Greg Bolger - The Interview

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

The Big Red Bench, Saturday and Sunday from 6pm. Cork's RedFM.

Ruairí (0:09)

There we go. Greg, thanks a million for coming in. How are you?

Greg Bolger (0:13)

Yeah, all good, all good, all good.

Ruairí (0:15)

Kind of strange to ask, but how was retirement treating you?

Greg Bolger (0:18)

I suppose it's only been a short while, it's only the last few weeks, but yeah, no, look, it's just, I still feel that I'm back in pre-season in January, and I suppose I had to get my head around that.

But no, other than that, it's just, yeah, it's been good. I've been back home, I see we had a few celebrations and stuff after the league win, and just been back home with my family, really, and spending time with them. And I've been up and down the road, hasn't really stopped either, the football, because I'm still in with the 20s, and they have two more games left in their league with a chance of winning it, so I'm coaching tonight with the 20s, and we'll be getting two games in the next two Saturdays, so kind of hasn't really settled down the football, but other than that, no, all good.

Ruairí (0:59)

When did you make the decision?

Greg Bolger (1:03)

I suppose, I suppose there was a lot of time, I probably thought last year would be my last year, but I think the way the season went last year, the club finally losing, I didn't want to finish on that, not in a selfish point of view, and obviously I felt I could still help the team to get back up into the Premier Division, so it was probably over the season. Obviously there's other factors as well, back home it would be misses, I think I've mentioned it before, I'm getting married next year, I'm trying to start to build a house, and I have a kid on the way. Oh, congratulations, boy. Thanks very much.

Ruairí (1:34)

Delighted for you.

Greg Bolger (1:35)

It's the baby's due in March.

Ruairí (1:37)

Ah, it's amazing, man.

Greg Bolger (1:38)

So, it was kind of a lot of factors, I suppose I probably wanted to be present at home, you know, kind of a fella left, I'm going to do something, I'm going to give it the full hog, so probably doing both wouldn't be true to myself, so I think probably hopefully the best thing that's going to happen in my life is happening in the March, so it was kind of all them factors came into it, and yeah, probably middle of the season somewhere, I suppose when we got the news, was probably the deciding factor.

Ruairí (2:07)

Ah, man, I'm delighted for you, I'm delighted for you, and it's something I've realised over time as well, with now I've got two girls, is that there's nothing better than family, and there's nothing but family, and just being there and present for your family, it just takes precedence over everything.

Greg Bolger (2:18)

Yeah, yeah, and look, and that's what I said, I've been on the road for 20 years, football, I've had a great career, I'm so grateful to have such a long career. I suppose these are factors now and things are happening in my life that I think it's time to call it a day.

Ruairí (2:33)

Because from a footballing side of things, I thought you'd have another year left to open the Premier Division, because looking at you, you played a lot of minutes this year, and you didn't look out of your depth at any stage, you looked like one of the fittest men on the pitch. So from a footballing side of things, I reckon you probably could have gotten another year.

Greg Bolger (2:45)

Yeah, look, I probably thought I could, but I think I'll go back to what I just said there, I just don't think I'll be able to give it my full commitment to what's going on outside of football. And so that was a case where a decision to make, would I, and on the club, to be fair, asking the question, what would you do another year? Possibly, but I think with all the deciding factors, I, like I said as well, in other interviews that I've, so grateful that I was able to go out and kind of have my own tournaments, because there's not many lads, I've played with so many lads over the years where injury has stopped them from playing their latter part of their career. So I felt I could have, I felt I could have helped the team, not play every game with me age and be managed. And that was their world conversations that were had with the club.