The parish of Muckno anybody? Aye, where 'Blayney hang out. Oh and Oram too. But hold on there. This wee section are a proud and active lot. Oram is a gaeldom which is just as vital to the community as any lords of any manor. Oram is a tiny townland in east county Monaghan but big in ambition and playing a large part in the life of the locality. The area is home to the sort of gaels who would please Michael Cusack and his fellow visionists even on their most demanding of days. Local clubs are the grass roots of the GAA and the Oram club is the salt of the earth in that respect. Long-time Oram stalwart Philip Mone is your archetypal clubman, one for whom the collection of silverware has never been the sole driving force behind his involvement in the country's largest sporting organisation. There was no haul of glittering prizes for Oram in 2006 but Philip remains philosophical about the hand dealt the Armagh-border club over the past season. "We just fell short of making it into the last four of the league which would have been our target at the start of the year," says Philip, a selector with the club's junior team in '06. "I suppose it was a bit of a mixed year because we didn't make the last four but we were still in with a chance of doing so, mathematically, up until the last match so the lads, in fairness, did give it their best shot." Along the sideline in the company of fellow club stalwarts Mark Kellett and Declan McBennett, Philip fingers a defeat to Drumhowan in the second last game of the league as the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of helping to scupper Oram's promotion drive. In hindsight it was the Drumhowan game rather than the final one against Aughnamullen which proved pivotal in ultimately deciding matters for Oram, Philip suggests. In the company of arguably a dozen other mentors in junior ranks, Philip admits that at the start of the year, a place in the play-offs for the Dr. Ward Cup and a "good run in the championship" would have been Oram's twin track approach to 2006. He pays a fulsome and handsome tribute to the other members of Oram's management triumvirate, Mark and Declan, for their "incredible commitment and effort". Philip swears that he didn't put in half the time his fellow selectors did. But what of the players' commitment? "By and large the commitment for the squad was good. "We were depleted during the year with injuries and over the last couple of years fellas retiring has been something we have had to cope with too. Missing fellas like Justin Mone, Dermot McBride, Declan (McBennett) and Martin Mone at different stages isn't easy for a club like Oram that's takes from a small pool of players. "When injuries and retirements kick in, that pool of resources becomes even smaller," says the St. Pat's High School, Keady schoolteacher. Perhaps Dame Fortune didn't drop along either? "Maybe we could have won a couple of the matches we drew with a bit of luck but I suppose most teams could say the same. "Certainly if we had beaten, instead of drawn, with Drumhowan in the league after the championship, we could possibly have made it into the last four." Talk of the championship evokes pangs of frustration and disappointment in equal measure for Philip. Not for the first year in recent years for Oram, it was a case of 'what might have been.' And yet the players - to their credit - knuckled down and didn't allow their exit from the blue riband fare distract them from building up a head of steam in the league. "The players rebounded very well from the championship, especially considering so many them are so young and lacking in experience," says Philip who revelled in playing on 'till he was 41. "The squad is really flooded with young players. "There's a reasonable blend of youth and experience in the squad right now but, fair play to the youngers lads, they've come in and 2006 will have seen them gain valuable experience which should stand them in good stead for the year ahead." Reflecting briefly on the team's all too brief sojourn in the championship, Philip again betrays his optimistic, 'glass half-full' self. "In the first round against Rockcorry, I thought we played a fairly good game but the problem was we conceded a couple of early goals to leave us something like seven points behind after just nine minutes or so. "We recovered well to draw level with them in the second half but then they pulled away again. "There was no shame in defeat and with a bit of luck we would have come close to getting something out of the game." Sadly the next game against Aughnamullen would signal Oram's departure from the race to win the most coveted piece of sporting silverware for junior teams in Monaghan. "We had a couple of players injured going into the game with the Sarsfields and while they played through the pain barrier, they weren't able to play at full throttle and when you haven't a fully fit team, it makes a difficult game even more difficult." Winding the tape fast forward, Philip says he's convinced the club is continuing to build up the kind of momentum that will eventually lead it into the pantheon of winners. The success of the club's reserve squad in winging their way all the way to the league final is, he maintains, evident of a burgeoning strength-in-depth at the club. Even in defeat to Cremartin in the 'B decider, he could see a lot of players with the potential to augment Oram's premier team. "There are