Mulligan hoping for better luck in '08
December 31, 2007
Sweet and sour may be a favourite dish of the Celtic Tiger but Aghabog and Monaghan ace Shane Mulligan says he would rather have missed out on it in 2007.
2008 promises to be a whole new experience for Shane Mulligan although for him it's the close season as far as any prophesis are concerned.
Crystal ball-gazing is simply not a game the club and county stalwart is comfortable with. Instead he's much more at home talking about the here and now.
As for the past, he's keen to learn lessons, take on board the important tranche(s) and move on to bigger and better times.
The times in 2007 weren't totally satisfying for him as there were highs and lows, good and bad points, sweet and sour moments.
The past season saw his own fortunes of those of his teams fluctuate like the autumnal weather with good days and bad days adding to the general mix.
Aghabog's relegation to junior ranks stands out alone as the nadir of his 2007 innings and, even months on from the time the trapdoor sprang open, the fall still hurts:
"Getting relegated down to junior was very disappointing for the club, especially given that it's the first time ever in my time that we'll be competing at junior," the ace clubman explains.
The reasons behind Aghabog's relegation are rooted among the usual suspects but, in fairness, there were mitigating circumstances though.
A number of injuries to at least a half dozen first teamers drove a dagger through the efforts of Aghabog's team-management to kick-start a winning run or least some consistency.
Our man Mulligan, for instance, was out injured for half of the league season while other influential players like Gary McBride were out the country for a sustained period too.
"A small club like Aghabog can't afford to have half a team missing for whatever reason 'cause we've only a small panel of players," the 23 year old opines.
"But it has to be said that there wasn't enough effort or commitment given during the year because - even allowing for the injuries - if there had been we'd have done well enough."
Despite the fact that he never actually experienced life for himself at junior level, Shane is convinced that the 2008 season "will be tough with no easy matches."
Nor will it be easy to drag themselves off the canvas and the fact that the club was unable to field a team against Truagh at the end of the league season was telling, Shane concedes.
It's clear though that unless Mulligan and Co. adopt a sleeves-rolled-up attitude to life in the lower echelons in '08, the likes of Clones, Oram, Drumhowan etc will eat them up.
Shane believes there's more than enough talent within the Aghabog club to make up for falling short in '07 when the league and championship silver is being handed out next year.
He says the club lost at least a half-dozen games by just a couple of points. Wins, home and away, against would-be semi-finalists Emyvale hinted at a better end-of-season result.
"I'm not saying bad luck or injuries were our undoing and you can make all the excuses of the day but the table doesn't lie and we just have to accept it and gone on with it.
"The statistics in 2007 showed that at the end of the year, we were one of the worst teams in the intermediate league and now we have to get the club back on track."
Shane admits that morale in the Aghabog club was at "an all time low" as the reality of the team's relegation to junior ranks sunk in among the members.
Matters of a championship hue in 2007 did nothing either to lift spirits in mid-season with a first round defeat to Drumhowan not the best of portents.
"When we went out the next day and beat Rockcorry well, I thought our season was going to turn around but that didn't materialise unfortunately.
"We didn't play that badly against Monaghan Harps in the next game but they got a late goal when we were just two points behind them and that finished us off.
"It was no fault of our management team of Brendan (O'Brien) or John (Rath) because they did everything they could to get us up for matches and in the best possible shape.
"There's very little between the teams at intermediate level and there's a fine dividing line between being in the top four and looking over your shoulder to the relegation area."
With the likes of Brendan O'Brien, Lorcan Kelly, Derek McCarville, Sean O'Brien, Gary McBride, Mark McBride and Declan O'Brien on board, Aghabog don't lack for experience.
'08 will also mark Shane's eighty year playing for Aghabog's premier side and he is hopeful that the aforementioned group, plus others, will all be part of the scene in the coming year.
"I hope too that the younger fellas on the team will step up to the plate and take on more responsibility in terms of getting the club back to where it belongs in the next year.
"The younger ones have to realise that the time is now, not in a few years time, and to understand that the club's well-being is in their hands and they have to rise to the challenge.
"The big thing playing for a small rural club is that everyone puts their shoulders to the wheel and in our case if we don't, it definitely won't be easy in 2008."
An IFC medallist (2004) with the club, Shane says he watched a few junior games among the top teams in 2007 and was suitably impressed by the package produced.
He kept a keen eye on neighbours Killeevan and Eire Og and felt their matches "were intense and of a fairly high standard and we'll have to be at the top of our game next season."
"We have no divine right to bounce back immediately from junior ranks and there are other teams who will be setting out their stall in the same determined way as us.
"Ultimately I would be very disappointed if we don't make it back to intermediate, by whichever route, but a lot of it is down a state of mind and mental strength.
"We've got to get back to the situation where teams won't like coming to Aghabog which is the way it used to be but last year we let too many points slip away from us at home."
In 2008 Shane can be expected to give his all on two fronts with time at Emmett Park tying in with training at Cloghan and matches around the country with the Monaghan seniors.
Having spent the guts of five months in the sick bay last year with a torn quad injury, he will be keeping his fingers crossed that an injury-free year lies ahead of him.
Shane's troubles began on January 6th last when he damaged the quad in his right leg while playing for Seamus McEneaney's side against Fermanagh in the McKenna Cup.
He admits that not being totally attentive to what Gerry Nolan (Monaghan physio) advised slowed down the pace of his recovery from the quad injury.
Such was the damage inflicted on the quad and the length of the recuperation time that he wasn't fit to return to action until the county's league semi-final duel with in Croke Park.
"2007 was really a year of two halves for me but joining up with the county seniors for the first time made it an unbelievable year overall.
"I had been with the under 21s for three years but the step up to senior level with Monaghan was something else and left me very proud and my family proud too.
"Missing the whole national league campaign left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth though and by the time I had gotten back to full fitness, the competition for places was incredible.
"The defence was brillant and I think there was only ever one defender used in the matches so I was just glad to eventually get the number 21 jersey for the Kerry game.
"I didn't get a game with Monaghan in either the league or the championship which was disappointing but it's everyone's dream to make it with their county and I hope I can in 2008.
"I think we all learned a few lessons in 2007. Maybe things will improve for me for both the club and county in the coming year."
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