Mac's View: Four Masters will be team to beat in next few years

Congratulations to Four Masters on winning another minor championship at the weekend. That was their fourth minor championship win in-a-row and that is some record. I think Aodh Ruadh did it back in the early 1980s with big Brian Murray involved.

The present success of the Donegal Town club is just phenomenal and it wouldn’t happen unless the work was  being put in at ground level. They have a good size catchment area but without the work on the ground it wouldn’t happen. 

There is a big input from the Carrs with three of them now in line to play senior next year, following in the footsteps of their father Shane. I hear there is another also at U-12 level and he might be better than the others.

Kevin Muldoon is also a very good player and they have a number of others that will be catching the attention of Donegal senior team manager, Jim McGuinness and his backroom staff. At this stage their ability is well known.

The Four Masters club are much the same as Glenties at the moment and it was Glenties who ran them closest in the minor championship. The work is being done in that club as well and it is bearing fruit.

The Naomh Conaill boys know now, after Sunday last, that they will be meeting Scotstown in the Ulster club championship. That game is fixed for Clones for Sunday week, 9th November.

It’s a pity and a shame that the Intermediate clash between Naomh Columba and Carrickmacross is not also on in Clones on the same day as a double header. It would have attracted a big attendance from Donegal neutrals. The Naomh Columba game has been fixed for Inniskeen the day before, Saturday 8th and you won’t get any neutrals travelling to both games. But if it had been a double header, it would have  been a very attractive proposition.

But getting back to Scotstown, they were pushed all the way by Inniskeen in the county final on Sunday last in Clones. The game went to extra-time but just like the Donegal final and Naomh Conaill, when it came to the crunch the experience of Scotstown told in extra-time.

The clash on Sunday week should be an attractive game and it will be interesting to see how the young guns of Naomh Conaill like Finnbarr Roarty, Max Campbell and Shea Malone fare. Roarty has already experienced the big days in Clones even though he is still only 19.

And what a weekend it has been for club football in various counties up and down the country.

Erne Gaels played some of their best football in the replay in Fermanagh and congratulations to them on overcoming Derrygonnelly. Congratulations to our own Paul Brennan, who was in charge with Declan Bonner away on a family holiday.

They will be playing Kingscourt Stars now in Ulster in Breffni Park on Saturday week and they will have Meath star Jordan Morris to contend with.

Loughmacrory created history in Tyrone and Madden are a new name on the cup in Armagh. Loughmacrory had overcome Carrickmore from the same parish in the semi-final replay. There would be three clubs in that parish with Creggan a junior club.

Newbridge have won back-to-back titles in Derry but it is good to see new names although Scotstown and Kilcoo will have the experience and probably will be the teams to beat in the Ulster club championship.

And what about Westport in the Mayo county final replay against Ballina Stephenites. They were 10 points up and looking home and hosed. But they lost Eoghan McLaughlin, whose father is from Inishowen, to injury and Ballina came back, scoring 2-5 without reply in the final 10 minutes. It was devastating for Westport, who played really well.

It has been a feature of county championships all over the country this year, comebacks and draws. The Roscommon final ended in a draw on Sunday between St Brigids and Padraig Pearses and it is going to a replay. Which prompted the thought that Donegal missed out on not having a replay of their final, especially considering that they had four weeks to play with. They missed out on a big pay day as well.

I see that St Finnbarrs beat Nemo Rangers by a point in Cork and Killoe won in Longford and I would have a connection there through my son-in-law’s father, Gerry Quinn, who is a big Longford follower. Killoe would have a good record over the years in Longford.

Congratulations to Glenfin, who are celebrating 50 years as a club. I remember when they came into existence. Before that their players would have played with MacCumhaill’s, who would have had a big catchment area at the time. I remember Andy Curran joining them from Castlefin.

There were some big clubs at that time with St Joseph’s and Clanna Gael, which covered from Dunkineely to Pettigo.

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I’m looking forward to hearing what our National League fixtures are as they should be out shortly. And congratulations to the Donegal players who won Irish News Ulster All-Stars at the weekend.

Finally this week, my condolences to the family of Michael Walls of Naomh Brid, who died during the week. I remember his grandfather, John Joe Walls, who was one of the organisers of football in the area and playing on a field close to his pub in Ballinakillew. He was a great character.

Brian McEniff was in conversation with Peter Campbell