Drung look strong

Drung's Barry Watters

The return to action of a few key men has brought added momentum to Drung’s push towards the summit of the division two league.

This is Newtownbutler man Colin Courtney’s second season at the helm, and the former Fermanagh inter-county man has made sure his troops have hit the ground running in their 2012 campaign.

Drung find themselves sitting in second place on the league ladder, with five wins and two draws from their eight games played to date, tasting defeat only once so far. That run has lifted them onto 12 points, just two behind league leaders Denn despite the fact that Denn have played two games more.

A number of key players were suffering from injuries in the early part of the league programme, but with Barry Watters and goalkeeper James Reilly back on board, Drung are looking towards the start of next month’s intermediate championship with heightened expectations.

Incredibly, Drung’s score difference currently reads as zero. They’ve scored a total of 69 points, by far the lowest of the teams around them by quite some distance, but their total of just 69 conceded reads amongst the lowest in the division.

That one loss occurred last time out when they made the trip to Butlersbridge and fell to a 0-14 to 0-4 defeat, and as they prepare to make the trip to face neighbours Kill in this weekend’s derby clash, Drung are hoping that lightning doesn’t strike twice.

Their squad this year has been bolstered by the promotion to the senior ranks of a number of young players aged 19 and 20 who have breathed new life and brought a new sense of purpose and momentum to proceedings.

Last year Drung reached the quarter-finals of the intermediate championship and finished with 11 points in the league, so just eight games in they have already passed that tally with 12 crucial league points gathered so far. It’s clear that a young Drung team are learning all the time.

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published June 8. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent or, for only 90p, purchase the online edition by clicking here