It’s a case of if you’re good enough, then you’re old enough for Donegal Under 20 manager Gary Boyle.
He fielded a youthful Under 20 side last Wednesday’s ten-point win over Fermanagh, with five players – Pádraig Mac Giolla Bhríde, Cathal Ó Gallchóir, Max Campbell, Turlough Carr, and Conor McCahill – who were minors last year in the starting team.
Niall Prenderville, Conor McGinty, Sean Martin, Mark McDevitt, Seanan Carr and Daithi Gildea were the only starters who are in their last year at this age group.
That is somewhat unusual but for Boyle it is all quite simple. He’s going to pick the best players, and birth certificates won’t come into it.
“We do have a lot of 17 and 18-year-olds on our panel this year. Why are they on it? Because they are the best players, and that’s what we feel.
“We think they are the best players.
“They were on the panel and next thing they are pushing for starting spots on the team, and I think they deserve to be starting from what we have seen.
“They acquitted themselves well but age doesn’t make much of a difference to us.
“We can’t be favouring older lads over younger lads. Whoever is putting their hand up and we think is best to fill that jersey, we’re going to reward them with starting places.”
Donegal don’t have a particularly tall team but they certainly didn’t look out of their depth physically against Fermanagh.
Boyle said: “It is something that we have been thinking about, are we going to be physically behind.
“But we did well on our kick-outs.
“I think Fermanagh had 14 long kick-outs in the first half and we won nine of them, and we were good on the breaking ball.
“I think we maybe struggled five or ten minutes into the second half but once we got to grips with that again, it gave us a good platform in the game as well.
“Kick-outs are very important. Maybe they had lost a bit of emphasis over the last couple of years but definitely this year, they are a massive, massive part of it.
“Our boys showed a great willingness to get in for the break and we were pleased just to come away with the victory in our first match.”
With the new rules now in vogue, attacking instincts are being recognised over athletic prowess more often, and Donegal fielded six out-and-out attackers in their forward division, while Kevin Muldoon played at midfield and he is someone who loves to run at opponents as well.
“We have a lot of talented forwards.
“I have been involved with a few squads, and you could probably figure out fairly quickly who would be in your forward line.
“But with this group, it’s very difficult to do and there are a few lads who didn’t get on tonight and could easily be starting in that team.
“I know it’s a cliché and it’s thrown out there but we would be very lucky in that regard this year.
“The trick for us now is to get them to play as a unit. You have loads of individual talent but can we get them playing together, and that’s what we have been working hard on over the last few months.
“Probably for a lot of the boys, they are the main man in the team they are playing for so it’s getting them to play a team role.”
Next up for Donegal is Antrim in Dunsilly tonight at 7.30pm and Boyle admits that he doesn’t know a huge amount about the Saffrons.
“Antrim weren’t playing so it will be their first game at home.
“It will be the same as Fermanagh, who were well up for the game (at home).
“Antrim will be well up for it, and we haven’t seen them playing either.
“We haven’t had a look at them so we’re going into the unknown, so that’s what’s ahead of us next week as well.”
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