By Cian O’Connell

The Smith family continues to make a rich contribution to Boyle GAA.

Sunday’s novel Roscommon SFC final against Strokestown will be the latest chapter in Boyle’s story. Enda and Donie Smith will be centrally involved as key performers for Boyle, while on the sideline brother, Cian, manages his home club.

Throughout his life Cian Smith, an All-Ireland minor winner with Roscommon in 2006, has embraced challenges at various stages, but a passion for Boyle never, ever wavered. Illness curtailed his playing career, but Smith is now making an impact as Boyle prepare for a first senior decider since 1927.

“Ideally I'd still be playing, I don't know whether I'd still get in the team or not,” Smith laughs. “I would like to be playing, but obviously when I couldn't play the next best thing is coaching or management. I always wanted to manage Boyle at some stage.”

That drive and desire meant valuable lessons were learned elsewhere. “I went away, I was involved with different clubs and teams, picking up bits and pieces,” Smith adds. “When the job came up here in Boyle I was lucky enough to be offered it. I didn't really think twice about it to be honest.”

Sheer hard work has brought Boyle back into the reckoning. “Obviously when you go into the job you're hoping and dreaming of winning things,” Smith states. “At the end of the day there is only one team that can win it every year so it is not always going to happen.

“We have just kept the head down this year, we have worked on a few things. I'm really blessed to have the management team I have with Damien Tiernan and Conor McGowan, I couldn't speak highly enough of them.

“We have other guys in the backroom team too, Barry Lowe and Kevin Mullan, in particular, that do so much for me and the team. There is satisfaction that we are going well, but I wouldn't say I'm satisfied myself. It is our club, once that club is going well, no matter who is in charge or involved we will always be happy.”

Smith hasn’t forgotten who helped him during his sporting career. Inevitably Fergal O’Donnell’s efforts with the Roscommon minors and Boyle underage teams had an impact. Others, including Mark Dowd, who is involved with Strokestown are referenced too.

“Fergal managed Boyle U21s for a few years, he has been living in Boyle for about 20 years or more,” Smith explains. “He managed Boyle U21 for a few years, I played under him when I was 15 or 16 with Boyle. He took over the minors in 2006, I was on the panel obviously.

“We had a great year that year, and I would be very friendly with Fergal. He doesn't live too far away from my parents house - he knows us all very well. There is definitely stuff we did in 2006 and stuff that I would have learned from Fergal.

“Even chatting to him you would pick up little nuggets, like you would with various managers throughout my career.”

Smith vividly remembers commencing under Seán Young’s stewardship. “Seán Young, who is no longer with us, started me out as a player,” Smith recalls. “I would have learned a lot of stuff from him, different managers throughout the years with the club - Gary Wynne.

“I’d be very friendly with David Casey - a former Roscommon player and coach, I'd be picking his brain. Mark Dowd, who is actually a selector with Strokestown, I did a bit of work with him when he was Roscommon U21 manager in 2015. I learned so much from him, that is the way it goes.”

Growing up in Boyle sport was always on the agenda in the Smith household. “To be honest it was all sport,” he says. “I played soccer to a decent enough standard, Enda and Donie both played soccer to a decent standard. Enda played with Belvedere Boys, Donie was on trials with them.

“I played a lot of golf, our other brother, Ronan, doesn't play GAA, but he played tennis to a decent standard. We were always mad into it, we were always doing something in sport, it was mainly in GAA and soccer.”

The time was well spent. Boyle and Roscommon have benefited throughout the decades, but right now county final talk and Strokestown peppers the conversations.

“It is great for the two clubs, it is great for the two towns,” Smith says. “There is a great excitement around, everyone is in great form. It is the talk of the place, but at the end of the day for us and the players of both teams it is still a match that has to be won.”

Remaining focused during the 2022 campaign has been key for Smith. “I think the split season is absolutely brilliant,” he says. “Not from a physical point of view for the players that play for the county, physically they are fine, they will play all year round.

“Mentally to go from the previous way where you'd be pushing so hard with the county to go back to the club for a few weeks where no matter what you say - and I'm saying this as a club manager - there is a drop in standard and a drop in the level involved.

“After a few weeks those guys have to get back up again for the inter-county season, that cannot be easy.

“Now they know they are all in with the county until it is finished, then when they are finished with that they are into the club.

“It finished disappointingly for Roscommon this year - I said to take two weeks off, to do whatever they wanted to do and we'd be delighted to have them back when they are back.

“In fairness all of the lads took a week themselves and they were all back into us without having even to ask.” Cian Smith has guided them into Sunday’s Roscommon showpiece against Strokestown.