved in management these days than just being there on match days," he added. "I think it's time for someone else to take it up and maybe take a different approach and see what they can do to bring this championship back to O'Mahonys." Navan O'Mahonys - K Lane; L Russell, K Reilly, I Matthews; P Quinn (0-1), R Hogan, N McKeigue; S Mac Gabhann, M Ward (0-2); G O'Brien (0-1), P Smyth (0-1),C McGuinness; D Bray (0-2), B Regan, S Bray (0-2). Subs - N Dunne for Mac Gabhann, D O'Toole for McGuinness. UNDER-12 TRIUMPH A highlight of the year at under-age level was the success in the Under-12 FL Div. 1 where Donaghmore/Ashbourne were beaten by 1-12 to 2-7 in an entertaining final at Seneschalstown. O'Mahonys were managed by Finian Murtagh and they held out in a thrilling finish as full-back Conor Doyle deflected a late free over the crossbar. Donaghmore/Ashbourne had eaten into a six-point deficit and were only two adrift at the end, so that intervention was decisive. Full-forward Dougie Dillon contributed 1-4 for O'Mahonys and he was deprived of a goal on 19 minutes when losers' goalkeeper Eoin King saved well. That meant the Navan boys, who had earlier lost to their opponents in the competition, led by only 0-5 to 0-4 at the break. Dillon goaled within two minutes of the restart as O'Mahonys pushed five points clear, but Donaghmore/Ashbourne hit back with a goal of their own. Dillon (two) and Aaron Rennicks pointed to restore the five-point cushion, before Doyle deflected a shot over the crossbar. With Dillon and Rennicks again finding the target the lead stood at six points, but when the losers scored their second goal seven minutes from time it was all to play for. As the excitement intensified Doyle came to O'Mahonys' rescue again as he deflected that free over the crossbar. The final whistle sounded soon after and captain Doyle had the honour of accepting the cup. Navan O'Mahonys - S Monaghan; A Leech, C Doyle, J O'Malley; R Kelleghan, S McEntaggart, P Butler; C Murphy (0-1), C McEntaggart (0-4); E McGrane, S Clynch, C Gleeson; K O'Hanlon, D Dillon (1-4), A Rennicks (0-3). The Under-14 FL Div. 2 title was also won with a 1-13 to 2-5 final replay victory over Clann na nGael at Pairc Tailteann. Clann na nGael led by 1-4 to 0-6 at the interval, but O'Mahonys outscored them by 1-7 to 1-1 in the second half to win. Navan O'Mahonys - J Gorman; D Weldon, D Rogers, J Forde; L Dixon (0-1), C Smyth (0-3), M Power; T Cox (0-2), K Reilly (0-1); G Power, D Murphy, E Murtagh (0-1); D Callan (1-4), V Moore (0-1), D Lynn. Sub - C Fahy for Lynn. The autumn also brought success when O'Mahonys defeated St Peter and Paul's by 0-12 to 0-9 in a thrilling U-13 Reserve FL final at Skryne. St Peter and Paul's led by 0-6 to 0-3 at the break, but with Conor Murphy and Eibheann McGrane getting on top at midfield O'Mahonys were level (0-9 each) with seven minutes remaining. Conor Gleeson and Murphy (two frees) pushed Finian Murtagh's team three clear and they defended very well to hold onto their lead. Navan O'Mahonys - S Monaghan; D Greene, C Doyle, J O'Malley; D McGuinness, A Leech, R Kellegher; C Murphy (0-6), E McGrane (0-1); P Butler, S Clynch (0-2), C Gleeson (0-1); K O'Hanlon (0-1), H Hestor, T Murtagh. Subs - S Lambe for Murtagh, C Honan (0-1) for Hestor, R Clarke for O'Hanlon. Another notable feature of the year was the progress of the under-16 team to the championship final where they lost to Skryne by 1-7 to 2-13 at Pairc Tailteann. Hurlers just miss out With knockout action being guaranteed for six teams in the 2007 Senior Hurling Championship, Navan O'Mahonys must have been more than hopeful of prolonging their interest in the competition beyond the group stages. In a change to the format, the top side in each division went straight through to the semi-finals, with the second and third placed teams from both sections fighting it out in quarter-finals to decide who joined them in the last four. This situation certainly suited Kiltale who took the scenic route to outright success, but unfortunately for O'Mahonys they didn't make similar use of