‘We’d just love to go and do it again’

It’s no surprise that Róisín Wynne’s return to the Boyle team has coincided with an uptick in form that sees the club just 60 minutes away from winning its second senior title.

Alongside her sister Saoirse, the Boyle captain is the heartbeat of a defence that takes pride in frustrating opposing forward lines. Given that their father Gary — a former Roscommon defender who was teak tough in his day — is part of the current management set-up under Kieran McKeon, it’s not surprising that the Wynne sisters are pretty handy security guards when it comes to minding the Boyle rearguard.

Sport is a staple diet in the Wynne household. Roisín’s mother Ann runs competitively and won a bronze medal at the European Masters Athletics Championships in Poland. Outside of football, there’s a big interest in matters of an equine nature, with Saoirse — only a couple of days after winning Player of the Match in the All-Ireland intermediate ladies’ football final — making the trip to France to represent Ireland at the Mounted Games World Team Championship.

“Dad was involved with Michael Finneran when I was playing county. He has been in and out of the set-up as long as I’ve been playing football. It’s a big part of everyone’s life in our house.

“We don’t make a decision ‘oh, let’s not talk about football when we’re at home’. Our house is just very busy in general. We’re busy with the ponies as well, so people are always coming in and out of the house. We’re happy to talk about football, but it mightn’t necessarily come up either because there’s so much going on.” 

No surprise then that such a closely-knit family got a great kick out of seeing Saoirse pick up that Player of the Match award on the afternoon that Roscommon were crowned All-Ireland champions in Croke Park at the beginning of August.

“It was the nicest family day out ever,” recalled Róisín.

“We were so proud of Saoirse. She puts in so much work in everything she does because she has to juggle so many balls.

“She is the most egoless person I know. She’s so encouraging and positive. It was really nice for Mam and Dad to see her play so well. Obviously, Dad coached her, but Mam has put in so much work behind the scenes as well. Mam is a brilliant runner, and you can see that in Saoirse,” she highlighted.

But Róisín is no slouch either. When Boyle enjoyed its most famous day against Sunday’s opponents in 2023, she was Player of the Match. The following year, she was in New York on a J1 before moving to London last year. But she’s back home now, deriving enjoyment from being involved in a set-up where there’s no place for negativity.

“In general, Boyle has been a really positive team to play for. After the county final in 2023, a lot of girls weren’t involved the following year for one reason or another. In general though, the vibe is really good around the place. Everyone gets on with each other. There’s a lot of encouragement among the players. There’s no pressure, as such.

“Girls are just enjoying their football, and Kieran (McKeon) puts a huge emphasis on that. He has found a good balance. He holds us to a really high standard but, at the same time, he doesn’t put pressure on people to play a certain way or be rigid. We’re relaxed about it, but we take our football seriously at the same time,” she explained.

Despite her relatively short time away from the game locally, Wynne has seen differences in the set-up, no more so how clued in players are in terms of keeping themselves mobile and generally physically fit nowadays.

“The year we won the county final, we were very locked in. The girls were very committed, but we wouldn’t have had the strength and conditioning that’s there now.

“The girls not involved with the county have put in a huge shift, particularly when it comes to gym work, strength and conditioning, and endurance.

“It’s not that the girls weren’t committed before that. But we have a great strength and conditioning coach in Boyle who works with the girls.

“We’ve also got a new wave of younger girls, who are just brilliant. Aoibhinn (Tonry) has really hit form this year after playing a bit last year. Katie Conroy, Gemma Moran, Gráinne Sweeney have come in from the underage ranks and made a big difference.

“Because of the focus on strength and conditioning, there isn’t the gap between the county players and the club players that might have been there before. We have four girls with Roscommon, and there are definitely more girls good enough to be in there.

“It leaves you in a position where you’re not relying on any one girl that the opposition can target. Before, when the county girls weren’t around, it might have been a bit easy for the other girls to step off the gas. But the foundation work has been put in place,” she acknowledged.

While Boyle’s attacking unit is laced with talent, it’s the defensive shifts in recent knockout games against St. Ciaran’s and Éire Óg that have caught the eye, something the captain is very pleased about.

“It’s funny because you look up at the scoreboard at the end of these games, and it doesn’t feel like a comfortable win. We’re definitely under a lot more pressure during games.

“Being a back, I’m a bit biased but we take defending very seriously. My Dad (Gary) would be primarily a backs coach, but he would insist on the importance of tackling all over the field,” she pointed out.

On Saturday, Clann na nGael will present a formidable challenge. Two years ago, Boyle denied their opponents a hat-trick, something Wynne feels got more air-time than the North Roscommon club winning its first senior gong.

So, while Clann will be hugely motivated ahead of this final, there are plenty of reasons why Boyle would dearly love to get their hands on the Marie McAleer Cup.

“Any time you’re playing Clann, it’s so difficult because they’re so experienced. Winning is almost bred into them. Coming second isn’t an option up there.

“For us, however, we’d just love to go and do it again — just to do it for ourselves to prove that we are that top team,” she concluded.

Led by their captain, Boyle have put themselves in the best possible position to tick that box.