 to talk rugby here now on Highland ready on this week letter Kenny rugby club appointed a new coach as we welcome Paul okay into the airwaves in the northwest Paul a very good afternoon I'm good Paul I know you for over 20 years me and your old school buddies I decided to talk about sport you decided to go coaching it so you didn't have and you've been coaching successfully over the last number of years limo variety to a Gordon West and to a league title and then coach Sturban and after that you took on the big job at city of Derry where you brought the club from the brink of going down to junior rugby to being competitive again and they all are in serious maybe before we talk about letter Kenny Paul you might give us a sort of a background as to how things panned out for you in city of Derry and how much effort and work it took from you and your coaching team to get them back up being competitive and all learning league again I was an opportunity at the time I couldn't refuse I kind of similar to letter Kenny now I've seen the potential that existed within city of Derry and the wider Derry city area to grow the sport so the fact they were struggling wasn't a massive drawback for me I was really excited about what could be done so as I say we stabilized the club they were they were hemorrhaging players they weren't able to field at second 13 level and obviously they were getting a fair few hard days at the first team level they were I think they were the only club ever in the AL status not to be able to field at first team level so it was a fairly big task but myself and the Alexi Richie MacArthur and Joey Gallin at that time they all really balled into it and we started to turn the wheels around obviously we were able to get a very competitive squad gallered up we were able to get numbers back in the locality and guys re-engaged we rubbed again so we went from struggling with competing at first team level and even feeling the side we went to having a good mid table competitive side and all-earn league rubby as well as the second team that was able to won their league and the third team that won the Butler Shield so it was a fantastic season and there was good success with the ladies end of things as well they reached the junior cup final that the underage was really starting to tick again the very strong underage team squad so it was it was all pretty positive the second year we hemorrhaged a few bigger clubs came and obviously that's a victim of success as people want to tick their players to higher levels so we lost a few guys including letter Kenny's Connor McMillan and we lost him the team alone which was disappointing lost Rory McGinty and our letter Kenny left that up to Queen's but we were able to again be a real competitive force at first team level we were able to again push on we were hoping going into the last four games before the COVID kicked in that we were hoping to sort of get into those playoffs but to have a chance of getting into 2B unfortunately we didn't have that opportunity but as I say again we had a strong strong side the second team level we were able to finish I think they were in the top floor top four before that the season just fuzzled out and the third team were up the top end of their league as well and the underage teams that won their league that year so again it was all all pretty positive unfortunately then COVID come in and there was a I think we only get to play two games this year in preseason and it's been a lot of a lot of hard time work behind the scenes trying to just keep it alive and some shape for in refashion regards and they sort of training opportunities that we had together or games or just trying to keep that squad together which I think we've done fairly successfully lost a few guys here there but I'm handing it over to Richard McCarder he's a fantastic coach and a great lad and pretty good Nick I thought that the time was right for a bit of a change like every club you have different different areas where you don't agree on and I thought that's what it really needed I thought there needed to be a lot of a phrase shambles but I'm in tandem with the committee to overcome some of those obstacles so as I say that's what probably they have me to take in the opportunity we let her Kenya had an opportunity to go to slay go but later Kenny definitely has wet the appetite again to grow something yeah why letter Kenny what was the appetite there what's what's on the table on the table for you Paul rugby wise how are you gonna bring this club on I'm a huge northwest rugby enthusiast to begin with it's where I'm from and they have always seen the potential that exists within letter Kenny if you speak with anyone with an Ulster rugby the development coaches they'll all tell you that the potential that exists there I know even getting guys and the Tissallia Dere over the past few years that the Korn-McMennan and the Roo and McGuinty is a Ben McGarr release like there's so much potential that comes out of letter Kenny and the wider Donegal area fun valley etc and I think it's time that and I think that's what letter Kenny I've seen it's time that the opportunities were created under doorstep that they didn't have to go away for those opportunities and it's time that we find solutions to all the problems that the guys that are maybe having to travel from university will shift between the Friday evening there's going to be a proper setup in place there's been good coaches in letter Kenny before but maybe they hadn't the supporter resources around them so myself along with Alistair Ferguson is a fantastically talented coach and there's also going to be a strength and conditioning coach attached with the club which is a huge aspect of the game now and that you've got a look after especially getting the guys transitioning from youth rugby and the senior rugby it's a it's a different ball game being an 18 year old and playing against your own age to run against a 30 year old ball of a man so there's there's a lot of help and support that we have to give these guys as a club to make them feel part of things and really start to bring their potential to fruition really and that's what to be honest that's what he says to me when you look at the facilities that letter Kenny have their top drawer we were down there last night and like you only have to look at the clubhouse the pitches and the the room around there to actually grow as well to know that it's it's about a hard work and about the togetherness and hopefully we can hopefully we can achieve some good things yeah you done it in the first year of your three-year term at City of Derry you were able to to turn things around um where do you want to be at the end of year one with letter Kenny Paul? At the end of year one with letter Kenny a lot of a little bit of detail about who we can re-engage squadways I've been probably over the past few days I think MS is around 60 people the other day guys that walked away from the club or or had stopped playing rugby for one reason or another we want to try and re-engage with some of the the talent that it has existed that doesn't really play in much rugby at the moment the Daniel Faulkner's the the