I've always admired what McGuinness has done - Mickey Harte

Mickey Harte, in his new role as Derry manager, came out on top in his first encounter with Jim McGuinness when the sides met in the Dr McKenna Cup final in Healy Park, Omagh on Saturday night.

When McGuinness was with Donegal from 2010 to 2014, he held the upper hand on Harte, who was then manager of Tyrone.

On Saturday evening, a Derry side that a good bit further down the road, were clear victors and not flattered by their 0-12 to 0-6 win.

Asked if he had spoken to McGuinness prior to the game, Mickey Harte said they hadn't met. "Just said hello afterwards. I was looking up and he wasn't looking down. There is no animosity between us and he was very magnanimous at the end of the game and he said he was looking forward to a future event. And I said ‘aye, it will be coming pretty quickly’."

That next meeting will be in the Ulster senior championship quarter-final when Donegal have to travel to Celtic Park on April 20th.

Harte was also asked about the timeline of 10 years since they would have last met.

"I've always admired what he has done and his insights into Gaelic games. He adds a lot to the game and you can see already he has brought this Donegal team on to a competitive level and they outworked us in the first half. And maybe that took a bit of the energy out of them and we were able to work better in the second half."

It was Harte's 13th time to win the Dr McKenna Cup (12 as manager of Tyrone) and it is a competition he holds in high esteem.

"I have always been of the opinion that you try to get as many games as possible in it. When you get four competitive games out of it that is very, very good. When you get four games and a trophy at the end that is even better."
https://www.donegallive.ie/news/gaa/1400908/derry-show-their-power-to-defeat-donegal-to-retain-the-dr-mckenna-cup.html

He was very happy with the competitive nature of the game but he was expecting that.

"We knew that Donegal are a rejuvenated outfit. They have got Jim McGuinness there again and he has got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. We know that he puts a lot of dedication into creating a team that's very difficult to play against, and we saw that in the first half. When we got the breeze and were only two points up, it looked as if they were in control of the game.

"So we had to really have a new focus in the second half and maybe go back to the game that they play best, the running game. And that's what it took in the second half, to play with control and to hold on to the ball and finish by putting the ball dead or getting a score and I think our players did that very, very well."

The Derry boss was happy that the competition has given a number of players the chance to show their wares and also to collect silverware.

"I think it's important for them. There are a number of players there who have come in and done well. But this is a subsidiary competition so nobody's got their full hand out so to speak. You have to factor that in that when you hit Division 1 and Tralee next week, then it's a different story."

On the sending off, Harte said both himself and the player (Brendan Rogers) were confused by the decision.

"Brendan was puzzled about what happened to him and I was puzzled as well. I just seen him shaking a man off and heading off again," said Harte, who said if there was any contact then it was incidental because Brendan wouldn't be like that. "He is a real honest player."
https://www.donegallive.ie/news/gaa/1400940/patrick-mcbrearty-red-card-had-a-big-bearing-on-the-game-jim-mcguinness.html

Asked about his perception of Derry before and now, he agreed that it was different.

"When you're closer to players, it is different. I have admired them for the last few years and the strides they have made to become a top four team. And looking in you would have said there's real potential in that team.

"But then it's true when you get to work with boys toe to toe, night to night, you actually begin to see how good they are."

He felt the competition was good for giving fringe players a chance to play at the really top level.

"It is always good to have more players playing at the level you want. And to prove that they have to get experience playing at that level. So if you can introduce them in games like this you see how they can hold their own at that level and that gives them the confidence to do it as well," said Harte, who said they had got three or four players doing that in this competition.