Kilcoo’s Callum Rogers earns his first ‘proper’ medal with Down SFC Final display

IT’S not just because he’s a trainee accountant that Callum Rogers offers a different take on his medal tally with Kilcoo in the Down SFC.

Although he’s only 21, the defender has four to his name, but insists he sees it differently: “It’s my fourth medal – but it’s only really the first proper one that I’m playing in. First start. I came on last year but it wasn’t worth talking about.”

Given that his club made it 12 titles out of 13 by beating Burren in Sunday’s final, Rogers is right not to get carried away.

You have to prove yourself with Kilcoo, earn your place, and Rogers’s modesty continues in reference to the ‘man of the match’ accolade he was awarded after helping the Magpies see off Burren in the decider: “I wasn’t expecting that, I don’t know where that came from.”

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His manager Karl Lacey offered some explanation, saying: “Callum’s been playing since day one in the league this year. He has had his head down. He was disappointed last year – played a few games then didn’t get into the starting 15 [for the final].

“It’s the sign of a lad who’s just focussed on his own game, this year, pre-season and the league he’s just worked really, really hard. It’s day like this that all comes to the fore and we’re delighted for him.”

Rogers caught the eye with his display against Burren’s Down star Danny Magill. The latter is known for his all-round ability, in defence and attack, but it was Rogers who curtailed him and also got forward on a regular basis.

Indeed such was Magill’s frustration that he was sent off late on for a black card offence against county colleague Ryan McEvoy having been booked early in the second half.

“I’ve marked Danny in a Minor final here a few years ago,” said Rogers.

“I think he was two years ahead of me at school, St Colman’s. I’ve big respect for Danny, whatever happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. I shook his hand at the end of the game, that’s it done.”

Liam Kerr also received a red card after Magill, for a second yellow on the hour, with Rogers feeling that the defensive shackles Kilcoo put on their opponents was a huge factor:

“I’m not really sure what happened them. Their big ace card had been taking Ryan Treanor off the bench and he started the game. We knew then they were trying to throw everything at us from the start.

“It’s a credit to our team and our defence that we kept them under wraps, especially their main players – two of them got sent off near the end. They’re still unbelievable players, county players. Our big thing is not conceding frees, I think we conceded three in the first half – we weren’t happy about that but the game’s over now.”

Rogers and colleagues kept a clean sheet, meaning Kilcoo had only conceded one goal in the championship, against Clonduff. “That was obviously a big feature for us again: ‘No goals’. If you concede a goal against any team it gives them that lift to get back into it.”

Indeed Burren only scored 0-4 in total, 0-3 of those from frees. The obvious question following on from Rogers’s remarks is whether he wants to follow the likes of Magill and Kerr, into the county senior side under the management of his Kilcoo clubmate Conor Laverty.

His response is a level-headed one: “Not right now, to be honest. This is my first final, I’m only focussing on Kilcoo and the now. Whatever happens after that, I’m only focussing on Kilcoo.

“I played for the [Down] U20s, alongside Odhran Murdock, Ryan Magill, all those boys. That’d be something nice, but it’s not a big ambition at the minute.”

He’s also making sure his actual career goes well, as well as his club career: “I’m studying to be a chartered accountant, at FPM, Fergal McCormack, over at his place. I’m starting the chartered exams this year. Football is a good break. I did an apprenticeship, this is my third year with him, I’ve another two or three years to do with him, see where that takes me to.”

The Down win takes Kilcoo back into Ulster, where they will meet the Cavan champions – either Ramor United or Crosserlough – but before then Rogers can relax…at least a little bit.

“It’s four weeks. We’ll have a bit of celebration, then back to training on Wednesday and push on from there.”

He did give a hint that Kilcoo would, understandably, expect to go further, having been Ulster champions in 2019 and 2021, and All-Ireland winners in 2022, before Glen dethroned them in the 2022 final, retained the provincial, and won the national title earlier this year.

Speaking on Sunday before the conclusion of the second Derry semi-final, he said: “I’m not sure how Slaughtneil and Glen is going, trying to keep an eye everywhere…”

The worry for any opponents is that Kilcoo didn’t play all that well against Burren, as Rogers acknowledged:

“No, we didn’t really, and that’s probably been a feature of us in the championship this year that we haven’t really got out of first gear. We’re just really getting through games.

“I thought once we got the separation away from Burren [on the scoreboard] I knew then we were in good stead to win the game. We’ve still plenty of work to do in the next few weeks.”

On and off the pitch, Callum Rogers will keep putting in the effort – you can count on that.