Back with a bang as O"Mahonys" shrug monkey off their back

The joyous scenes that erupted in the stands, behind the town goals and on the Pairc Tailteann turf following Sunday"s SFC final told its own story of 11 years of heartbreak for Navan O"Mahonys. Since last winning the coveted Keegan Cup in 1997, Navan O"Mahonys have been to the wilderness and back. Their rehabilitation suffered major setbacks in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but last Sunday their recovery was completed. Fears of another final collapse haunted O"Mahonys for the two weeks leading up to the SFC final against Summerhill. Some of the supporters were as optimistic as a banker"s wife ironing five shirts on a Sunday evening, but they maintained their belief. Navan O"Mahonys" supporters have been unflinching in their appraisal that their team is the best in the county and those claims were realised in emphatic fashion on Sunday when Summerhill were blown out of the water by 11 points, 2-12 to 0-7. Memories of the two years spent in intermediate football in 2002 and 2003, the extra sub used against Dunboyne in the 2005 semi-final and the final losses to Wolfe Tones and Seneschalstown in 2006 and 2007, respectively, have been well and truly binned. The team of 2008, under the guidance of Sean Kelly and Sean Barry, have graduated - and brilliantly so. The undoubted stars of the show were the Bray brothers, Stephen and David, with 1-6 between them, but it was an all-round magnificent team display that ensured the Keegan Cup will now reside at Brews Hill for at least 12 memorable months.