RORY FINN — COUNTY FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR

Rory Finn was awarded county footballer of the year at the county awards night and we caught up with him afterwards to get his reaction.

“It’s a brilliant achievement, looking back on the year it’s great to win the award. Any individual award is great to win.”

Recently John McGrath spoke to the media about how life as a Wicklow footballer and how little things around the set-up made it more attractive for players to commit to the county. We asked Rory about that too.

“It was a three year plan Johnny had in place and it’s probably coming to fruition now with sponsorship. There are players back in too. It’s probably the strongest panel we’ve assembled in the last three or four years. The O’Byrne Cup didn’t go to plan but we were just getting players back in up until Christmas so we were always looking at Leitrim in the first round of the League. That was our main focus to hit the ground running in two weeks’ time.”

Looking forward to aims for the year, the team isn’t looking to concentrate on only the league or only the championship, but that one will feed off the other.

“If you have a good league you’ll have a good championship. This year our aim is to be promoted. Since I’ve started this year is probably without a doubt the toughest year in the division with Limerick and Westmeath in it. I think we’ll be able to meet them head on this year.

“We’ve probably prepared for the league and there’s no real talk of championship, if you have a decent league it will roll into the championship. That is the plan at the moment.”

At the county board meeting last year when delegates voted to reappoint Johnny Magee as manager, John Timmins of Kiltegan said his club players on the panel, Finn and Cathal Fitzgerald, wanted him to remain as manager. We asked Rory about Johnny as a manager and what he brings to Wicklow football.

“Johnny probably brings more enthusiasm and drive to Wicklow football than some of the players. He has no affiliation to Wicklow whatsoever. I mean, if you sat down to talk to the man he wants 100 per cent success for Wicklow. He just brings that drive, maybe that bit of professionalism that we’re not used to. It takes that bit of transition too.

“He inherited a team that was coming to the end of the road, in fairness, somebody was going to get this team in transition. He’s making that transition, year on year it’s getting closer. I know he comes in for a bit of stick but he’s achieving with what he has at the minute.

“It’s only going to get better. When I was starting out at U21 I wasn’t near the senior team but he has the U21s training in with us. The transition for them to play senior in a couple of years isn’t that big. They train with us and they understand the level required to play senior football and to get up to the pace of it.”

Finally, we asked him about his club Kiltegan.

“I think next year is going to be a big year for us. We have Trevor Doyle in training us and we have a couple of lads coming back too. We should have Seanie for the summer too.

“I think between the hurling and the football it will be a big year for us.

“I would be hoping for us to reach the semi-final comfortably this year, that would be the aim.”