Peter Scott the Ben Scott's like there's a host of names that we want to try and get through and try and re-engage them under the club when we see what quality that we have the guy genuinely if there's natural potential there to finish in the top four this year at least you would love to drive forward under that playoff because that's another top two even first year and have a successful run the Gordon West Cup uh depending on what talent I'm able to re-engage uh in tandem with what's already there because the guys forget there's some fantastic talent there already like Christy Gimus and Davey Ward and Davey Brown those kind of stalwart players Andrew Gibson's like those guys could and all could have played at a much higher level than they have so there there is a spine that exists within there Kenny it's about now creating opportunities for those young guys coming through and seeing what talent we can pull into there and obviously what talent we don't have we're going to adopt these solutions for that so we will recruit and what we'll find answers to that in the local area by by trying to attract guys from all our clubs uh and what I see is as a club that's only going to go one way to be honest uh it's it's built to grow and that's what I intend to drive yeah you mentioned about players that have moved on to play with various other all art and league clubs uh Paul that's come out of the letter Kenny Academy um is your purpose with that type of player now going forward to keep them in letter Kenny or do you still have to evolve them and let them go play it up with a bigger club and at a bigger level and that probably all all bodes well down the line for the club again so how do you find the happy medium between all that to be honest I think you've got a aspire to keep your own talent and and that's certainly the aspiration within the club now is that the letter Kenny probably hasn't created the opportunities from they haven't had that support but now they are going to have that support so if we want to grow through the leagues there's minimal differences level wise through all the leagues to be honest especially from Q2 up to Q1 and the IAL there's small differences and there's there's small things that can make a massive difference with regards to your squad that's what we build in squad depth so our aspiration is that we are going to make sure that we retain up to around 85 90 percent of our under 18s coming through now I think we've got to do that and the mentality of hemorrhaging our best talent out to the older clubs has got to go uh and that's part of the mentality that I certainly will be bringing uh as I say with a setup that we're going to have in place we're the the guys are going to have the same opportunity to evolve as they want that in all the club um what the the experience that I have them Alastair and as I say with the the medical support from a physiotherapist uh that will help for the guys they have some seed provision uh to be honest we we we definitely don't want to see guys seeing that there's better opportunities outside uh we want to see the opportunities being created from within um like that as I say there's been a a fairly good start to that meet by I think there's nine nine of the the under 18 team that are coming out this year uh there's six of them that have already come out uh to play in their the rugby with them letter canning next year now there's a there's a couple that may be lost here going down to lamerick they study and that's that's fair enough but even all the Dublin Belfast we will look and strive to keep those guys on board now uh and we'll only get stronger as we grow a a huge part of what we're trying to do at first team level is going to happen below that uh like we we will be quicker be quick have a development team up and running this year uh that's it's a place for guys who and the letter canning maybe have walked away maybe guys from a gelly's background or another sporting background the one on opportunity to play uh the sport but need to learn the sport so and as I say those under 18 guys here maybe physically just not ready for senior rugby yet at first team level we've got to create those opportunities below so we're going to have a development team up and running again uh which which is hugely important uh Rory McGonagall is going to get involved with coaching into that but primarily I will also look after that that team as well with the numbers that are coming out and then next year at under 18 level like with 22 guys coming out uh at under 18 level the casperation ways that we should be genuinely looking to be producing probably as a minimum two sides but hopefully aim towards three sides over the next two three years as you know we've like we've got to grow those opportunities and pathways within the club so uh I definitely don't want to be losing our best talent from now on just finally then um I know I know as well your director of rugby at Foil College and things have been developing at a fantastic rate there for you as well Paul but on on the letter canning front you mentioned that there's not much right through the leagues and an Ulster qualifier realistically how far is letter canning away from playing either Ulster senior league rugby or or AIL I think you're you're probably five years away from uh probably making the decision on that and that's probably what the club have actually seen themselves uh they want to get real stability in the club I have committed to a five-year contract so I see that it's going to take time the committee know that it's going to take time but in five years time we will with the crop of youngsters that are coming through and hopefully re-engaging some of the talent that that has been lost and guys moving home over the next few years I would like to think that we're if not very stable and Q2 we will be up on Q1 that's the aim and once you're there you only have to look at the likes of of Oma who I would have played against or coached against as well and in Q2 they went from Q2 and the Q1 and straight up on the 2C and the All-Earn league so that's how you once you get the squad gathered and you get the depth right that's how easily it can happen or not easily maybe the word but that when you put in the work in the hard yards and you grow that depth it can it's it is those small minimal differences and getting that together in us and making sure that you hold on and maintain your talent and getting everyone involved and to drive in a real new culture within Lederkinny like it can happen that quickly and as I say I think chat and do that one thing that I've picked up from every single lad that I spoke with at Lederkinnyways is there's a real drive and enthusiasm to have top level rugby in the Lederkinny area they want to see it as their home club they want to see success at their home club and that there will take you a fair bit of the way alone so it's just creating the opportunities for those guys and helping them along the way okay that's what we'll watch with a lot of interest Paul O'Keehan many thanks for talking to us today and the very best to look ahead in the future with your role in Lederkinny. That's great thanks a bunch of you