Bolger believes that North Roscommon team in senior football championship is a ‘necessity’

North Roscommon senior football team manager, Peter Bolger, has vowed that his team “won’t lie down” despite a chastening experience in last year’s senior football championship.

The divisional side, made up of junior and intermediate clubs from the north of the county, suffered a humiliating 7-15 to 0-7 defeat against eventual county and Connacht champions, St. Brigid’s, at the quarter-final stage. However, Bolger has vowed that the players have learned from the loss and now know what’s required to compete at the highest level.

“I looked at what we did this year. It was a novelty to put on a jersey for a senior championship. But the novelty has worn off.

“The biggest issue I saw was the players’ level of fitness. We had guys out on their feet after 20 minutes. If you’re out on your feet after 20 minutes, you can’t do it at junior level, never mind at senior level. 

The fitness levels of our junior and intermediate clubs have to come up to standard

Bolger is already hatching plans for this year’s championship where the North team will enter the race for the Fahey Cup at the preliminary quarter-final stage, subject to ratification at county board level.

“We’ll be causing no burden to anyone or taking someone else’s place,” he quipped.

But Bolger is looking at the bigger picture. He sees a “necessity” for players from the north of the county to compete on the senior championship stage. To aid this year’s preparations, a super raffle will take place in the Percy French Hotel, Strokestown, on January 19th.

There are four main prizes up for grabs — a €750 voucher sponsored by Glancy’s SuperValu alongside three €250 vouchers sponsored by Gerard Anthony’s, McGuire’s of Roosky and Connkean Developments Ltd. Proceeds will go towards the North Roscommon senior football club.

“The county board has enough to deal with. It has a huge development programme ongoing. We want to be independent and show the county board that we respect what they’re doing, that they’ve allowed us compete in the senior championship, but that we want to help out and be independent. In other words, we want to give ourselves an identity,” he explained.

Bolger has committed to going around to northern clubs at least one night every two weeks for a coaching session when they return to training in February.

He accepts that Brigid’s were in a different class last September, although he points out that Roscommon Gaels were also soundly beaten by a team that went on to become the best team in the province.

“I applaud Brigid’s for their physique, their attitude, their fitness and their absolute will to do anything for each other. We have to bring that into our team, so that we can be competitive.

“We got a rude awakening. But that has set a pulse in everybody. We sent out a questionnaire to 30 guys and we got 21 positive responses back. To me, that was formidable feedback. I know that the clubs are behind us. It is the fruition of a lot of work that went on for the last five years.

“We’re not going to let this go away because this initiative will bear fruit eventually. We accept all the criticism that we took. Some of it may have been overboard but we’re not going to lie down. Anybody can say anything about anybody else, but if that anybody else stands up and says ‘I am going to perform and be better’, that’s what it’s all about.

“To ever see a senior championship coming to North Roscommon again — only Kilmore and Strokestown (twice) have done it in the last 40 years — we need to do this. Boyle have a good crop of players at the moment. But will that last? I hope it will. Some of our other clubs, what are their underage like? Many of them are amalgamated, so there has to be something at senior level to bring these guys forward,” he concluded.