CLONOE are clearly desperate to win the Tyrone SFC in their centenary year but even if they don't their manager Damian Cassidy believes they are well set for the future.
After Sunday's pulsating semi-final draw with neighbours Coalisland, the Derry man pointed to the changing age profile of the side.
The Bellaghy man has led the O'Rahilly's to triumphs in 2008 and 2013 and suggested that further success could follow:
"The thing that's massively important about where we're at with Clonoe is that we had seven players currently playing in the championship who were involved in an Ulster U21-winning team two years ago."
Dan McNulty grabs the scores and headlines but that age group also includes Connor Hughes, Declan McClure, Daryl Magee, Ciaran O'Neill, Dwayne and Rhys Quinn. They won the 2014 Ulster U21 Club tournament at Creggan, beating Truagh Gaels of Monaghan in the decider.
"We had another player [Fintan McClure] who came on and played in the championship who wasn't involved in that panel, who was younger," added Cassidy. "So that's eight players who are 23 or younger.
"While we're talking about now and the current team, those players have gained a massive amount of experience. How that's going to help the team, its development and ongoing progress, over the next six or seven years, is also a big part of it.
"I appreciate that how we live and play is all about today, but looking at the bigger picture Clonoe are in a good strong position going forward. The experience is invaluable."
As for the immediate future, one reporter was much more optimistic than 'Cass' when he suggested that Sunday's replay against the Fianna in Dungannon might be a much more open match than the tense 10-all draw at Edendork.
"Who knows? Who knows? You don't know, every game is different. We were involved in two with Omagh, then Carrickmore, and then this went to another one. You honestly don't know what way it is going to go, that's the truth of it."
There were only six points scored from play between the two teams, despite Coalisland losing experienced sweeper Peter Donnelly to an eary red card.
However, both teams could have scored more, with Clonoe hitting the woodwork rather than the net on a couple of occasions.
Cassidy wasn't worried about those wasted chances, insisting "it would be worse if you weren't creating those opportunities, that would be a greater concern because that would be a lot harder to rectify.
"If you're not creating those chances in football there's no future for you. One day they'll go for you, the next day they won't. As long as you're creating them you're always going to be in with a shout."
The wind was an adverse factor, preventing free-flowing football and scoring, the former Derry boss pointed out:
"The conditions had a big impact on it, that was a fairly strong breeze. We had a few chances, [missed them] probably down to bad luck as much as anything else, coming back off the post. But we've had a wee bit of luck, so it evens itself out over the course of it.
"The most important thing is, are you still in the championship? Do you still have a chance to go through to that final?
"We're still there and that's the most important part of it. Coalisland are in the same boat but we're still there and that's the main thing."
Experienced defender Stephen McNulty is a serious doubt for the re-match, having to be helped off the pitch at the end after his late substitution due to a leg injury, but Cassidy managed to find some humour in the situation, saying: "It's hard to see how he's going to make it – maybe a minor miracle, we'll go to the ice baths and holy water".
