NEW Fermanagh manager Declan Bonner said there will be “no half measures” as he prepares to take the reigns at the Erne helm following his official appointment on Monday night.
At a special County Board meeting, the Erne Gaels Belleek manager was ratified as the successor to Kieran Donnelly.
Bonner, who guided Donegal to two Ulster Championship titles during his stint as manager, was the only candidate interviewed for the position, after Maurice McLaughlin pulled out of the race.
The Na Rossa clubman, who is hoping to lead Erne Gaels Belleek into the knockout stages of the senior championship this weekend, is excited for the challenge of taking charge of the Fermanagh men.
“There are some good teams in Fermanagh, there’s no doubt about it,” Bonner told the ‘Herald.
“The senior championship is very competitive. When you see Enniskillen Gaels knocked out after the first two matches and this weekend, anything can happen in our group, there’s no team safe.
“There are some proper good teams out there and some good players.”
The 60-year-old lives in Dungloe and will face a 70-plus mile journey to Fermanagh three or four times a week for training, when the inter-county season starts up early next year.
While he recognises the challenges involved, Bonner’s keen to give everything to the Erne role.
“It’s not something that I’m going into with my eyes closed. I know the lie of the land and it’s probably just within the range where I would be prepared to travel,” the Fermanagh boss said.
“With inter-county management, there is no half measures and anyone who knows me will know that it will be all in and that’s what I’ll be expecting from everyone.
“It has to be one hundred per-cent because it’s high performance sport at inter-county level.”
While Bonner says that his current focus lies with Erne Gaels, the Fermanagh manager will also be taking in some other club games, as he aims to build a strong squad for the new season.
Fermanagh will compete in Division 3 in the league and in the Tailteann Cup and while the Erne boss is keen to make a strong start to his tenure, he’s not going to “make any mad promises”.
“For now, it’s just about getting the squad together. It will be step by step and I’m not going to make any mad promises,” the 60-year-old Donegal man explained.
“I’d hope we will be in a really good position and we can give these players a platform to go out and compete with the best and produce the level of performance that we need to be successful.
“I’ve no doubt when we start working with them, we’ll leave ourselves in a position to challenge.”
Bonner will be joined at the Fermanagh helm by former Donegal player Paul Brennan, his current coach at Erne Gaels Belleek.
The former Donegal boss is still finalising the remaining members of his backroom team.
“There is still a fair bit of work to do. I have a lot of meetings to get done,” Bonner said.
“Paul [Brennan] will be coming in as head coach. He has worked with me for the last two years and I know what Paul brings.
“I managed him for five years at inter-county level and I know the edge and the sharpness that he brings and his know-how around coaching.”