2007 saw Truagh Gaels once again among the glittering prizes. So what's new? A peep at Truagh's panoply of activities and you just wonder what the Gaels have got against Rounders? It is, after all, the only traditional Gaelic game not actually fostered or nurtured by the great and the good 'uns at St. Mellan's Park. The GAA's behemoths of Gaelic football, hurling and handball bestride the facilities like King Kong in downtown Manhattan while ladies football and camogie activities abound also. Is there a more vibrant GAA unit in the whole of the county? Truagh Gaels; fior Gaels more like! 2007 witnessed another dynamic year for the north Monaghan institution, on and off the field of play. It has to be said though that it was a real rollercoaster year also. That ride was best summed up by the club's epic series of matches with Monaghan Harps. In all the two clubs met six times at intermediate level. But vaunted corner-forward Mark Counihan wouldn't have it any other way. He says local derby matches are the gravy on the beef, the sauce on the salmon, the beans on the toast. "Derby matches are what makes the GAA tick, always have done," the St. Macartan's schoolteacher opines as he reflects on what might have been and what actually transpired. "We played Emyvale in the league and in the semi-final of the championship and there was an unbelievable buzz in the area in the run-up to the matches. "We'd have more derby matches at intermediate level than in any other grade and they're great but, having said that, we have missed the derby matches with Scotstown though!" Mark maintains victory in a derby match can enliven even the most mundane and dour season but he makes it clear it's derby matches at senior level that is the apple in the tart. He recalls the sheer delirium that accompanied Truagh's SFC quarter-final (replay) victory over the men from An Bhoth in 2006 and he's eagerly awaiting some more such meetings. "We'd be hoping that the blooding of new players that happened during the past year will stand us in good stead over the next few years," the eager-beaver corner-forward says. "A good few young fellas have come up through the underage ranks and while they might have been overlooked at colleges or county level, they've done really well for us at adult level. "The introduction of the new blood has created very healthy competition for places in the team - during the past year, the new lads have definitely caused a bit of a stir." And yet in terms of the numbers game, Truagh's resources continue to be of a meagre variety than the massive variety even if quite a number of new houses have been built of late. The reality is it may be a dozen years or more before a possible 'dividend' can be reaped by Truagh from the increased number of houses as teenage footballers don't grow on trees. "We haven't a big catchment area," Mark confirms. "It may not be as small as Tyholland's but it's a lot smaller than the likes of Emyvale and Scotstown." Like the rest of the Truagh die-hards, Mark is looking forward to next year, 2008, when the north Monaghan bastion of Gaelic games celebrates its 50th anniversary. "Right from the start of the year, our objective was to get back to senior ranks and to mix it with the big guns - it didn't matter whether it was by means of the league or championship. "Because of our golden jubiliee celebrations, the spotlight will be on us in a big way next year so we'll have to step it up in a big way to do the club proud." Reflecting on what transpired over the past year, Mark maintains that Truagh were very consistent all through the league, losing only two games over the course of the campaign. "Even in the championship final we played well but just didn't do enough on the day and let our opponents off the hook unfortunately as has happened in other finals we've been in. "We played some good football during the year but we didn't always get the results we wanted although I think we proved our credentials in terms of our ability to go senior." With a number of tough seasons under his belt - and a number of high profile county final defeats to boot - Mark knows the value of being able to produce top notch displays on cue. However he is less than enamoured by the fact that his team's IFL final clash with Monaghan Harps wasn't decided until the middle of December. "It's far from ideal to be lining out in a county final just a couple of weeks before Christmas 'cause that time of year doesn't suit anyone, the players or the supporters. "A county final should be the pinnacle for the teams involved and should be played when at a time of the year which is more condusive to playing good, open football. "I was glad to see Paraic Duffy getting the plum job at Croke Park and he seems intent on pushing forward the lot of the club player which will be a welcome move. "Hopefully he (Duffy) will be put the position of the club player on a higher pedestal than it has been up to now because most of the focus is on the county players. "It shouldn't be the case that in the middle of December you're heading on a trip away early in the year and then you have to cancel it because the league final isn't on 'till December. "In recent years, the way the fixtures list has gone on and on towards the winter has got worse and this year was as bad as I've seen it." One wonders does Mark, an archetypal club player, believe the GAA is on the right track by dint of their involvement in the distribution of the players' grant system? "Personally I have nothing against those who are playing senior intercounty football and who are entitled to whatever grant that is agreed. "The commitment of those playing for their county is unbelievable and I wouldn't begrudge them whatever comes their way. "To be honest, as a club player I'm more concerned with fixtures going ahead as scheduled so that club players know where they stand in terms of booking holidays etc." Mark is justifiably proud of the role Truagh Gaels plays within the community and its adherence to the objectives of the GAA. He says the club continues to develop its facilities and during the year it was in a position to open up a new handball alley, its second such amenity, complete with viewing gallery. Certainly few clubs in Monaghan can boast of such a pro-active group of people, dedicated to working the oracle on and off the playing field. "The club is lucky in that everyone does their bit, everyone chips in and, together, things get done and improvements are made to the club in a range of areas. "A lot of the senior players would be involved in coaching underage players; they do it