a lot of young players at under 16 and minor levels with a lot of potential to be good seniors in the future. "The likes of Tony Graham has done a lot of good work at underage level over the years, has laid a lot of the groundwork for the progress that's being made at senior level now. " And are the youngsters sufficiently driven to succeed? "I think so. I'm sure they have the ambition and the potential to succeed at adult level. "Everything is in place at the club to help them; the infrastructure is there with the provision of a new training pitch during the year a great boost to everyone. "You have to hand it to the people who hold the reins at administration level, such as chairman Hugh Francis Leonard and treasurer Karl Laverty, for doing so much work to put in place the kind of facilities that players need nowadays." Philip is hopeful that the dividends engineered off the field can be matched by success on the field, sooner rather than later. He welcomes the club's fervent determination to add to its existing facilities. A new extension to the club's complex is underway and the updating of the changing rooms is in the pipeline too. In every sense, there's no question of Oram stagnating. "There's a lot of people in the club who have shown over the years that they're not prepared to let the grass grow under their feet when it comes to the development of extra facilities. "There's a lot of ambition within the club and it's great to see so many of our juveniles getting places in the various county development squads," adds Philip, a brother of former Monaghan countyman Tommy and of erstwhile county minors Gerard and Anthony and former Oram selector Patsy. Of the view that Oram can gain promotion to intermediate level in the next couple of years, the captain of Oram's 1980 JFC winning squad reckons Oram is "going in the right direction and aren't a million miles away." However he doesn't begin to underestimate the strength of the opponents standing in the way of Oram and entry into the intermediate grade. "If we could get our injured fellas back full fit for the coming year, it would be a great help. " But there's no easy game at junior level. You just have to see how well Drumhowan performed in the Ulster club competition. "But the current Oram players are as good as I've seen in my time with the club. "We have every reason to be optimistic." Oram Juvenile Report Oram had once again a busy year at underage level fielding teams from under 8 through to minor level. Our minor and under sixteen teams were once again to the fore in their respective competition, and although success narrowly eluded both squads, underage squads should always be judged on improvements made rather than cups won. MINOR LEAGUE: Oram fielded a very young side comprising mainly of fifteen and sixteen years olds and we once again acquitted ourselves well reaching the semi-final stage defeating Doohamlet, Toome and drawing with Rockcorry. For the second year in a row we were paired with Rockcorry in the semi-final, in a thrilling encounter we lost out by a point, despite dominating the game for long periods. The fact that the minor team had no game for ten weeks prior to the semi-final did little to help preparations. With virtually the entire squad underage next season we can look forward with optism. UNDER SIXTEEN LEAGUE: Our under16 squad produced the best displays of any of our underage teams this season on their way to a semi-place. In the early stages we recorded impressive victories over Ballybay, Drumhowan, Toome, Currin and Corduff. While in the championship we defeated the Rock- O'Neills (Rockcorry-Doohamlet). The semi-paired us with old foes Drumhowan, the build up to the game was marred by the considerable loss of star defender Gavan Fox and a serious hand injury to team captain Rory Murphy. Despite this the team dug deep and played some excellent football on the night and played out a draw with both teams satisfied leaving the pitch with the result. The replay attracted a large crowd, but our performance never rose to the same heights as the drawn game and Drumhowan ran out deserving winners. UNDER FOURTEEN LEAGUE: our under fourteen squad opened there campaign with an impressive victory over Drumhowan. However this was the only high point of a disappointing campaign were we suffered narrow defeats to Rockcorry, Eire og and Currin. There is a lack of strength in depth and this level however all is not lost as we do possess some quality players at this grade, none more so than Ryan Mc Guinness who looks certain to make the county development squad. UNDER 10 FUN LEAGUE: A large number of young new recruits attended a serious of coaching sessions and challenges games throughout the summer. All displaying boundless enthusiasm and no little skill. However a major emphasis is needed on coaching these players over the next few months if we are to be once again competitive at under twelve level in the near future. DEVELOPMENT SQUADS: Oram players are currently featuring on the county development panels over the last twelve months. Stephen McBride looks certain to push for inclusion in the county minor panel in 2007, Niall Bishop and Cathal Crowe have being consistent performers on their respective squads, while Ryan McGuinness, Pauric Graham and Eoin Leonard have been key players in the EAST Monaghan under fourteen squad. Tweet

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