Standards will be right under McGuinness - Patrick McBrearty

“It will probably be a bit of a shock to the lads who haven’t been there before. You just have to get to work and get the bodies right and be ready for every minute you can,” says Patrick McBrearty on the return of Jim McGuinness as Donegal manager.

McBrearty was speaking at the launch of the new-look Donegal jersey for the coming season, which took place in the Abbey Hotel on Thursday.

The 2022 county captain agreed that the past year had been difficult and standards had slipped but there was a great buzz around with the new appointment.

“Exactly, and in years gone by there, the standards have probably slipped to what anyone who has worked under Jim had seen the bar set. It probably slipped after he left. The standards will be there now once Jim’s back.

The return of Jim McGuinness has lifted spirits and it is clear that the players are also looking forward with new enthusiasm to representing the county.

“Listen, we're only three months out from the start of the National League. I know it seems a long time away. But in preparing for it, you want as much time as possible. 

“It’s great to be here today and I hope everyone is happy with the jersey,” said McBrearty.

The Kilcar man was delighted with McGuinness’s return but feels that the buzz is now more on the outside.

“No, in the first week or two, it’s the top of discussion, but as players we put it to the back of our minds and get down to work.”

As regards the past and especially last year, McBrearty wants to look forward. “Yeah, I think we were a little bit unlucky last year with injuries, lads not able to commit; just getting them boys back will be a big boost to us.

“The main thing for us is to get up out of Division 2. Club football is a lot different from county football, so making a step up from there is massive. We just want to get through the first block of training first and then the first few league games.

“There’s potential there that we saw in club football and getting them to transition from club football to county football is going to take time but there is definitely potential there.”

As for setting targets for Donegal going forward,  McBrearty is coy.

“Yous can do that. The players won’t do that. That will be an internal thing. We have Cork in the first game and that’s maybe our main focus at the minute.

“Yous do whatever yous need to do to fill papers,” laughs McBrearty.

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But whatever about immediate targets, the meeting with Derry in Celtic Park in the Ulster championship in April stands out.

“Derry have set the bar over the last two years, beat us in the Ulster final in 2022, retained it last year and could have been in the All-Ireland final; there was only a couple of kicks of a ball in it. They are in Division 1 this year and no doubt they will be getting back together soon. They have a new manager there in Mickey Harte and no doubt the players will want to impress him.

“Listen, there’s a lot of football to be played between now and then but obviously we will be keeping one eye on that.

“There’s a lot of young lads to come in; there’s a lot of lads that have gone out the door. Staying fit and injury free, that’s the main thing.”

McBrearty says he is completely injury free again after a difficult period last year when he picked up a bad hamstring tear in February, which kept him out for over four months

“Listen, these things happen,” said McBrearty, who said from the time of the injury to the scan in London and going under the knife, was very quick. “It was something that had to be done. It was a serious enough injury,” he said, adding that it was still a quicker return than the 9-10 month rehabilitation he went through with a cruciate injury.

He was not the only Donegal player to be hit by the hamstring injury.“Unfortunately, we’ve had three, something really weird, which we had to investigate to see what was happening.

“It’s easier when you know a lad that has gone through it. You follow the same procedure and protocol. The lads are making a good recovery, Michael Langan and Caolan McColgan.”

For now McBrearty is ready for what’s ahead and asked if he was looking forward to the training, he says: “Listen, it has to be done. I think it may be over exaggerated at times. You just put the head down.”

And having turned 30, he says he still has plenty of enthusiasm for county football. 

“As long as the body holds up, I’ll be happy enough.

“It’s a big commitment and I moved back from Dublin. When you’re out for a long time for injury it kinda gets the hunger back and as long as the body is right to go, I’ll be right to go.”