Diarmaid McInerney greedy for more medals with Aodh Ruadh

It could be a quiz question in 20 years’ time. Who was the first Aodh Ruadh senior player to score on the new-look Fr Tierney Park?

The honour fell to one of the veterans of the team, Diarmaid McInerney, a player who has become one of the mainstays of the side since turning 30. McInerney will turn 34 before the end of the year but was in form on Saturday last in the final round of championship games as Aodh Ruadh overcame Glenfin by 1-8 to 0-5 and finished top of the 16-team championship table.

For McInerney, who says he is enjoying his football more than ever, it was just another game.

“It was about getting the job done, and it doesn’t matter how it pans out. You just hopefully want to be ahead at the end of the 60 minutes. All our focus now is on the quarter-final and maybe go a step further than the last three years.

“That is the main objective to get through a quarter-final and push on and see where you go from there.”

There was the added interest last week with the first games being played on the new playing surface and it got McInerney’s seal of approval.

“It was nice to get on the new field. I was feeling that if a man didn’t get on it this year, I might never get on it. 

“It’s a great playing surface and a great wide field and it was great to get playing on it. It suits me and it suits the faster lads too as there is plenty of space.”

But a few weeks ago, being fit to play in the championship for McInerney was an issue as he had to take a break because of an Achilles injury.

“I got an injury and played in games but I knew I wasn’t right. I was going through games and going through the motions. John (McNulty) said to me, if you are not able you need to take a break, and it was the best thing that happened (after the opening game against Four Masters).

“He said look after yourself for the week and stay away from it and get yourself right. He said to forget about the Gaoth Dobhair game and come back fresh after that. I did that,” said McInerney, who got medical treatment and took a week out.

He was pressed into action as a substitute in the third game away to Killybegs and then started last Saturday against Glenfin.

“I knew I had dropped off from the latter end of the league. I couldn’t get running right because my Achilles was killing me. You have to look after these things and I don’t think I did, but John has experience of these things and he just told me that was the way it was going to be.”

But losing your starting place can also create a difficulty in getting it back again. “You don’t want anyone to get hurt or that but you need a wee bit of luck as well, but thank God it went well on Saturday.”

Aodh Ruadh pictured before Saturday's game with Glenfin Picture: Brian O Droma

What also pleased McInerney on Saturday against Glenfin was the youth of the squad.

“It was  great for young Jack Gallagher to make his senior debut, to see him being able to come on as he put in a long league campaign.  It was good to see another new face,” said McInerney. Gallagher was following in the footsteps of Eoghan Kelly, who also made his senior championship debut this year, while Shane Delahunty played almost the entire league but then suffered a season-ending injury.

“There are a lot of young fellas there, even Kyle Murray, who has been around a few years, he is still only a young lad. He just goes about his business and you don’t hear from him.  All these young lads are good.”

While Aodh Ruadh have been the only team to win all their four games so far, it has not come without criticism about their style of play, but that isn't a worry for McInerney.

“I’ll be honest with you, it doesn’t bother me. And I’ll tell you why it doesn’t bother me. We spent years losing games in Division 2 and Division 3 and nearly in Division 4. We’re winning games now and you have to enjoy it.

“There’s no point in losing games and playing well. I’d rather win games and not play well. For me, anyway, I don’t listen to that outside stuff. We are all together within the team and we’re winning, and we’re enjoying that. Because for a long long time we were being beaten and had a lot of losses.

“We’re in a different bubble and we’re winning games. It’s not the way we plan it to be, it just happens.  But at the end of the day if you’re winning when the final whistle is blown, it doesn’t matter how you get there.”

There also seems to be a trend around each game that they are a third quarter team, playing a holding sort of game in the opening half and then  opening up.

“We possibly are, but that is not something we are trying to do. We want to be good for all quarters. I think it is the way that some of the games have gone. The other side of it, we’re young and we’re probably still afraid. The longer the game goes on, the more confident the lads become. I think that’s why it’s by the third quarter that the boys get the confidence in themselves to express themselves.”

McInerney points out that apart from himself, Darren Drummond and Peter Boyle, there are very few players with bundles of experience. “Michael McKenna seems to be around a lifetime but he’s only 22. Everyone is finding their feet. Consistently winning championship games, to be honest it’s new ground for me as well.”

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And what does it feel like to finish top of the championship table?

“There was no talk of six or eight points, it was game by game, play it and go on to the next game. It didn’t go to plan all the time but at the end of the day we have eight points. Some people say we haven’t played any big teams, but we played Gaoth Dobhair; we played an experienced Glenfin team; Four Masters are probably like ourselves, very young, only finding their feet.

“To be third in the league for the last two years and now win four championship matches, the consistency is there,” says McInerney.

“If we could get through that quarter-final, anything can happen after that.”

The Aodh Ruadh forward agrees that the quarter-final ceiling is the one that they have to break through.

“We are back to where we were last year and left behind in that game in Fintra.”

While he will take whatever comes their way in the draw, McInerney does feel there is no great reward for finishing top.

“My feeling would be that it was great to finish in the top four. The quarter-final play-offs are seeded and then the top four don’t benefit much out of it. It would have been nice to have been seeded, especially when you are No 1, but that’s not the way unfortunately. So we just have to get on with it. We are proud to have finished in that position, but it will mean nothing if we don’t kick on now.

“But the way we look at it now, if you want to progress you have to beat the best teams and that’s what championship is about, going toe to toe with one of the best teams and see where you are, and hopefully come out the right side of it.”

Now in the twilight of his career, McInerney thought he could retire happy when he won his Intermediate medal in 2020.

“I  said in an interview with you after the Intermediate I was content with that. I don’t know if it is greed or what, or that I love football that much. If I could take a senior medal I don’t know if I would kick a ball after that.”

McInerney says that he often meets boys around the town and they say they have three or four medals, and you say to yourself I want only one.

“I was having a conversation with one fella, and I won’t mention any names, and he says ah, I have four or five, I don’t even know where they are. I was saying to myself, all I want is one and I would know exactly where it is.

“I know exactly where my Intermediate medal is, it is framed in the hall alongside an article that you did with me at time.

“Now we want to go further and become the best senior team in Donegal.”

And McInerney is in no doubt that Aodh Ruadh have been developed into a top team by their Kilcar-born manager, John McNulty.

“John McNulty is probably the best manager I have ever played under and I have played for different managers. He has a great way with people and the lads. He has a happy camp, no matter what, and it is hard to keep everyone happy.

“As he would say himself, it’s not just 15, it’s 22 or 23 that are part of it. There might be a lad at training every week and he might not get a game but he is just as big a part of it as the rest. John is very helpful as a coach and a manager,” said McInerney, who also had praise for the other coaches Conor Doherty and Damien Stewart. “Everyone is learning every day from them.

“John has put life back into my football and I’m enjoying it again. And if you enjoy something, why would you ever give it up.”

He is also enjoying the banter and talk that is part and parcel of championship weeks. “Everyone is talking about it. It’s a good time of year, it brings about a bit of excitement.

“There were fine margins last week with Glenfin just surviving, despite losing to us by six. They decided to play keep-ball in the final minutes and I was wondering why they were doing that, but they must have been aware of what was happening elsewhere.”

As for the new championship system that has been in operation for the last few years, McInerney gives it the thumbs up with just one little tweak.

“The whole new system has worked to a point.  But if the top four were seeded for the quarter-final draw, just to give some reward for finishing in top four. They got half of it right by seeding the preliminary quarter-finals,” said McInerney.