By Matthew Wilson

Na Rossa manager Pat Caulfield is hoping his outfit can compete against their Intermediate Football Championship opponents in order to try and retain their status for another year.

Na Rossa concluded Division Three this season in eighth place but have found it difficult to get a steady team out throughout the season between players suffering with injury or being away.

This doesn’t appear to have improved ahead of the championship with county panelist Oisin Caulifield also carrying a knock at present but Pat Caulfield is hoping the likes of Johnny Bonner and John Paul McCready can add to the squad.

“At the minute we’re not looking too strong. We thought we’d get more back in but it didn’t happen. We got one or two back but they’re struggling now with injuries so it’s looking like more of the same for the championship. Oisin has a bit of a knock too so we don’t even know if he’ll be fit for two or three weeks.

“We’ve Johnny Bonner back in and he’ll be an asset to us, hopefully John Paul McCready comes in to play a bit if he gets time for it. These boys are all over forty and that’s the reality of it but that’s what we have to do to try and stay alive.”

The Lettermacaward outfit have a tough run of games to navigate in the intermediate championship, facing the likes of Milford, Naomh Columba and Red Hughs but begin with a home match against Naomh Muire who recently earned promotion to Division One.

“We’re coming in as complete underdogs. We survived in intermediate last year by the skin of our teeth with a tough game against Letterkenny Gaels to get over the line. Naomh Muire are going well this year, getting promoted to Division 1. We’ve them in our first game so you’re talking about a mid-table Division Three team against a Division One team. At the end of the day we are really punching above our weight.”

Retaining their intermediate status last year with the relegation semi-final victory over Letterkenny Gaels, the Na Rossa boss stated that they’d be pleased to achieve this again with the aim for the campaign being to put it up to the sides they’ve been drawn to face.

“If we can retain our status and compete against these teams then we’ll be happy. They’ll be hard to win but if we can lift ourselves to play these games and if we did stay in intermediate then you’d be over the moon, it’d be a massive achievement.”

Bainisteoir: Pat Caulfield

Captain: Odhran Molloy

Last Year: IFC Relegation Semi-finalists

Star Man: Oisin Caulfield

One To Watch: Mark Bonner