Kill Shamrocks didn't enjoy the best of times overall in 2004 but former player and current underage coach Ciaran Brady is optimistic that the club's fortunes will improve sooner rather than later. Kevin Carney reports. Ciaran Brady, the footballer, was capable of wreaking havoc from the edge of the square. His style was direct and effective. Wing mirrors weren't part of his stock-in-trade. He never looked behind him. It was the opposition's goal his eyes remained fixed upon; there would be no ducking out of the challenge. Years on and Brady, the coach, is similarily focussed on looking ahead. Looking back isn't his game. Instead, just like in the 'eighties when he was in his prime as a target man per excellence, he's dedicated to achieving goals for his beloved Shamrocks. As such, he's reluctant to trawl through the ups and downs of the past year. Suffice to say that, like every single other member of Kill Shamrocks, he was gravely disappointed that the club's premier team was relegated from division two of the ACFL. "The players were good enough to stay in division two and have a good run in the championship as well. "They're every bit as good as our neighbours, Cootehill and Drung, who both did well in the intermediate league and championship," he says. Like the rest of the Shamrocks beavering away in the best interests of the club, Ciaran is intent on helping to pave the way for Kill's re-entry into the second division, sooner rather than later. In this respect, he has committed himself to continue to coach at underage level with the aim of nurturing whatever talent can be garnered from what is a relatively small pool of youngsters. "We've one of the smallest picks in the county so we have to make the most of what we have. "I think we've done well with the numbers we've had over the years. "Unlike a lot of other areas in the county, the population of Kill hasn't increased in recent years." And yet on the evidence of what was achieved by the Shamrocks at underage level in '04, it appears to be a case of quality rather than quantity about the place. For instance, the club's under 12 squad reached the Roinn D League decider only to lose out to Butlersbridge. "We were well beaten in the final but I didn't even think we'd get that far. "But it was great for the young fellas to get a run out at Breffni Park and the experience should stand to them. "Kill school also got to the final of the Cumann na mBunscol competition which was a boost too." And Ciaran was buoyed also by the success of the St. Finbarr's minor crew in reaching the league final. The rich promise shown by the Saints' under 21 squad in securing a place in the semi-final of the championship (only to lose narrowly to Cavan Gaels) was a highlight of the year for him too. In both of those squads, the Kill club boasted a healthy representation of players. "I think there's a fair bit of talent coming up through the ranks. "The under 16s won the championship two years ago with Drung and they're a particularly promising bunch. "The same group should do well in this year's division two minor championship. "And the hope is that the Kill fellas on that team will be competing for places on our senior team over the next couple of years. "If we were to get three or four players to come up through from minor ranks every year, we'd be more than happy. That wouldn't be a bad percentage," adds Ciaran who, along with well-known referee Joe McQuillan, first coached the 2005 Kill minors as fourteen year olds. Co-manager of Kill's under 12 and under 14 squads in 2004, Ciaran is fulsome in his praise of the help and support afforded by the parents of the youngsters in the Kill area. He understands that every little bit of help is invaluable. "It's getting harder and harder to motivate young fellas to give it their all to the football, especially when they get to around sixteen and the chance of a summer job comes up. "There are a lot more distractions for teenagers nowadays and it's a long time since Gaelic football was the only sport or hobby that interested youngsters. "GAA clubs are no longer always the heart and soul of the parish. "Once upon a time, the GAA club was the hub of the community but, in many cases, that's not the way it is anymore. "Success is a great thing though to keep the spirit alive in a GAA club and hopefully the buzz will come back into the parish once we start getting among the trophies again." Certainly if the up and coming Kill youngsters show half the pride and spirit demonstrated by Ciaran, both as a player and a coach, then the future for the Shamrocks will be a prosperous one. One wonders though is that spirit ever dimmed? "Sometimes over the last six years since I got involved in coaching, I've got disillusioned in cases where some players haven't turned up for training. "But by the time you work with the fellas who have made the effort you end up going home cheered up and ready for the next day. "Overall though we can't complain because we've had a good run at underage level over the last few years," adds the father of fellow Gaelic games enthusiasts, Anthony (12), Brendan (8), Laura (9) and Rachel (5). Of course there have been disappointments along the way. Ciaran cites the failure of Kill's under fourteens to hit the jackpot in 2004 as a particularly sore one. "We had hoped to do well at under fourteen level but we lost out in the first round of the championship to Cornafean. "We had only ourselves to blame though because we must have kicked at least four times as many wides as Cornafean on the day. "I thought that team had come on a lot from 2003 when they were under thirteens and I think we'd have given Knockbride a good run for their money in the next round." It's clear that Ciaran has a terrific passion for Kill Shamrocks, Gaelic football per se and coaching youngsters. The 1997 JFC medallist is positive in his outlook for his native club. He can see the light flooding down the tunnel and he is greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm shown on an ongoing basis by the parents of the players at the club. That gives him great confidence for the future well-being of the Shamrocks. He's thankful that the one-time scourge of emigration is no longer burning a hole in the club's resources even if the absence from the Shamrocks' ranks of ardent clubmen like US-based Kevin McQuillan, Justin O'Halloran and Danny Fay remains a meaningful loss. The Kill club has proven itself to be a hugely resourceful and close-knit outfit down the years and Ciaran has great faith in the ability of the club's current rank and file to engineer better days in the years ahead. He fervently hopes that the club's premier side will be challenging for intermediate championship honours in 2005 but he believes winning promotion from the division two league ought to be the priority in 2005. "I hope and expect us to bounce back straight away. "Getting back into division two should be the main objective as far as I'm concerned because it's very hard for players to try and win an intermediate championship while playing out of division three. "Whatever progress we can make in the championship this year should be looked upon as a bonus really. "Having said that, there's very little in it between all the teams. There's a fine line between success and failure at intermediate level in Cavan." Tweet

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