Bonni’ boys are banking on a first time bounce

Two of Bonniconlon’s senior stalwarts with over 30 years of service to the first team between them are ready to contest their first county final for the club on the biggest day in the history of the club for a generation.

Richard McKenzie and Ronan Conlon have played 15 and 16 years of adult football respectively for the North Mayo club and this Saturday evening will see them take part in the club’s first county final since Bonniconlon won the intermediate title in 1997.

McKenzie can hold his hand up and say he has played in a county final before, two of them in fact, with St Dymphna’s GAA Club in Luton. Both were losing efforts, but he is hoping that is not an omen for things to come.

Reflecting on last year’s relegation, Richard said it was ‘brutal and horrendous’.

“We weren’t overly competitive at Intermediate and were always competing at the wrong end of it. We were competing to stay there and everyone else was in there to win it, we really needed to be punching upwards a bit more,” he said.

Ronan Conlon can still recall his debut for Bonniconlon as a 16-year-old, coming on at corner-forward in the intermediate championship against Achill.

“I was nearly killed that day,” he joked! “There were men who were much bigger than me but we got the win in the end.” 

Saturday is his first county final and arguably the biggest day out for the club in a long, long time. For years, forays into the last eight have been few, far and between for Bonniconlon.

“We were intermediate a long time,” said Ronan. “But we were never at the business end of it. It was only in the last five years I played my first quarter-final against Hollymount-Carramore.” 

They prepared well for life at junior, both men said.

“We wanted to get back to intermediate and Nobby (McLoughlin) and the management said to us we’re focusing on October. We haven’t played football in September or October in years so that alone gives you belief. We are where we are now because the lads are setting us up in a way that’s working,” said Ronan.

“The same core is there, the balance is, we have an older crew and a very middle of the road age group, a lot of 20 to 25, the team is built on that,” Ronan added.

“People often said that we should go down and try to come up next year,” said Richard. “I always thought that’s mental! Junior is so competitive. We looked at Ardnaree stuck in it for years and that’s why it’s so important to get back to intermediate this year, it’s a massive hole to get yourself out of.” 

Preparation was all well and good but then Swinford came and poured the sporting equivalent of an ice-cold bucket of water over their heads, beating them by three points in Round 1.

“This year, a lot of people were thinking we’d come straight back up but we got a rude awakening against Swinford,” said Ronan.

“We had prepared well and thought we’d get the win but we took the eye off the ball,” he added.

“We lost two games at junior this year and it was touch and go against Ardagh. Any other year at championship and you’d be gone,” added Richard.

The county junior championship has brought Bonniconlon up against some and some not so familiar opposition from years gone by. They played, however, a lot of underage football against the likes of Cill Chomáin.

“We used to be out in Glenamoy a lot of the time at underage, so there is a lot of familiarity there,” said Richard.

“We’re similar in some ways. They are boxed in by the sea and we’re boxed in by the county border.” 

Richard said while there was hurt around the club following last year’s relegation playoff defeat to Kiltimagh, there was no need for a major inquiry at Bonniconlon after their relegation.

“We were devastated when we went down but there was no such thing as a big meeting or this, that and the other. We didn’t need to say that, the words weren’t needed, we knew that in our heart and soul,” he said.

“The sidelines are a lot busier now, people in the community are wanting to see us and when you start winning, there’s a buzz and people want to see their club do well. It is their club.

“The players put the work in at the gym and training and on the pitch. We know, we held ourselves there at intermediate for so long, if we get back up we could be more competitive because a winning buzz can bring us that step further.” 

For Ronan, victory in this weekend’s county final would provide the added caveat of being able to further decorate the mantlepiece at home. His wife Emma Lowther is a two-time county champion with the Knockmore ladies.

“She has two county titles, that’s the running joke in my house at the moment,” he said.

“Bonni’ had a great semi-final but that means nothing until we go out and win it. I don’t want to have been playing football for 25 years and then regret one day out of it. To me, this is absolutely huge,” he said.