Hurling in South Westmeath received its biggest boost in years when Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's caused a major upset by defeating holders Raharney in last October's minor 'premier' hurling championship final. Thrilled with the victory was team manager Kevin Jordan who also took great encouragement from Southern Gaels' return to form at intermediate level. This is monumental for hurling in South Westmeath," was Kevin Jordan's excited reaction to Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's sensational victory over Raharney in last year's minor 'premier' hurling championship final at Cusack Park. The minor triumph, which was Southern Gaels' first in the 'premier' grade since 1991, was the biggest thing to happen to the club in many a long day and was the culmination of several years of intensive hurling coaching in both Athlone and Ballymore. "We had been knocking on the door and winning the periphery championships like the 'A' and the 'B', but this was the one we really wanted because it's the biggest championship you can win at underage level," says Kevin, who managed the team along with Donie Glynn and John Foley. "It was due reward for the work we have been putting in with the youngsters over the past number of years. Contrary to what people might think, there is fierce interest in hurling in South Westmeath. "Some lads live in football parishes, yet the amount of travelling they do and the commitment they give to the hurling is unbelievable. I know these lads will go on and this win will also inspire the younger lads coming up. I really think we are on the brink of great things in Athlone and Ballymore," he adds. The minor championship success was the highlight of a very busy season for Southern Gaels. For the first time since 2003, the club reached the semi-finals of the intermediate championship, while the under 16 team won the 'B' section of the Westmeath/Offaly hurling league and were runners-up to Clonkill in the Division 1 league final. Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's qualified for the minor championship final on the back of wins over Brownstown, Ringtown and Clonkill. Having given second best to Raharney in the Division 1 league semi-final, the south county amalgam went into the championship decider at Cusack Park on October 14 as underdogs. But they produced a dramatic late surge to upset the odds and win by 1-7 to 0-5. Despite the perfect conditions, the hurling was of a poor quality in the first half with Raharney leading by 0-3 to 0-1 at the interval. The Deelsiders still led by 0-5 to 0-3 midway through the second half, but then Southern Gaels suddenly came to life, scoring an unanswered 1-4 to land the spoils. The winners struggled badly in the first half and had to wait until the 26th minute for Callum McCormack to open their scoring account. Further scores from McCormack and impressive substitute Noel Mulligan kept them in touch in the third quarter, but it was patently obvious that they needed something special to turn the game around. Then, from somewhere, Southern Gaels found new belief. Points from McCormack and Daniel Qualter brought them level before Joe Kenny gave them the lead for the first time. Substitute Brian Finnerty added another point from 40 metres and in injury-time the same player fired home the only goal to seal a memorable win. "We pulled it out of the bag towards the end of the second half," Kevin recalls. "We felt we had enough of the play in the first half but we just weren't getting the scores. A lot of the lads were nervous, but the one thing we have in this club is a great panel and the three subs we brought on made a big difference. "We had confidence in our panel and we knew if we got the breaks we would have those lads in there at the end to take them, but it was very close." Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's under 16 team, which included minor players Trevor Farrell, Callum McCormack and Brian Finnerty, also brought silverware to the club when they defeated Laois side Castletown/Slieve Bloom by 0-9 to 0-6 in the Westmeath/Offaly 'B' league final in May. Managed by Donie Glynn, John Landy, Michael Larkin and Mick Kincaid, they went on to reach the Division 1 league final which they lost to Clonkill by 0-11 to 1-10 in heartbreaking circumstances. The southerners were desperately unlucky not to take anything from the final which was played in Cusack Park on October 6. The exchanges were close throughout with Clonkill holding a slender 0-6 to 0-5 lead at the interval. Following the resumption, the imperious Daniel Qualter, Callum McCormack and Donal Glynn hit points to give Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's the lead for the first time since the third minute. However, disaster struck the boys in green, gold and maroon moments later when a speculative lob into the square by Clonkill wing back Anthony Price slipped through the fingers of goalkeeper Stephen Dowling for the only goal. Clonkill extended their lead to three points with seven minutes remaining, but their opponents showed real character to reduce the deficit to the minimum with further scores from Qualter and Glynn. A replay looked to be on the cards when Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's won a 25-metre free in the dying moments, but inexplicably Qualter sent his shot wide and from the resultant puck-out, Clonkill's Sean McCormack gained possession and set up his captain Niall Dowdall for the insurance point. Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's under 12 and 14 teams also had eventful campaigns. The under 12s defeated Crookedwood in their divisional final, while the under 14s were beaten by a strong Castlepollard side in the 'A' championship semi-final. Five of the under 14 side - James Farrell, Cathal McGrane, David McCormack, Sean Carey and Jack O'Kelly-Lynch - were members of Westmeath's Tony Forrestal winning squad, while Martin Carey was part of the management set-up. After a few difficult years, the Southern Gaels intermediate team showed a welcome return to form in reaching the championship semi-final. Under manager Denis Cronin and his selectors Kevin Jordan, John Foley and Bernard Brannigan, the Gaels opened their campaign with a 0-11 to 2-3 victory over Turin at Cusack Park. After leading by 0-5 to 0-1 at half-time, the Athlone men were reeled in during the second half before late points from Paschal O'Farrell and Paddy Divilly gave them the win. Back-to-back defeats to Castlepollard (0-8 to 1-14) and Delvin (0-12 to 1-12) followed before Southern Gaels got back to winning ways with a 2-15 to 3-6 victory over Clonkill. Denis Cronin's charges looked to be in trouble at half-time when they trailed by 0-6 to 1-4, but excellent scoring contributions from Divilly, O'Farrell and Joe Fallon following the changeover put them on the road to victory. A third defeat to St. Brigid's (3-6 to 2-17) left Southern Gaels up against it in their quest to reach the knockout stages, but a rousing 2-9 to 1-7 win over Cullion in their final group match was enough to see them through. Despite being the better side throughout, the Athlone men needed three late points from former county football star Fallon to make sure of the win. Southern Gaels returned to Cusack Park for the semi-final against Delvin on September 9, determined to avenge their earlier defeat to the Valleymen. They made the better start and led by 1-3 to 0-0 at the end of the opening quarter with the goal coming from Paddy Divilly in the 12th minute. However, Delvin responded to draw level by the break (1-4 each), and they had opened up a four-point advantage by the 51st minute. A Paschal Farrell goal brought the Shannonsiders back into contention, but in a tense finish, Delvin just about hung on for a 1-12 to 2-7 victory. Banagher-based schoolteacher Jordan, who has given tremendous service to Southern Gaels as a player, officer and team mentor down the years, is confident the club can build on last year's achievements in the season ahead. "We'd obviously like to hold on to our minor title for another year and, having produced two very good under 16 teams over the past two years, I can see no reason why we can't. "As far as the intermediate team is concerned, our aim is to reach the final. We haven't been in one since 1994 when Oliver Plunkett's beat us, so it's long overdue. We had nine players on the Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's minor team that started last year's final, including Noel Mulligan, Kieran Duncan, Neal Rattigan and John Gilligan, who were also on last year's county minor panel. "We'll be fielding a junior team for the first time in a while this year and I'm sure this will lead to increased competition for places on the intermediate team. There are a number of young lads who are ready to make the step-up to adult hurling and I've no doubt they will help our chances of winning the intermediate championship. "On a final note, I would like to congratulate our own clubman Tom Farrell on his election as county board chairman. It's another great boost for the GAA in South Westmeath." The Southern Gaels/Fr Dalton's team that defeated Raharney in the minor championship final was: Kieran Martin; Andrew Slevin, Daniel Qualter, Ronan Walker; Kieran Duncan, Pete Murray, Trevor Farrell; John Gilligan, Neal Rattigan; Ronan Farrell, Joe Kenny, Kenneth Kincaid; Conor Foley, Eoin Jordan, Callum McCormack. Subs used: Noel Mulligan, Howard Costello and Brian Finnerty. The team that faced Delvin in the intermediate championship semi-final was: Brendan Kehoe; Donal Duane, Declan Hickey; Patrick Flynn; Owen Cronin, Seamus Kilroy, David Geraghty; Thomas Murphy, Joe Fallon; Tony O'Keeffe, Alan Kennedy, Paddy Divilly; Colman Gantley, Paschal Farrell, Dermot Whelan. Subs used: Graeme Corcoran and Sean Benton. Tweet

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