voluntarily, there's no question of them being forced into it. "We're a close knit club and it doesn't matter how a season finishes up, whether we have silverware or not, there'll always be enough club members around to pick up the pieces or celebrate, whatever the case may be. "Most years we pick up a piece of silverware and most years we'll have at least one young player stepping up to the mark from underage teams to take his place on the senior team. "You don't know what 2008 will bring but the players will still be togging out giving it their all the everyone else at the club will have their shoulders to the wheel too." Chasing on the double The search for promotion in both league and championship was what drove Truagh forward in 2007. By Seamus McCluskey. A few needlessly thrown away points from Senior Football League games that they could so easily have won, during the 2006, cost Gaeil Triucha dearly at the end of that particular season and they were duly, if unfortunately, relegated to Intermediate ranks for 2007. Disappointment indeed for a club that had contested no less than two Monaghan Senior Football Championship Finals in the not too distant past, and had also proven themselves as good as any of the other nine senior teams in the two or three years prior to that unfortunate relegation. It was a pity in one sense, as they had the potential to do really well at senior level, with an up-and-coming young team that could hold its own with the very best that could be pitted against them. In another sense, it may have been a blessing in disguise as they could, and would, prove much superior to anything that they would meet in the county's Intermediate grade, thus giving them much needed confidence in themselves - a confidence that would pay rich dividend in the year facing them. This would be proven when they easily topped the Intermediate Football League Table with an impressive thirty points from their eighteen games played - winning fourteen, drawing two and being overcome only twice. From the very start of the season it was obvious that the Intermediate League would be a two-horse race between themselves and Tyholland, the two clubs that had been relegated at the end of 2006. In fact, the only team that might prove troublesome for either of them was Monaghan Harps, as the county town side had hit the national headlines the previous year (2005), by winning the county and provincial Junior Football Championship titles and then being dreadfully unlucky in their All-Ireland semi-final appearance against the Kerry Champions, who went on to win that particular title. Amazingly, their very opening game would prove to be one of their two defeats, losing very surprisingly to Cremartin on their visit to the mid-Monaghan club. Perhaps this was a wake-up call, as they then went on a winning spree and proved that they had the measure of all and any Intermediate opponents. Corduff, Drumhowan and Aghabog were the first three to fall under their superior class, to be followed by Sean McDermotts, Rockcorry and Monaghan Harps.There was a slight hiccup when they were held to a draw by Emyvale, 0-9 each, and the only team to upset their applecart was Tyholland, the same side that had been relegated with them at the end of the previous season and the one that would again upset their aspirations in the final of the Intermediate Championship. Truagh had the Championship title in their sights from 'day one', and after they had overcome their neighbours Emyvale in the opening round at Scotstown, they made short shrift of all opposition in the ensuing rounds, right up until the final stage. In this they were pitted against their now arch rivals, Tyholland, and, after a very closely contested encounter at O'Neill Park in Clontibret, they went under by a very narrowest margin in a game that they could so easily have won. Chances for goals were there for the taking, but the gods did not smile very favourably on the Truagh men on that historic occasion, and the title went to Tyholland - their first ever in the grade. Truagh were left to reflect on what might have been, but they proved gallant losers and were the first to congratulate the newly crowned champions, who had striven so hard over the years to win the Intermediate title, but always without success. New entrants to the 'winners circle' are always very welcome, and Truagh did not begrudge the honours that were subsequently piled onto the shoulders of their fellow north county club. The league title would now be their aim and they quite rightly felt that the only combination that could possibly stop them would again be the Tyholland men. This was proven when the second half of their league campaign proved even more successful than the first. Cremartin, their early conquerors, were overcome in the first game of the second half of the league, and they made sure not to drop any points when Emyvale visited them in St. Mellan's Park. Corduff, Drumhowan, Aghabog, Sean McDermotts, et all, all fell by the wayside on their forward march, and the final league placings saw Truagh in pole position well clear of their nearest rivals, Monaghan Harps and Tyholland. By fact that they finished in the number one spot, Turagh were entitled to home advantage for the semi-final stage, in which they met fourth placed Emyvale at St. Mellan's Park on Sunday 25th November, and duly confirmed their championship victory over the same opposition earlier in the year, winning more comfortably in their earlier encounter. There may have been some disappointment at not clinching the championship title, but Truagh still proved themselves the best team of the league, and rarely has a side topped the table in such convincing fashion as they did in 2007. Many would also argue that the league is the more difficult of the two competitions, as, in order to top the table, a team must prove consistency right through the season, and that is exactly what Truagh did. The championship, on the other hand, can sometimes be a very luck based tournament, as one slip-up can have the side depending on the 'back door' system. In all, a highly credible year for Gaeil Triucha, and they will face into the coming year in full an complete confidence.This is even more opportune for them, as 2008 will be their 'Golden Jubilee' year, the club having been founded back in 1958 when the two junior clubs of the parish, Carrickroe and Mullanmills, came together to form one strong parochial team that has done them all credit over the past fifty years - may they continue to do so again for the next fifty. Tweet

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