Donegal Southwest take on reigning champions Omagh CBS in MacRory

Donegal Southwest travel to Healy Park, Omagh on Friday night (7.30 pm) as their MacRory Cup journey continues. They meet reigning MacRory Cup champions, Omagh CBS, in the quarter-final of the competition.

It will be the team’s sixth game in the competition.  Donegal Southwest is made up of players from six different schools - Colaiste Na Carraige, St Catherine's VS, Killybegs, St Columba's Comprehensive, Glenties, Pobalscoil Na Rosann, and Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair.

After overcoming St  Pat’s, Cavan in the first knockout game prior to Christmas, they are now just one game away from reaching the semi-final in their first season in the competition.

“We trained over Christmas, but not a lot. A good few of them are involved with the U-20s and U-17s as well,” said one of the management team, Shay Murrin, who is assisted by Niall Friel and Gary Boyle.

Murrin is well aware of the challenge in front of them but also knows that Omagh are a different team to that which won the last two MacRory Cups.

“It’s a different team to the one that won the two in-a-row, but you can see traits of them, how they play, the workrate is there, the honesty is there.

“It is going to be a massive challenge to come out of Omagh with anything but we’re looking forward to it. We’re just delighted to be there; this is bonus territory for us.

“We just wanted to participate and here we are now in a big knock-out game. We don’t feel much pressure going into it.”

The idea behind entering the team was to give the cream of the crop from the west and south of the county the chance to perform at the highest level.

“I suppose that was the point of it, to play at this level; to get exposed and see if they could get on county minor squads, on county U-20 squads. It has given them a chance to play at a high level and the chance of people to look at them. It has been great,” says Murrin.

“We have got a look at Omagh but I’m sure they have had a good look at us too. We saw their quarter-final against Bessbrook. It went to extra-time and it was a brilliant game. I saw them another day as well. They  are a really strong side with a good coaching team. We are under no illusions.

Murrin says that everyone is available for the game with the only worry the management have is sickness, which is rampant throughout the county. 

“That has been the biggest worry now and it has been in the last few weeks. I would be more worried about that than about hamstrings.

“Playing under the lights in what is a big game also adds to the occasion.  Hopefully, we will get a good number of supporters from their clubs to go to it.  It is a big day for them and in chatting to them over the last few weeks, they are really, really looking forward to it.

“They have been really competitive, even in the group, against Colman’s and Armagh, who have been good in their knock-out games. So our group games were tough and then we went to Cavan and won. That was a comprehensive enough victory,” said Murrin, who felt their performance against St Colman’s in the group stage was their best display.

The fact that there are two Donegal sides in the quarter-final has to be good for Donegal football going forward. “There is an argument that it is good for the competition also, to have new teams. There are schools that have been playing in it for 100 years and now there are new teams; is that not good for the competition?” says Murrin.

“It is a very well organised competition. We couldn’t fault Ulster Schools in anything,” says Murrin.