Mac's View: Dr McKenna Cup games perfect preparation for Donegal

Donegal got their season up and running on Sunday with their first game in the Dr McKenna Cup away to Antrim and they also got a good result, proving much too strong for the home side in Cargin.

It was a good outing also because we got to blood a lot of new players, most of them very young. Apart from the win, that was the bonus from the weekend. It probably wasn’t ideal for the players given the poor conditions with wind and rain and the pitch also cut up badly. But for players like Shea Malone, Turlough Carr, Conor McCahill and Max Campbell it was a very good run out for the first time in a Donegal jersey. Malone and Carr, in particular, certainly didn’t look out of place.

The result meant they finished as best runner-up and the draw pitted them against Derry in the semi-final with that game set for Celtic Park on Wednesday night.

That will be a much tougher test but it will also give the Donegal management a better idea of where they are at. It is the perfect preparation for what lies ahead in the league. It would be great to get to the Dr McKenna Cup final and that would provide Jim McGuinness and the team another good test against either Monaghan or Tyrone on Saturday evening next, one week out from the opening of the National League away to Dublin in Croke Park.

Derry might not have had a great year last year, results wise, but they are getting their act together and I would think they are not far away. I feel they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2026. Donegal couldn’t ask for a better challenge at this stage as Derry will be up for this game too.

A few counties got caught last week playing Sigerson Cup players with Fermanagh, Cavan and Armagh penalised. As it turned out the penalties didn’t have any major impact on who made the final four in the competition. I was surprised that counties didn’t know the rules.

I was interested to hear the reaction of Jim McGuinness to the win over Antrim and his priorities for the league. He is hoping to give the new boys time in the league to help in their development, putting that ahead of league position.

There were a few other positives from the opening game against Antrim with McGuinness saying that big midfielder Jason McGee was injury free at last and also pain free. He is a big man and with Ciaran Thompson out for a while McGee will be needed around the middle of the park.

Hugh McFadden was captain on Sunday and I was glad to see that. He had a great year last year and is also one of the best club players around. He always gives his all.

I was in Dublin early in the week and I gather there will be a good Donegal support heading to Croke Park for the opening game on Saturday 24th.

I’m sure the young players will be wanting to show their wares in Croke Park and it looks as if Jim McGuinness is energised by the big number of young players coming through at the moment.

Playing against Antrim is one thing; playing against Dublin and Kerry in the league is a completely different kettle of fish. But these young players have no nerves and would relish that challenge, especially the chance of playing in Croke Park.

With a number of the senior players, especially in the front line, absent at the moment, the likes of Shea Malone, Conor McCahill, Turlough and Seanán Carr, Kevin Muldoon and Max Campbell will be itching to show McGuinness what they can do. It looks as if we will be without Michael Murphy and Oisin Gallen for the opening games and with Patrick McBrearty retired, we are short on scoring power. This could be a great chance for some of the young guns

I’m really looking forward to it and the other thing about the league this year is that Donegal will have a good break before they take on Down in the championship, which I see has been fixed for O’Donnell, Park, Letterkenny on April 26th.

I think there is five weeks from the final league game until the championship which is much greater than it has been in recent times. In the last few years there was only a week or two between the end of the league and the start of the championship and for Ulster teams especially, it wasn’t very attractive to reach the final of the league. Indeed, it was disrespectful to both competitions, not having a breathing space between them.

READ NEXT: Seven things we learned from season-opener against Antrim

SYMPATHY

Just a short time after the death of Mickey McLoone, we were saddened this week to hear of the death of his wife, Imelda. My sympathies to the McLoone family at this very sad time.

Also my sympathy to the O’Malley family in Glenties on the death of Seamus O’Malley, a great GAA man from Rosmuc in Galway and he was a great servant of Naomh Conaill, where he settled. Sympathy to his wife, Bernie (nee Grimes, Ballyshannon) and his sons Michael, James and John.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.

Brian McEniff was in conversation with Peter Campbell