It’s quite clear that Bolger’s charges are not finished

RATHGAROGUE-CUSHINSTOWN are the outstanding success story of this year’s Wexford football championship.

This was highlighted when they won the Intermediate ‘A’ football championship, but like all ambitious clubs they took their game to another level, by becoming the first Wexford club side to win the Leinster Junior football championship.

Incidentally, this is only the second provincial club football title to come the way of the county, with Kilanerin having won the provincial Intermediate title two years ago, which highlights the accomplishment of this small rural club.

And based on last Saturday’s heroics in seeing off Meath champions Clann na Gael in the provincial final in Navan, it is quite clear that Jim Bolger’s charges are by no means finished, as they are blessed with real leaders both on and off the pitch, which has stood the test of time through many tricky situations in the domestic championship before eventually lifting the title.

The backroom team provided the platform for this bright young side. They were not content just to celebrate the winning of the county championship.

Just to demonstrate their ambition - when I met up with Jim Bolger shortly after their county success he was quite adamant they were going to give the provincial championship a real shot.

He’s certainly a man to his word as they celebrated into the small hours having returned to the Horse and Hound on Saturday evening where they received a heroes welcome possessing yet another piece of silverware.

The key to success of any great parish effort lies in the co-operation and voluntary effort readily given, and the people of Rathgarogue/Cushinstown have never failed to give their unstinted support in any project, particularly when it comes to the G.A.A.

Great social work is being done unobtrusively by the Rathgarogue/Cushinstown club.

Since its foundation the club and parish has had to work its way through those barren years to achieve their ultimate goal, a county title leading on to a provincial title.

The work that has been carried out in the club began to leave its mark on under-age and it’s this current bunch of players who have emerged through the coaching system in the club.

Last year they looked a promising outfit but failed to make the breakthrough.

This year they had many dodgy moments before eventually working their way through to the county final where a storming second half saw them see off New Ross District rivals, Clongeen.

This laid the platform. Not content to sit on their laurels preparations for the provincial club championship were set in motion within days of that county final success. They have had so much pain over recent years they were not prepared to let this opportunity slip from their grasp.

Indicative of the club’s commitment and dedication of the players they started to leave a mark with each passing game, and now they are worthy provincial club champions after an enthralling eighty minutes of football, for it took extra-time to separate the finalists, with only a single point difference in the end.

Wexford football has had many warnings over recent years and ones they should heed.

Last Saturday we saw an experimental side go under to Westmeath in the O’Byrne Cup. But what a contrast the arrival of Kerry’s former footballer of the year, Paul Galvin, brought, compared the noise created on the arrival of Davy Fitzgerald to the Model County hurling scene three years back.

Davy, for his first game in charge, brought several thousand people to Pairc Ui Siochain. But there was a real climate change when it came to the footballers, and one is not talking about the weather, for less than 200 supporters attended in St. Patrick’s Park for what was Paul Galvin’s first appearance on Wexford soil.

Paul took his place in the stand as an observer as Brendan Kehoe, handled the mixture of under-20 and additional Senior squad players.

It was not a winning adventure but the former Kerry star will still have learned much from the players on view. Matches at this time of year can be so misleading but no doubt Paul will offer a strengthened hand when Laois visit the Enniscorthy venue on Saturday next.