‘You Go Absolutely All-Out Attack For This’ – McCleery On Boyne’s Bid For #EnergiaAIL Promotion

For Boyne RFC, that journey has been long, at times uncertain, and often testing. But now, as they stand on the brink of a return to the Energia All-Ireland League for the first time since the 2016-17 season, there is a sense that everything has been building towards this moment.

At the centre of it all stands their head coach, Kevin McCleery, 34, born on a leap year on the 29th of February, he is a man who embodies the club as much as any player who will take the field this weekend.

A Boyne man through and through, McCleery’s story is not just one of coaching success, but of deep-rooted connection, identity, and an unwavering belief in what a community-driven club can achieve.

“Would have played mini rugby in Boyne, youth rugby in Boyne and into senior rugby with Boyne. One club man, proud one club man” he says, and in that sentence lies the essence of what makes this Boyne story resonate.

This is not a project imported from elsewhere. It is not a group assembled for a short-term push. It is something grown, nurtured, and sustained from within, and that authenticity has been a cornerstone of their resurgence over the past two seasons.

Back-to-back Leinster League titles, first in 1B, then in 1A, have propelled Boyne into the national conversation once more. Those achievements alone would mark a successful cycle for most clubs. But for McCleery and his players, they have always been stepping stones, not the destination.

Now, 80 minutes stand between them and a return to the All-Ireland League. Standing in their way are Enniskillen this Saturday at 2:30pm, a formidable Ulster outfit, in what promises to be a defining contest in the Energia All-Ireland League Provincial League Championship Final.

For McCleery, though, the approach has remained consistent. There is no grand reinvention for finals week, no sudden deviation from the principles that have carried them this far. Instead, there is clarity, about roles, about identity, and about how they operate as a group.

“It has been natural to move into coaching and I never strangely feel like I am now the head coach and I’m the leader of this group. It’s a very close-knit bunch of lads with some incredible experience, great personalities, lads who have played at a higher level than I have.”

That humility is not a deflection, it is a philosophy. McCleery does not see himself as standing above the group, but rather as part of a collective where every individual contributes equally to the overall direction.

“We’ve shown it as a visual a couple of times over the years as a group, that we’re really not in the shape of your natural org chart. If you were to say the committee at the top, director of rugby after that, underneath that you have head coach, second’s coach, assistant coach, then you have the leadership group, then you have your group of players.”

It is a striking image, a club without hierarchy in the traditional sense, where responsibility is shared rather than delegated downward. In a sport where structure and systems are often rigid, Boyne’s approach feels refreshingly human.

“In that kind of triangle pyramid, we really feel like the club operates at every single person just in this collective one-level group and how can we go about contributing. That’s where I feel my role is.

It’s a phrase often used, but I just have my job and that’s to try and prepare and support and coach the lads. Each of them, they have their job too. Performance of training, performance on the pitch and also being a member of the club and the community.

Everyone kind of feels that if we all just individually chip in, that accumulates into a very powerful collective.”

There is a quiet confidence in that simplicity. It removes unnecessary pressure from individuals and redistributes it across the group, creating a culture where accountability is collective rather than isolated.

And that culture has been the bedrock of their rise.

“It sure has (been a crazy journey) and there’s no ceiling to it” McCleery reflects.

Those words, “no ceiling”, capture the ambition that has driven Boyne forward. A team that were not in national conversation, are currently paving their path to return to the AIL next season.

Not an ambition rooted in arrogance, but in a belief that improvement is always possible, that there is always another level to reach. It is the kind of mindset that turns good teams into great ones. Not content with success, not satisfied with titles, but always searching for marginal gains.

“There’s an ambitious group of players, there’s an ambitious coaching staff and any single time we review, whether it’s training or match performance, you’ll never not find areas to improve and we just constantly look at them and say, okay, we can get a bit sharper there or we may have strengths and it’s let’s double down on them strengths.

Season on season, if you keep doing that with people who have an appetite to get better, you’ll inevitably perform a little bit better, and then the results kind of come and if the results come, all of a sudden it leads to league wins and titles and promotions. It’s built off a foundation of we’re all just striving to get a little bit better and in terms of the journey, just an ambitious group who would see no reason to put a limit on what we can do.”

That progression has been evident in the composition of the squad as well. Boyne’s group is not defined by a single generation, but by a blend of youth, experience, and everything in between.

“Very talented group of players, a nice age profile amongst the group as well that has lads who have come straight out of youth rugby in recent years, lads in their mid-twenties who have yet experience of playing for not only Boyne but maybe played rugby abroad and have come back home. And then lads in their thirties, a handful of centurions in their early thirties in the squad too. So yeah, that lends itself to a nice balanced squad too”

It is a balance that has given them both energy and composure. The younger players bring fearlessness, the older ones bring perspective, and together they have formed a team that understands both how to play and how to win.

That winning habit has been particularly evident in big moments.

