TONY McBride is currently living in Leitrim but he has shown full commitment to Letterkenny Rugby Club this season.
McBride broke into the Letterkenny team as a teenager and was an important player for a number of years.
He then went down to UL for college and linked up with the famous Garryowen club, and he also had a season with Sligo.
However, when the new management team came in this year, he decided to put his shoulder to the wheel for Letterkenny again.
It means plenty of time spent driving on the road but that’s not an issue for the Cranford native.
“I’m living in Dromahir and I’m teaching in Ballinode College in Sligo.
“It’s a good run up in the evening time for training but it’s not a massive sacrifice.
“People might say it’s commitment but when you are enjoying it, it doesn’t feel like commitment.
“It’s been great this year. Every week you have been buzzing to get home and play rugby. It’s been enjoyable and easy to do.
“I leave home at half-five for training at half-seven and I might get a wee coffee on the road.
“I might get back then about 12 o’clock. You just need to be organised at the start of the week.
“We train on Fridays as well. I’m not the only man making a journey. There are boys coming back from college in Dublin and Belfast.”
McBride concedes that Letterkenny haven’t always got the best out of themselves over the last decade but things appear to be on the right trajectory once again.
“There is a big change. When I started out we were a strong Q3 side and we maybe fell away over the last couple of years.
“But it’s good to see us coming back to that level now. We’re not just playing Monaghan in the final, we’re playing them the week after in the semi-final of the league as well. We’re hopefully gunning for promotion too.
“It’s like anything you go through different spells and hopefully we are coming into a good one now again.”
Letterkenny have a fantastic home pitch and an excellent clubhouse at Dave Gallaher Park.
It’s a fine venue that they can call home and they are starting to see young talented players break through once again.
“We had Brian McLaughlin who used to coach Ulster down for a few sessions a couple of years ago and he was blown away by the facilities.
“Everyone who comes here comments on the top class facilities we have.
“We’re lucky to have it and to have the partnership with the (Letterkenny) Gaels which allows it to happen.
“In that way the club has blossomed, and we have an unreal amount of talent through this year from the Under 18s and that’s testament to the work that is going on with the club at underage level.”
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