Caltra all geared up for a taste of the limelight
Of the four teams which made it through to next Sunday's football semi-finals, only Gaeltacht had a previous involvement at provincial level, at the tail end of 2001 when they lost by a point to Nemo Rangers in the Munster semi-final.
Caltra just like St Brigid's who oppose Gaeltacht in Thurles had never won the Galway championship prior to comprehensively beating a much more experienced Killererin side in the final in Pearse Stadium.
Loop from Derry, their opponents in the other semi-final in Markievicz Park on Sunday, hadn't been successful at county level for 67 years.
And, in common with so many teams, they often revolve around family units in this case the four Meehan brothers, Tomas, Declan, Noel (the captain) and Micheal.
Because of the hip injury incurred by the latter a fortnight ago in a Sigerson Cup game with GMIT, the selectors decided to leave his position at right corner-forward open. He had laser treatment in Dublin a fortnight ago and returned to light training in mid-week.
Selector Gabriel Naughton remembers reacting with shock to the news of the injury.
"It was a big concern and it still is because we're not quite sure as to whether he is going to be ready or not. Really, he needs all the time remaining to be fully recovered.
"Micheal is a high profile player. He burst on to the Galway scene last year after winning an All-Ireland U21 medal with Galway when he was still only 17. But we have had to play a number of games in the Galway championship without him and at the end if the day, if we have to line out without him on Sunday, so be it."
After getting the better of Killererin, they overcame St Mary's (Leitrim) in the opening round of the Connacht championship and after accounting for Castlerea, defeated O'Curry's from Sligo in the decider.
Considering that they had to wait almost 30 years to qualify for their second county final, it was a remarkable achievement.
"The year 2003 will go down in the history books as by far the most successful year ever by a long way in Caltra. But that's in the past. Sunday is a much bigger challenge. We're now at the All-Ireland stage, so our achievements to date are now in the bank. What we did last year doesn't make any difference any more."
Naughton recognises that the Loop are coming into the game from a very similar perspective, not having won in Derry for a long time and having no previous experience of the championship in Ulster.
"We know a bit about them. But, beyond being familiar with a few players who were involved with Derry over the years, we don't know an awful lot.
"At the end of the day we've got to go out and perform. And that's what we will be trying to do!"
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