the new set-up. The Brews Hill club now has to look all the way back to 1986 for its last SHC success, but on the run-up to this year's championship they were being talked about as a team that could make a very good impression in the battle for the Jubilee Cup. Willie O'Flynn took over the coaching duties from Mick Dineen for the 2007 campaign and O'Mahonys were drawn in group A, a section that also included the previous year's finalists, champions Rathmolyon and unfortunate runners-up Dunboyne, as well as Trim, Na Fianna and Kiltale. It was a tough looking section, but with half the teams surviving to play knockout hurling there was certainly reason for optimism. O'Mahonys couldn't have started their campaign on a much tougher note than a meeting with Rathmolyon at Boardsmill, but this was a match they might well have won, but didn't because the champions caught them with an injury time winning goal. Newcomer Derek McMullen, the former Dublin player, and Donal Hogan scored first half goals which helped O'Mahonys to a 2-3 to 0-4 interval lead, but the fact that they tallied 13 wides over the hour was significant because it left them vulnerable to a late Rathmolyon charge. The advantage stretched to six points early in the second period, but Rathmolyon plugged away with points, before Kevin Fagan netted at the three-quarter stage to reduce the deficit. However, O'Mahonys were still a point ahead two minutes into injury time, before Fagan struck with his second goal. Ciaran Dunphy replied with a point for the Navan men, but time ran out and they had suffered a shattering defeat on a 2-8 to 2-9 score line. A meeting with intermediate champions Na Fianna in the second round at Athboy appeared to give O'Mahonys the perfect opportunity to recover, but they almost suffered a shock defeat. The teams were level on 0-5 each at the break, before the Baconstown/Enfield combination edged a couple of points clear. A superb goal from Dunphy gave Navan the lead, but battling Na Fianna soon regained a two point advantage. They were one ahead at the end of normal time, but the impressive McMullen had the final say when he belted over a '65' 10 minutes into injury time after Tommy Loughran's shot had been saved to salvage a draw for O'Mahonys (1-10 to 0-13). After gathering only a point from their opening two outings, there was urgency attached to O'Mahonys third round meeting with Kiltale at Pairc Tailteann in a refixed game which had earlier fallen to the weather. This was a tremendous match, but the outcome certainly didn't suit O'Flynn's team as they lost by 1-11 to 0-19 to the eventual champions. The teams were level on six occasions, including at half-time (1-4 to 0-7) after Willie Stynes had netted for O'Mahonys following a defensive mix-up. Kiltale might also have goaled in that period, but James Burke made a great save from Peter Durnin's shot. Burke also pulled off three very good saves in the second half which remained very tight until the influence of Cathal Sheridan turned the tide in Kiltale's direction. They outscored O'Mahonys by 0-9 to 0-4 in the last 12 minutes to inflict a defeat that put a massive dent in the town side's prospects of reaching the business end of the championship. Dunboyne had gone so close to lifting the Jubilee Cup the previous year when Rathmolyon pounced with a late goal to shatter them in the final, but O'Mahonys demonstrated what they are capable of when beating them by 10 points (2-15 to 0-11) in the fourth round to give themselves an outside chance of securing a quarter-final slot. Kilmessan was the venue for the final group assignment against Trim which brought O'Mahonys' second draw of the campaign and elimination from the championship. It finished 2-11 each and the reality was the same for Trim - they too were out of the hunt. It was particularly disappointing for Trim because they finished level on five points with Kiltale who had a better scoring average - and we all know what Kiltale did later in the year. O'Mahonys were a further point adrift in fifth position and it was a case of reflecting on