Sky is the limit for Clontibret
Maitiú Monaghan
They're a fascinating watch- Clontibret O'Neills.
In their state-of-the-art grounds with the new stand and perfect playing surface, fans certainly get a great view of the project that Kevin Niblock's side is undertaking.
Conor McManus is named at number 29 on the panel but is also named among the selectors. Given his injury record, that coaching role is probably telling us a wee bit more.
After an abysmal league, where they finished eighth, the O'Neills find themselves in an SFC semi-final after finishing top of the group, with three wins from four.
They were hammered by Blayney in a local derby, but responded well against neighbours Cremartin, and showed great resilience to beat Truagh in the final round.
What's fascinating, is the blend of young players in the squad.
Speaking to the Celt after Sunday's win over Truagh, midfielder Brian Greenan referenced the influx of young players to Clontibret's side:
"At times this year, definitely in the league, we struggled," Greenan admitted. "We are introducing a lot of young players, six or seven from last year, eight at times. It has been slow, but we are getting there, slowly but surely."
He named-checked Charlie Mone, who kicked the winner for the O'Neills on Sunday. However, Clontibret are brimming with young talent. Jack Brady, Evan Treanor, and Darragh Keenan are each playing key roles for the seniors this season.
"They have upped the training. The level of overall quality in the group has gone up quite significantly since they've come in," Greenan explained.
Greenan is one of the more experienced heads in the Clontibret side, although he isn't the only one.
Dessie Mone is a vocal focal point at corner-back, Conor Boyle is a rock at centre-back, while Killian Lavelle and Aaron Carey are established inter-county prospects further out the field.
Goalkeeper Darren McDonnell has previously been involved with Monaghan, while Dean McDonnell is more than capable of sharing the scoring burden.
They have all the tools needed to push for a title, but Greenan insists Clontibret aren't getting ahead of themselves.
After scoring two goals in five minutes on Sunday, he was modest in his reflections:
"We found ourselves in a bit of a hole. When you're that far behind, you just have to follow things in. I was lucky enough to get on the end of the first one.
"The second one was fairly fortuitous I think, off the left foot, but happy to get them.
"Scotstown are brilliant, they've been in so many county finals. Obviously, it is a huge task, but we're not too worried about them since we don't have them.
"We'll see who is coming our way after the quarter-finals and we'll take it from there."