Club President Mick Breen on life in the AIL
KANTURK won promotion to the AIL three years ago and while life in the big leagues hasn’t been a complete bed of roses it’s fair to say all at Knocknacolon are delighted to be competing at such a high level of national rugby.
After dominating the junior grade for a couple of years Kanturk Rugby Club earned their spot in the AIL and took it with both hands. Any suggestions that the club wouldn’t take up their spot in senior rugby were quickly put to bed as the club burst onto the AIL scene with all the enthusiasm and drive that one would expect from a club that had self-belief at its core.
“It was a great achievement for a club like ours to make it to the senior grade and probably even more impressive managing to stay there,” Club President Mick Breen said when The
Corkman spoke with him before his club took on Rainey RFC last weekend.
“Kanturk Rugby Club is a rural club out here in an area that is better known for its GAA so for us it is a great achievement to get to where we are now. Getting senior status has brought a lot more attention to the club and local kids can see top quality rugby in their own town rather than having to travel for it.
“Playing clubs from all over the country is great, we get to meet some great people from clubs very much like ours. There is a great buzz when we go and play away and when clubs come to us they usually have to stay over and that helps local business. It is important that we all see a benefit from the success.”
Grit and determination is not in short supply at Kanturk however modern technology is also playing its part.
“While the lads work really hard on the pitch under Coach Ben (Martin) and his backroom team, we are also now using a lot of video analysis which I think has been hugely beneficial to the team. Using the analysis means that instead of pounding around on a wet Wednesday night, the players can come in for a half hour for an in-depth look at what they are doing.”
All that is going on in Kanturk RFC is very exciting for those of us involved and for the town and locality as a whole. Kanturk’s first team will do all they can to secure their future in the AIL over the coming months but aside from all that this club has come a long way in the last few years with plenty more room for growth.