what might have been. McMullen was in devastation form against Trim, contributing a highly impressive 2-7, but it was Trim who made the early running as a goal from Neil Heffernan helped them to lead by 1-1 to 0-0. However, McMullen's first goal gave O'Mahonys a big lift and the deficit was down to the minimum (1-5 to 1-6) at the change of ends. McMullen's second goal put O'Mahonys ahead for the first time three minutes into the second half, but when Joey Toole fired home a penalty 10 minutes later Trim were back in front at 2-10 to 2-8. That man McMullen slotted over a brace of frees to level the scores, the impressive Toole regained the lead for the team in red, but Richie Hogan had the final say when he scored a magnificent point from a line cut to force a draw that was no good to either team. It was a very disappointing end to the championship for O'Mahonys who were left to reflect on a number of things, including that first round outing against champions Rathmolyon when they missed a lot of chances and left themselves open to a late surge which gave the holders victory. If they had managed to win that match who knows what might have happened further down the road. But it just wasn't to be. McMullen has clearly been a tremendous addition to their ranks and gives them a real scoring edge, so it's now a matter of regrouping for the 2008 championship with a minimum aim of advancing from the group stages and then taking it from there. UNDER-AGE SUCCESSES Tremendous work continues to be devoted to under-age hurling in the O'Mahonys' club, which is what's required to secure a bright future, and that was demonstrated when the Under-14 'B' title was annexed with a 5-5 to 2-3 victory over Dunderry in a well contested final that was played at Batterstown. However, it was all to play for at half-time when O'Mahonys led by only a point at 1-2 to 1-1 after Shane Stafford had goaled and Conor Murray and Vinny Moore were on the mark with points. Dylan Regan scored their second goal early in the second period, but Dunderry battled back very well, before Moore added a goal to his earlier point. A superb goal from Murray put further daylight between the teams and with Niall Coughlan netting near the end O'Mahonys were well clear when the final whistle sounded. This was a fine team performance, with Robert Burlingham, Danny Murphy, Diarmuid Rogers, Gary Power, Dougie Dillon, Jack Walsh and Liam Burke among those to shine. The Navan O'Mahonys team in the final was - R Burlingham; D Murphy, G Power; C McHugh, D Rogers, N Coughlan (1-0); C Murray (1-1), L Burke (0-1);V Moore (1-3), P McEntaggart, D Regan (1-0); S Stafford (1-0), J Walsh. Subs - T Cox for Stafford, D Dillon for McHugh, G Moran for McEntaggart, D Fitzpatrick for Regan. Further hurling success followed when O'Mahonys won the Under-13 'B' title with a 5-2 to 2-4 win over Kiltale in the final at Kilmessan. Kiltale made the better start and led by 1-2 to 0-2 at the interval after Dylan Regan and team captain Vinny Moore had pointed for O'Mahonys. A Conor Murray goal helped the Navan lads to be level within seven minutes of the restart and a superb goal by Cormac McHugh had them in front six minutes later. As Kiltale did everything in their power to prevent the game slipping away from them, O'Mahonys needed strong defending from brilliant centre-back Diarmuid Rogers and Cathal Ryan, Eoin McGrane, Danny Murphy and Stephen Keelan to hold things together, but when McHugh netted again they were ahead by 3-2 to 1-4. Goals were exchanged and O'Mahonys 'keeper Robert Burlingham then made a brilliant inspirational catch to relieve the pressure exerted by the Kiltale lads. The issue was soon beyond doubt as Moore scored his second goal and it was a proud moment for captain Moore when he accepted the Jim Bird Cup from Richard Morris. The Navan O'Mahonys team in the final was - R Burlingham; D Murphy, S Keelan; C Ryan, D Rogers, E McGrane; C Murray (1-0), D Regan (0-1); V Moore (2-1), D Dillon, R Kelly; D Fitzpatrick, C McHugh (2-0). Tweet

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