Oh so close!
April 30, 2010The red and whites were in danger of becoming a side known to falter at the business end of the championship, but they certainly dispelled any thoughts of that during last year's campaign.
The Maroon & White takes a look back at the club's year both on and off the field, while we speak to club treasurer Paul Reville about the goings on at Turin.
Following the first few rounds of games in the intermediate championship, it all looked very bleak for Turin as they recorded only one win from their opening three games.
It looked as if the club were heading out of the championship before the knockout stages, which would have been a huge blow to them. However, not for the first time, they showed great heart and spirit to defeat Delvin in a must win game and by doing so actually eliminated their near neighbours.
"The Delvin match was a real turning point. Up until that we weren't playing well at all. The lads really worked hard that day and the determination they showed was unreal. There was only a point between the sides at the end and it really could have gone either way.
"The fact that we won all our remaining games as well really proved how much this boosted their confidence. It's amazing what one result can do for a team."
Wins over St Oliver Plunketts, Southern Gaels and most impressively against St Brigid's helped Turin to a tally of eight group points, level with Delvin, but the head to head victory meant that Noel Boyce's charges went through to the semi finals.
Turin met a Crookedwood side that they had drawn with in the group stages, and although the 'wood were the favourites for the title, Turin had nothing to fear.
"The lads were confident going into the semi final, but we knew that the 'wood would be a tricky tie. However, once again they showed great character and they really deserved to win that day. It was a great match and the relief afterwards was something else."
A goal in the second last minute of normal time from full forward Alan Aughey proved to be the clinching score as a determined Turin side sprung a surprise by advancing to the final of the Westmeath intermediate hurling championship with a four-points win over Crookedwood.
The final itself was a close run affair although St Brigid's always seemed in control and they were deserving winners. To be fair to Turin, they never gave up and the experience of playing in a final is sure to stand them in good stead.
"It is a fairly young team that we have and there's a few lads coming through each year which is a good thing. The experience of playing in a county final will stand to them this year."
The 2009 intermediate championship was overshadowed by the fact that most clubs were under the assumption that reaching the semi finals would guarantee them a place in the senior 'B' championship for this year, but that competition has since being scrapped and the second tier championship will this year consist of six teams.
With no relegation from the senior ranks for 2009 and St Brigid's going up, it means that the remaining teams in the grade will all have genuine designs on lifting the Cup.
Turin will be no different in that respect, but Paul stressed that they would be taking no one for granted and pointed to each team as favourites in their own rights.
"There is no way that we would take anyone for granted. You have the likes of Crookedwood, Delvin and Fr Dalton's in there, so it is not going to be an easy championship to win," said Paul.
"In saying that I would be hoping that we could build on last year's success and go one step further. We have the players there capable of winning it. Getting to the final was big thing for a lot of these players and now that they know what it takes, we will be hoping for more of the same this year."
Over the past couple of years, the club has placed a greater emphasis on developing their underage structure and Paul revealed that is beginning to pay off on the field.
"We will be fielding teams at under-8, 10, 12 and 14 this year, which is a massive boost for us. The likes of John Scally and a few other have put in a huge amount of work with the underage and they deserve great credit for that."
The club have recently developed ground behind the goals into a training pitch, while they have also constructed a hurling wall to help teach the skills of the game.
"The wall ball or hurling wall as its known also will be very beneficial to the club. The underage teams will be able to train on that regardless of what the weather is like.
"The training pitch will come in handy too as it will save the main pitch. The lads have already gone back training and James Heffernan is manager this year.
"We're looking forward to 2010 and hoping that this will be the year that the club make it back into the senior ranks. It's not going to be easy, but we know that if the lads have the belief and confidence that they showed last year, then there is no reason why we can't win it." Tweet
