Garrycastle's cup bid founded on 'solid structures and huge commitment'

Garrycastle ace forward Dessie Dolan will be hoping to add an AIB All-Ireland SFC Club medal to his collection this weekend as the Westmeath outfit become the first team from the Lake County to contest a St. Patrick’s Day decider.

Dolan picked up the AIB Leinster Club Footballer of the Year award at an awards ceremony in Dublin last week, but is no stranger to the limelight over the years and was part of Westmeath's Leinster Senior Football Championship winning side in 2004 - the first team from the county to pick up the Delaney Cup.

Dessie says that Garrycastle's progress from Junior 'B' contenders in the club's foundation year of 1984 to first-time Leinster Senior winners in 2011 and now All-Ireland finalists in 2012 is down to the solid club structures and talented players who have come through the ranks over the years.

"I am very fortunate that there is a great bunch of lads in Garrycastle," he said.

"We have been successful since 2001 with the club and the type of lads that are there - I have played with a lot of them for 10 or 11 years at this stage.

"Overall I have been playing with the club over 20 years and they have been very good to me and I suppose you pick it up on their behalf."

Dolan says that there is a great mix of talent in the club at present, and plenty of good young players also emerging.

"Mark McCallion is a very good footballer and I'd imagine that he will break into the county team this year.

"James Dolan is another good footballer. Aidan Browne is a good lad around midfield and he is a decent player as well."

Dessie is also quick to point to the commitment of all concerned to bring a first ever Leinster title to the club, and now a first All-Ireland final appearance.

"Just on the commitment this year - Cathal Mullin took a career break from teaching which is a huge thing to do and he went to New Zealand for three weeks as the first leg of his trip.

"He missed the first game of the county final, we drew that and he came home then and played in the replay. We won the final and he said, 'lads I'll stay with ye'."

The next leg of Mullin's journey was a tour around Leinster, with Dolan adding: "He said he would stay with us until we got beaten and poor Cathal has missed an around the world trip just to play with Garrycastle!

"It just shows you the measure of commitment that is in the squad. That is just one side of the story - there's probably other lads making huge commitments as well, that's just what you have to do."

On final opponents Crossmaglen Rangers, Dolan says they are the team everyone wants to emulate.

"They are the gold standard in club football. If they had a share price it would be shooting through the roof.

"Jamie Clarke is an outstanding footballer with a huge ability. I asked him there if he was off work today and he said, 'no I'm a student, I'm not working'.

"He's 22 and I'm 32 and it's nice to meet these type of lads. You have Oisin McConville, another inspirational guy. They have loads of footballers who have been outstanding for Crossmaglen.

"It's a credit to them that they can come back year after year, because the work that we have put in to win a Leinster title for this year has been immense.

"Crossmaglen just do it every year and they come out of battles all of the time.

"If there's a one-point game they will be the team on the winning side of it, and they are an example to any club and fair play to them."