Bangor earned promotion from Section 2 last year and will now battle with nine other teams in the highly competitive Qualifying 1 league. Ricky, who has played his entire career for Bangor - bar a season with Kahukura in New Zealand - believes the North down club can be optimistic about the campaign...
So Ricky, how have pre-season preparations been going?
Prepartations have been going well. The club toured Italy in the first week of August and somehow got to play Treviso, their actual ‘international standard’ first team, so after that we weren’t afraid of anything that our coaches, Rupert Preston and Jason Morgan, threw at us! We played Instonians last week in a pre-season friendly and beat them 26-12, a great result for the club as Instonians play in the league above us.
What are your hopes for the new season?
After promotion from the competitive Qualifying Section 2, we aim to consolidate our standing in Qualifying 1, though ultimately we want to get Bangor back to Senior status, somewhere in the near future. We would be really pleased with a top four finish as I think playing in the All Ireland Junior Cup would be a step towards where we want to be.
What games are you most looking forward to this season?
We have some great matches to be look forward to, such as playing the league winners of last year, Portadown, at home this weekend. But it is hard to go past the two games against local rivals Donaghadee. We have had some great tussles over the years and I think the friendly rivalry is something quite special, with the beers afterwards in the club house as important as the battle during the game!
Key player(s) in Bangor team?
We have a few key players. This year’s captain Jamie Clegg, is as hard as granite, and the kind of man you would want to follow into any battle, he is a real natural leader and at 24 is only going to get better. Also in the pack we have an old veteran in Paddy Dornan, giving us a combative presence in the front row. He is an ex captain of an AIL 2A team, so his experience is massive. Then with new signings like James Henly from UUC adding bulk and menace, places in the pack are as competitive as it has been in my fifteen years of playing at Bangor. In the backs, Jason Morgan, playing at either outhalf, centre or fullback, with his raw power and line breaking, has the ability to bring the young guys around him into the game. David Charles plays on the wing or at fullback and has emerged over the past 12 months as a finisher of some note.
How does the current team compare to others you’ve played in?
The real difference has been the commitment shown all of last year in our one goal which was to win the league. There was no whining or moaning, and this team spirit was what I think carried us through. The team was so focused on winning that nothing else mattered; training was intense, the games were intense, week on week and eventually we came out on top. If we have this same intensity this coming season there is no reason why we shouldn’t do the club proud.
What opposition teams should challenge for the title this season?
It’s hard to look past Portadown again, we played them last year in the cup, and they have real quality all over the park. CIYMS also look to be stronger than ever, having watched them on Friday night in a friendly against Ards. You can never rule out Clogher Valley who are as dogged and determined a team as we will play all season. But then Coleraine, the Dee, Ballymoney and everyone else in the league will have something to say about this! It’s a crazily competitive league!