MAC'S VIEW: Donegal and Jim McGuinness are setting their targets for 2024

Firstly this week I want to wish all Donegal GAA followers a happy new year and health and happiness for 2024.

It has been a dismal period weather wise over Christmas with plenty of wind and rain and hopefully pitches will be in good condition for the upcoming games.

By the time you read this column Donegal will have played their first game in the Dr McKenna Cup and there is a buzz about with Jim McGuinness back at the helm.

The team selected to start was an experimental one with the inclusion of young Finbarr Roarty in the defence one of the standout items. It is very rare for a player to play senior for the county before he has played a senior game for his club, Naomh Conaill, but I suppose the fact that 17-year-olds are prohibited from playing adult football was a factor in this.

Still it is great to see youth getting their chance and young Roarty was an outstanding minor last year and was a great leader at that level for Donegal.

I’m hearing that Jim McGuinness has three targets for 2024 - the Dr McKenna Cup, promotion and an Ulster Championship win. With the new qualification for the All-Ireland series Donegal will need to finish at least in the top four of Division 2 in the league to be sure of being included and with four home games that should be attainable.

Promotion has to be the target and that would have a two-fold effect. It would get this new Donegal squad top class opposition for 2025 as well as being guaranteed to be on the All-Ireland stage in the championship.

With Jim McGuinness’s return, there is an extra dimension in expectancy and I’m looking forward to it. I always feel that Jim  can take an average player and make him a good player and he can make a good player into a very good player.

There are plenty of good players in Donegal and we should be able to build a good squad, which will be needed.

He is obviously targeting young players with Patrick  McBrearty named as captain. The Kilcar man is now the only link to the 2012 All-Ireland win.

And speaking of young players I remember playing Paul Carr of St Eunan’s in a Donegal side when he was only 16 while I would have blooded Matt Gallagher at 17. Back then players were playing senior for their clubs from a young age. But at that age there is no fear.

Donegal will have another big test on Sunday when they travel to Omagh to play Tyrone. I like crossing swords with these Omagh men. It will be important to get a good start and if we can get extra games after Sunday it would be good preparation for the National League.

Hopefully, the Donegal crowd will get out and support Jim and the boys on Sunday.

New Donegal GAA chairperson Mary Coughlan won’t suffer fools - Jim McGuinness

McGuinness recently admitted that he probably wouldn’t have returned as boss with Donegal had things not hit such a low last term. Off the field, and in the boardroom, matters also sunk to low depths.

FOUR MASTERS

I have to extend a big congratulations to Four Masters on winning the Ulster Minor Club Tournament in Belfast on New Year’s Day. It was some compensation after losing the final last year. It is great to see Shane Carr’s sons performing so well and they look like following in his footsteps at county level. His eldest Seanán was selected to start last night against Armagh. It is a busy time for the Carr household.

Anyway congratulations on the win and let’s hope that this great underage success in Four Masters seeps through to the senior ranks in the coming years.

I also see that Erne Gaels have made a big move in bringing in former Donegal senior manager, Declan Bonner, as their manager for 2024. They have been trying to get over the line in Fermanagh in the last few years, losing two finals and it will be interesting to see how they fare under the Na Rossa man. Our own Paul Brennan is joining him as assistant and that was disappointing news for us here in Bundoran as we are also on the lookout for a manager for the coming year. Paul has been plagued by injury in the past year or so and hopefully he will gather experience and will come back to us in the future.

Finally, this week, my condolences to the McDermott family in Ballyshannon on the death of Bernie, who was the mother of county player Tommy. She was predeceased by her husband, Jackie, and the McDermott family were known far and wide in the GAA.

Condolences also to the Goverov family in Bundoran on the death of their grandmother.

Brian McEniff was in conversation with Peter Campbell