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Seanie Furlong: 'It means everything to play for Wicklow'

Wicklow footballer Seanie Furlong pictured at the Leinster Senior Football Championship launch.

Wicklow footballer Seanie Furlong pictured at the Leinster Senior Football Championship launch.

By Cian O'Connell


Seanie Furlong has sampled good and bad days in the Wicklow jersey, but hope remains part of the story. For now that is enough to ensure Wicklow enter the Leinster Championship heartened.

Furlong smiles and talks enthusiastically when discussing the Mick O’Dwyer era, but the current mission under John Evans is to ensure Wicklow become competitive once more.

A young panel endured some tough afternoons in the Allianz Football League as Wicklow drew two and lost four of their games.

“Yeah, we have a lot of inexperienced players, but I think we have a much stronger panel than we did in the League,” Furlong says ahead of Sunday’s Leinster Championship clash against Offaly.

“I suppose the League wasn't great for us, but we have a good spine now, a lot of young lads came in. We will be okay.

“You have time to get lads right, injury free, and you can look after lads. The ground hardens up, the sun comes out, and all of a sudden it is a lot easier to run for a ball.

“So we have everyone back injury free, we are looking forward to it especially as the young lads got a bit of experience in the League. They got a feel of what it is about. Offaly are a Division Three team, but we will give it a go.”

Furlong is adamant that Evans can deliver for Wicklow. Considerable work is being put into the underage grades with Evans heavily involved.

“That is what we are hoping he can do, but in fairness to John he has been very good, especially with the young lads,” Furlong states.

“Talking to them one on one telling them what he wants and in fairness he is putting in a lot of work with the Under 20s as well. We are going to have to rebuild, that is the way it is going to have to go.

Experienced Wicklow forward Seanie Furlong.

Experienced Wicklow forward Seanie Furlong.

It has to be key, we have to go down that road. The trouble is we didn't pay enough attention to this over the past number of years.

“When we were going well, well for us under Mick O'Dwyer, maybe we didn't put enough into underage. Maybe if you did put in a lot of work we would be in a better position than we are. John Evans is putting in a lot of work and I feel that he can sort it out for us.”

The buzz from the O’Dwyer years ensured Wicklow were relevant and respected. Getting back to that level is the ambition for Furlong. “That is what I'm hoping for, it was great,” Furlong states.

“Everyone was nearly afraid to play us. You couldn't walk down the street in Wicklow. People were coming over asking you about how things were going. You want to get back to do. We have to start slow, to try to win a few matches to get everyone behind us.

“Then we just need to let John do the rest at underage, he will do it. There is some good young lads coming up, but it is going to take time for them. In a year or two they will be good.”

Tipperary, Clare, and Carlow have all demonstrated what can be achieved in recent years through sheer hard graft. “100%, once you put in the work and have a lad that knows what he is talking about and understands what is going on and where the work has to be put in,” Furlong replies.

“You look at all those teams it took a few years before they came up. You have to get the foundations in place. We are going the right way about it and I do feel we have the footballers. The young lads who have come in have shown it, loads of them are out there, it is just getting them in to work at it.”

At this time every year with Championship action arriving Furlong derives enjoyment and pleasure from Wicklow’s journey. “I wouldn't change a thing, I love playing for the county,” Furlong adds.

“On a Championship day you can't beat it. You'd give anything to be there every year. It means everything to play for your county. Some people would say 'what are you doing training all the time?' It is the enjoyment.

“There is always the chance for a good day, you are hoping to get a win, to go on a run. Then you could get a run in the qualifiers to build up momentum, to try to take it into the League next year. That is what we want to do.”