Their semi-final victory over Kilfeacle & District, a 36-28 triumph in Mullingar, was another example of their ability to deliver under pressure. It was not just the result, but the manner of it that stood out. Controlled when needed, expansive when possible, and resilient throughout.

Adam Brodigan, Jack Mitchell and Eoghan Duffy all crossed for tries that day, while back row Karl Keogh landed four penalties and two conversions. While they had held a 17-0 lead at the break, they had to weather a storm to get over the line, but it showed their resilience and courage and now they look ahead to the Palace Grounds this weekend against Enniskillen.

“We absolutely loved the semi-final day in Mullingar” McCleery says.

“We all said afterwards just how enjoyable of an occasion that was. And we’ve earned ourselves another crack at it. And yeah, absolutely no doubt about it that we’ll leave everything out there.”

That enjoyment is not accidental. It is cultivated. Boyne have learned to embrace the pressure of big days rather than shy away from it. That phrase, “earned”, is important. Nothing has been handed to this group. Every step of their journey has been fought for, from the lower leagues in Leinster bouncing around, back to this point where promotion is within reach.

But if the semi-final was a test, the final presents an even greater challenge.

Enniskillen arrive with strong credentials and significant momentum. Their results this season suggest a team ready to make the next step, and the fact that the game will be played in Ulster adds another layer of difficulty for Boyne.

“In terms of this weekend, we’re not too sure where we stand with it” McCleery admits.

“It has been a long season and we’ve picked up a few knocks. This time last year, we were playing Division 2 Sunday rugby so we know we’re up against it, against a team like Enniskillen. Looking at some of their results this year, they’ve had some big wins.”

There is honesty in that assessment. No attempt to downplay the challenge, no illusion of control over factors beyond their reach. It is a compliment, but also a recognition of the narrative surrounding the game. Enniskillen are, in many eyes, favourites.

“Going into the play-offs and seeing some of their results, you nearly feel like they’re destined for the AIL. The game this Saturday is in Ulster. They’ve been drawn as the home side. Ulster won the Junior Interpros’s last season. Safe to say they’re probably the Fermanagh favourites this weekend. But I think they’ll be feeling the pressure as well.

I’ve seen their women’s team get promoted to the AIL recently. I’ve seen their 21s’ just lifted the Academy Cup. And their 1’s, they were just beaten last Saturday in the Towns Cup. So it’s fairly all eyes on them for this one too.

Finals bring a bit of pressure. I know they’ll have learned from it, but they were beaten in two Junior AIL finals, the All-Ireland Cup final. That can bring a bit of scarring too.”

And yet, if there is one thing Boyne have proven, it is that they are comfortable in the underdog role.

It is a subtle psychological edge, perhaps, but one that Boyne will not ignore. They understand that finals are not just physical contests, but mental ones.

For Boyne themselves, there is a different kind of history.

“We feel there’ll be a bit of pressure on them. And for our group, we’ve won three league titles together over the last six years.

And they all actually had to be won on the final day. So weirdly, we tend to really enjoy these days. We tend to turn up when it’s needed most. But yeah, we’re underdogs, but I wouldn’t write us off. We tend to really enjoy these days. We tend to turn up when it’s needed most.”

That confidence is not loud or boastful. It is grounded in experience. They have been here before, not in this exact fixture, but in moments where everything is on the line. There is a freedom in being the underdog. It removes the weight of expectation and allows a team to focus purely on performance. If anything, that status seems to suit them.

It is a phrase that captures the essence of their approach, give everything, hold nothing back, and embrace the occasion. There is no talk of second chances, no consideration of what might come after, with a play-off against Malahide if things do not go their way.

That clarity of focus is perhaps their greatest strength.

And so, everything comes down to this. One game. Eighty minutes. A chance to complete a journey that began years ago, when Boyne found themselves outside the All-Ireland League looking in.

Since then, they have rebuilt patiently. They have strengthened their culture, developed their players, and rediscovered their identity. They have won titles, but more importantly, they have learned how to win.

Now, under the guidance of a coach who has lived every part of the club’s recent journey, they stand on the brink of something significant. For Kevin McCleery, it is not about personal achievement. It is about the group, the club, and the community that has supported them throughout.

A one-club man, leading a team chasing a return to where they believe they belong. On Saturday, they will walk into that final as underdogs. But if their journey has taught us anything, it is this, Boyne are a team that thrives when the stakes are highest.

And in a game where everything is on the line, that might just make all the difference.

“We’re just feeling like we’re going to empty the chamber this weekend and enjoy it. We have a history of performing on the big day when it matters most. So yeah, I don’t think Saturday will be any different.

You’d be a brave man to write us off. If anything, I spoke to someone after training last night that said we need to nearly put the handbrake up a little bit tomorrow night at training because the lads are absolutely raring to go.

We’ll channel and conserve that level of excitement for Saturday. In terms of that second chance play-off game, it hasn’t entered the mind whatsoever. You go absolutely all-out attack for this weekend and, yeah, go from there.”

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