Neil McGee says 'there’s probably no harder place to go' than Naomh Conaill

Neil McGee admits that his Gaoth Dobhair team were something of an unknown quantity before the SFC threw in, but three straight wins and a strong workrate is helping the side evolve.

McGee was full-back in the 1-15 to 0-7 win over MacCumhaill’s on Sunday, which followed on from the victories Trevor Alcorn’s side picked up over Ardara and then in Glenfin.

“Aye we’re happy,” he said on Sunday. “We were a bit of an unknown at the start of the championship and a lot of boys have stepped up. The young lads who came in, you can’t fault them. 

“We had a real test in going to Glenfin and to come out of that with a one-point win was good for confidence. It really was a massive result for us. They are working hard. All we ever stressed for them was to enjoy it too. 

With Alcorn only appointed days before the All-County League was due to start, Gaoth Dobhair also had a host of players unavailable due to a variety of reasons and although it took a few weeks, the team settled and their progress is now plain to see.

“We were a bit scattery,” McGee added of early season. “There were a lot of injuries and then players away with the county seniors or the under-20s or whatever. We didn’t really have the rub of the green but we just got on with it really. That’s all we could do.

“We finished off the league well enough and won at St Eunan’s and even though we lost in Glenties we were well in it till the last 10 minutes or so. We’d a few good challenges and did well there and got on a bit of a run.”

It’s been noted that Gaoth Dobhair of late have been starting with just four players from the 2018 Ulster SFC winning side, although those who have been playing are developing while some of the more experienced players are coming back.

“We’ve a few coming back with Daire Ó Baoill and Niall Friel daking conmebacks, James Ó Baoill as well as Odhrán Mac Niallais was a sub and got through the warm-up, which is something,” McGee added. “Trevor has never dropped the head. Training hasn’t ever dropped and he puts the focus on who we have instead of who we don’t.

“We’d had a big turnover but these lads have won minor titles with Donegal and the quality is there. There’s a good workrate and that’s the foundation. They’ve a bit of bite about them too and that’s good to see. MacCumhaill’s threw everything at us there and it was a good test, as was Glenfin.”

Although six points have already been amassed and a quarter-final place is guaranteed, the fourth series of round one fixtures this Sunday will see Gaoth Dobhair make the trip to a Naomh Conaill side who evicted them from the SFC at the last eight stage last year.

A year ago, Gaoth Dobhair had also assured themselves of a quarter-final spot with a game to spare and played out their group stages with a 0-16 to 1-5 low-key dead rubber.

McGee, in retrospect, believes that the uncompetitiveness of that fixture wasn’t shaken off as Naomh Conaill turned in an intense and impressive 1-10 to 0-8 win.

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“There’s plenty of legs there and we’ll need it going to Glenties,” McGee added. “There’s probably no harder place to go and all we can do is not take the toe off it now and try and keep this running. We don’t want to back off, because we did that last year in Kilcar and then we didn’t have the lift for the quarter-final. It’s best just to keep at it.

“At this stage of the championship, it’s just about momentum. We’ve had tough games and this will be another one. It’ll make us battle-hardened. Experience is great and us older lads help out whenever we can.”