Cadden aims to make up for lost time with SFC win

Paul Fitzpatrick

Ramor United's season has seen a couple of peaks and troughs. They started the league at breakneck pace but ended it running in treacle. In the championship, the reverse has been the case thus far.
Conspiracy theorists might argue that it was planned this way but joint-captain Simon Cadden smiles when asked the question.
"No, it was not planned,” he insists.
“We go out, every game, and try to play the best we can. Unfortunately, in the league final, that just didn't happen. Then, we had a slow enough start to the championship against a tough Mullahoran team, who were set up very well, defensively - that's hard to break down.
“Then, again, with Killygarry, they were really up for that game, played really well and put us on the back foot but we just came back from those two games and learned as much as we could.
"Then, Lacken gave us a massive test, a massive challenge, and we were probably lucky to get out of that game with a victory. So, with every game we just went back to the drawing board and focused on the next game, the next game, and thankfully, with the Gowna game and the Crosserlough game, we got the results.”
When Ramor won the championship with a young side in 2016, many tipped them to string together a few such successes but things haven't worked out that way. It has taken three years to get back to the final and now, they're doubly determined to make it count.
"People say that when you get to a county final that it'll bring on another one but I suppose the teams, like Crosserlough and Castlerahan, haven't gone away, they've come on and gotten better, developed and progressed. It was a huge victory to win the 2016 final but nothing is a given, especially in this game.
"So, the next two years, we were not where we wanted to be and didn't get back to that final but now that we have, we're delighted to be back and hopefully, we can push on and focus on this being just one more game and not think of it as a final again.
"At the start of the year, we had a new management system, so we were hoping for the best.
"We probably weren't thinking about the final, in the early days, but what we were focusing on was the next game, the next game, the next game and try to have a good league campaign.
"When the league was finished, we focused on the championship, and probably didn't get the best start in the championship but in the last two games, we did build momentum, and now here we are."
Key to Ramor's run this year has been the input of joint-managers Ray Cole and Shane McAnarney, says Simon.
"Ray and Shane are two great men and right from the start of the year there was a great buzz, knowing that they were taking over. They've brought a new dimension to it.
"They have us playing a good brand of football and we all want to play for Ray and Shane and do our best for them. They've got us to believe in ourselves and got us to start realising our potential and the best thing about the two of them, I suppose, is that they have us well-grounded, we've no airs or graces about us and just want to focus on the next game and get a performance for the two men because we know the work they do for us."
Knocking out last year's finalists, a fancied Crosserlough, in the semi-final has done wonders for Ramor's confidence.
"It was a big achievement for us. Especially in the build-up to the game, everybody had Crosserlough as favourites, not only for that game but to go and win it outright, and rightly so I suppose because of their performances in the league and the championship, they had some massive wins against some very tough opposition.
“But we tried to stay away from that and focus on ourselves and the self-belief in the group is good. We were reading and hearing about them being favourites but we just focused on ourselves, treated it as another game and, thankfully, we got over the line.
"We went a few points up early in the second half but they never stopped coming back. We have huge respect for Crosserlough and in the next few years, they're only going to get better - they're such a young team. We're just grateful we got over the line."
On a personal level, Cadden is now one of the seasoned campaigners on this Ramor side and has been performing very well to date.
"When you're playing and training to that high standard with the boys, you probably just end up playing better in the matches. We lost James McEnroe this year and lost Damien Barkey to injury - two massive leaders on the pitch - so, I suppose, at 28 and one of the oldest on the panel, it was about time I started playing a bit better than what I was!” he laughs.
"I'm happy with where I'm going but it's all about the next game and my performance is only as good as the last one but once I can play a part in the team, I'm happy. If that means scoring a goal or a point or just being there, or being a presence, once I can do something for the team, I'm happy."
As for Sunday, Cadden has nothing but respect for the opposition.
“Absolutely. They've now been in the last five finals and that's a stat that no other team has done in recent times, and they are back-to-back league champions and have blown some teams away this year.
“They go into the final on Sunday as rightly favourites, based on their consistency and their performances and we know they're going to bring everything to us. All we can do is give it our best shot."