Carndonagh chase part one of an Intermediate double
Carndonagh face Aodh Ruadh in the Intermediate Hurling final this Saturday, and it’s a case of momentum against experience.
The Foden men were playing in Group A against the top sides in the county, drawing with Buncrana and losing their other games to finish in the Intermediate section, while Ballyshannon have won every game in Group B.
“We had a draw against Buncrana and a narrow loss to MacCumhaills which was unfortunate,” player-manager Cathal Doherty told DonegalLive.
“It was kind of a mini play-off between us and them and it probably will be like that for the next couple of years between us two and Buncrana to get that fourth spot.
“We had to dust ourselves off after that loss to MacCumhails and go for the Intermediate. “We had a six-week layoff then before the semi-finals, and we were worried in terms of sharpness because it’s very hard with the dual players to get challenge games, but we got over the Dungloe game.”
Carn may have the bonus of facing better quality opposition, but Doherty is wary of the wave their opponents will be riding.
“We’re not taking anything for granted and Ballyshannon will definitely be coming with a big performance.
“People might be putting favourite tags on us, but Carn are never great with the favourite tag so it’ll be down to the wire.
“Momentum can beat everything. Dungloe lost their last group game before we played them and neither of us had momentum, which probably swung it in our favour, but Ballyshannon have won every game, and it’s something we haven’t done in the last couple of years.
“The mentality of the boys is very good, but it’s hard to beat just winning games.
“It’s our fourth Intermediate final and we’d want to get it back to two and two rather than one win, three losses. But it’s more so for those younger boys who were up against a strong MacCumhaills underage, they’ve been to finals, but they haven’t had silverware, so it would be important for them and the boys coming in next year to see that there are trophies to win if we work hard.
“We’ve played in five finals in the last seven years, and there’s never been more than two in it and I think Saturday will be the exact same.
“We beat MacCumhaills in 2023 and lost to them in 2022, and we beat Dungloe in 2020 in the Junior but lost to Ballyshannon in 2019, so it’s a repeat of that final. We won every game that year but they got us on the day, so every game since then, when we’ve gone in against the so-called lower teams, we’ve not taken them for granted.”
The player-manager is just recovering from an ACL injury and has returned to the field after 16 months out, but there have been players stepping up in his absence.
Teenagers Pierce McConalogue and Dylan Doherty have been great additions, while the county experience of Luke White, Padraig Doherty and James Monagle have once again driven them on.
“We’ve brought in four or five minors this year, and next year there will be seven or eight that have been training with the seniors. They’re bringing a lot to senior training and in games, we’ve had closer scorelines, and that’s because we’re getting better training.
“Shaun McCreanor is captain and he’s really come of age and taken that role well.
There’s a good spine in there, and what they offer to us in the league has helped this year.
“I’ve been player-manager for seven years and I didn’t get to play last year with the knee injury. I didn’t realise how much time I had for coaching until I was back playing again, but I’m enjoying being back.
And with the footballers in an Intermediate semi-final after their extra-time win over Buncrana, along with the Camogs winning the senior title, things are all positive in the club at the moment
“All codes, between the footballers, Camogs and hurlers, are all going well, so you don’t mind being busy at this time of the year.
“The club is having a great time, and the Junior Gaelic win was one of the best times in the club, and we have 13 of them playing for us on Saturday, so it’s about getting that balance right.
“When the final whistle went on Sunday (footballers win over Buncrana), it put our training plans out the window because they had an extra 20 minutes in the legs, and that’s the balance you have to do for this. Fair play to Michael O’Donnell and Gerard Kinnego, the football managers, because this wouldn’t be possible without their help, it’s a balancing act.”