Bryansford are putting on a brave face ahead of what is probably one of the toughest tests not only in Down, but also in Ulster club football, as they take on the might of Kilcoo in Monday night’s (25 August) Senior Championship opener.
Bryansford manager Jim Magorrian said that not only do the two-time Ulster Club champions and 2021/22 All-Ireland winners have an incredible amount of strengths, they also have very few weaknesses.
Jim said, “Just look at their county players, and their county U-20s. They keep producing brilliant footballers every year and keep adding to their squad. Look at Tadhg O’Hanlon, Barra McEvoy and Ruairi Madine. Individually, Kilcoo are very good, and collectively they are very good in terms of playing. Their management team is probably one of the best in Ireland. If you look at the whole structure of the club, it is not by chance that they are where they are. When you are looking for weaknesses in Kilcoo, it is very hard to find any. We are praying they have a very poor night, and we have an extremely good night, and if that happens, then hopefully we can compete with them.”
The approach that Jim’s team will take into the game is to use it as a test and something to learn from. “Kilcoo is going to be a learning curve and a massive experience for a lot of the boys, to play one of the best teams in Ireland. It is going to be a challenge, but it is one that the boys are looking forward to, just to see how far we are off one of the best teams in Ireland.”
Kilcoo’s form going into this game is fantastic. They won the league with five games to spare and without their county players. So heading into the championship, the feeling is that they are an unstoppable force. Therefore, the challenge for Bryansford is to adopt a mindset where they can perform to the best of their ability.
Jim said that despite the massive challenge and the county’s expectation that Kilcoo will win comfortably, the Bryansford players are looking forward to the opportunity. “We have got seasoned campaigners who love championship football and we have younger players who are coming into their first or second campaign. Now the league is over, the panel seems a bit more relaxed. There was massive pressure to get promoted. I can sense that the boys are looking forward to the championship.”
Bryansford finished in joint third place in Division Two alongside Rostrevor on 20 points, nine points behind leaders Bredagh and six behind Glenn.
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