Wicklow captain Padraig O'Toole believes that the side’s ascension doesn’t have to stop at Division 3 should a period of stability play out in the Garden County over the next number of years.
Despite their Tailteann Cup opening loss to Carlow, it’s been a good season for Wicklow with new manager Oisín McConville guiding them to Division 4 promotion, losing just once in their seven league games before Sligo bettered them in the final at Croke Park.
Sunday’s loss to Carlow, when they conceded six points on the trot in a 0-17 to 1-13 defeat, was a blow, but O’Toole is optimistic about where this group can go.
"Ideally our county, where we are, we need to be making this progress up to probably Division 2," he said.
"Then in Division 2 you’re coming with the likes of Westmeath, Louth, Kildare that you can go [to] every week and compete with them. That’s the level we want to get to, a positive year but we want to keep moving that way.
"Realistically one of the main challenges for Wicklow is player retention and that comes with managers changing over the years," he continued.
"It comes with game time, lots of different factors, but what we really need next year going into Division 3, we need the panel we have this year along with more and we need to hold that core group of players together because it is very hard to make progress when you hold on to 15 players but you lose ten and then a new ten come in.
"So player retention is huge and if we continue with that panel and return with 90% of the players we have, I think we’d be in a good position to challenge in Division 3 and I suppose that’s the main goal next year."
Last year, an opening round Tailteann Cup loss would have resulted in elimination, but the new round-robin format provides a chance of redemption.
Wicklow travel to Longford this Saturday before a clash with Limerick closes out their group campaign.
The addition of the round-robin format does lead to better player retention, according to O’Toole.
"It’s better this year with the fact that there's three games to play that’ll give players chances to put their hands up and get more game time and play championship and it is far better than the old format where you might get one win in Leinster and then you’re playing the second day and one qualifier, two if you're lucky, and that’s it for the year.
"Players are maybe scratching their head wondering why am I doing this? So yeah, the Tailteann is a good competition for that."
O’Toole is now in his fifth season with his county and while glory days have been fleeting, he is more than happy to pull on that blue jersey.
"I love it I suppose. I never once questioned it. I have very little other interests, I love every second I’m in there.
"From my point of view, it’s probably one of the better times to be playing football with Wicklow. We’ve been promoted twice from Division 4 since I started playing, we’ve had a couple of Leinster championship wins and the win against Laois last year.
"I love it I suppose. I never once questioned it. I have very little other interests, I love every second I'm in there.
"I suppose they are rare but before that there was probably a major drought in Wicklow, they were in Division 4 for a long time so I suppose it hasn’t been too bad and that has kept me motivated but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
"I find it hard to think about what I would do if I wasn’t playing."
The addition of Armagh’s 2002 All-Ireland winning star McConville has been another reason why he is so keen to remain involved.
"Oisín’s experience and mentality, it’s great to have someone like that with that experience and knowledge of the game working alongside us.
"As soon as he starts talking you can see everyone wants to learn off him and get as much information as we can. So we are lucky to have the likes of Oisín as our manager and that we can utilise."
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