much better personnel-wise than they had been for a number of years: “It was the first year where we had a lot of players back from abroad,” Paul reflects. “We got most of them back. We suffered a lot with emigration down through the years and I’d say that was maybe one of the reasons why we went down junior in the first place. But we had five or six lads back this year and everybody was available bar two or three lads. That made a big difference. “We had 20 or 25 lads out training most nights and the majority of the team would be in their mid-20s or under. We also have one or two young lads coming through next year who should at least strengthen the squad. They were only 16 this year so couldn’t play adult football but they will be a good addition to the squad and will definitely increase competition for places which can only be a good thing.” Paul believes the goal now for Hunterstown Rovers is to put the lessons of 2012 to good effect and kick on in 2013: “We have to keep going next year. We have a point to prove in the championship and playing Division Two football every week will keep us on our toes. We’ll be trying to win the championship. “Going out in the manner that we did took away from what was an otherwise memorable year but we have to remember that we did achieve one of our main goals this year, which was to get out of Division Three. “It’s always nice to win something and the Division Three title is definitely better than nothing. We had missed out on promotion the previous year on score difference, so it was nice to get up and we’re now in a stronger position for next year. “The fact that we went through the league unbeaten is a real positive – you can’t fault that. We did fancy ourselves in the championship as well but didn’t show up. Next year, we’ll be trying to hold our own in Division Two and then see what happens. The junior championship will be our main target. We will possibly be one of the favourites again but that doesn’t really count for anything – you still have to go out and win it.”
The U12's, front l/r: Adam Garvey, Euan Woodlock, Aaron Hanitty, Colm Murphy, J Ward, Andrew Butler. Back: Dean Burns, Niall Farrell, Daniel O'Hare, Marc Ward, Keith Durrin
The up and coming U9's
The Hunterstown U7's, front l/r: Cillian Taaffe, Lewis Mant, Conor Reaburn, Jake Clarke, Ciara Martin, Oran Martin. Back: Conor McGoey, Aaron Levins, Adam O'Reilly, Ciaran McCartney, Andrew Woodlock, Shane Halpenny, Jamie O'Callaghan, Rebecca O'Brien
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