The Under 21 Final takes place this Sunday and I think we could have a cracker on our hands if the weather behaves itself.
Four Masters are through to yet another underage final and will be hard to stop but Naomh Conaill have a strong team and will probably feel like it’s time they got one over on the boys from Tir Conaill Park.
I was impressed with Naomh Conaill in their semi-final win over Termon last week.
I think most people expected that it would be tight but Glenties just had far too much for them.
They don’t have huge size but in Finnbarr Roarty and Max Campbell they have two strong players who will dictate matters if they are allowed.
And up front, they have players who know how to score in Shea Malone, Tiarnan Ward, Danny Brown and Stephen and Mark McDevitt.
Naomh Conaill will go in as underdogs but you can’t write them off.
They are doing a lot right. They have teams at Under 14 or Under 16 who are maybe not competing at the top end of competitions but you know by minor or Under 21 grade, they will be competitive.
In saying that, it has been a while since they won an Under 21 Championship. They have been making semi-finals and the odd final, but they haven’t been winning them.
You have Michael O’Malley, Leo McLoone, Johnny McLoone and Seamus Corcoran all on the sideline and they will be urging them on.
I think Seamus won five Under 21 titles which is some going.
We have seen enough of Four Masters over the last few years to know that they can play terrific football and have good players.
But when I heard there was a yellow weather warning for Sunday, it felt like it might suit Glenswilly on a wet and heavy ground.
However, it was no problem for Four Masters. They retained the ball in the first half against the breeze and then had the shooters in the second half in Seanan Carr, Conor McCahill, and Tomas Carr to get the scores they needed.
They have a serious team and I expect that we will see a lot of them playing in the Donegal Under 20 team next year and perhaps a couple for the senior side as well.
I think this game will go down to the wire.
A lot of teams are probably beaten before the game even starts against Four Masters these days but that won’t be the case with Naomh Conaill.
They could and possibly should have beaten Masters in the Minor Championship a few weeks ago.
Naomh Conaill will need a few breaks to go their way but don’t be surprised if they manage to pull off an upset.
Glenswilly and Termon will be disappointed with how their semi-finals played out.
I’m sure a lot of those players will work hard in the gym over the next few months and try and get ready for 2026 and the prospects are good for both clubs.
Ulster Club
My time with Erne Gaels came to an end last week when we lost the Ulster Club semi-final against Kilcoo.
When you’re playing a team like Kilcoo, you need everyone focused and your preparations to be really strong and to be honest, ours was far from it.
One of our players got married in Italy on Friday and we had another who went travelling, and there were a few men patched up with injuries as well. It was a big game and they wanted to give it all they had but it’s tough when you’re not at 100%.
That doesn’t take away from Kilcoo who are a seriously good side. They lost the Ulster Final last year and they won’t be far away in a couple of weeks.
Their running game is exceptional and they have the ability to delay the pass to just the right time and create goal chances.
The second semi-final between Scotstown and Newbridge was called off at half-time as Joe McQuillan felt the pitch wasn’t playable at that stage.
Scotstown were four points up at the time, and I definitely don’t think I’d have taken the news as easily as David McCague did.
The pitch was heavy and the conditions poor but was it unplayable?
I’ve seen a lot worse and considering one team was four points ahead, I think it was a huge call to bring a halt to the game.
We all know that Healy Park isn’t a great pitch at the best of times but to play two games on it on Sunday was madness.
Yes big Intermediate games should be at good grounds but senior championship matches should come first. It’s November and you’re always going to have problems with pitches.
Newbridge are a good team but I still expect Scotstown to win out.
McKenna Cup
The McKenna Cup groups have now been confirmed and there are some tasty games in all the sections.
The stand-out one for Donegal obviously is a big game against Derry, who will probably look to hit the ground running after a poor 2025.
Donegal will also take on Antrim who have Mark Doran calling the shots this year and I see he has recalled some good players to the Saffrons squad.
I’m managing Fermanagh and we will face Monaghan and Cavan which will be two good games for us.
It’s an exciting time ahead for supporters and I know a lot of people are looking forward to January and the inter-county season resuming.
It is a tough period for players, especially the elite younger ones.
I was reading that Tyrone’s Darragh Canavan will miss a few months after surgery and there’s plenty of players in Donegal and Fermanagh who have gone under the knife in recent weeks too.
There’s very little break. You’re playing with your county and then you go into the club action.
There’s Under 21 club and then there’s schools and colleges football and before you know it, we’re heading back into December and it all ramps up again.
I get the argument that some young players maybe didn’t see a huge amount of game time with their seniors this season and the Under 21 campaign gives them meaningful football.
But it’s really tough on that elite player. He would be the worst in the world if he said to his club that he might sit out an Under 21 game or two.
Something has to give and usually it’s the player’s welfare.
I honestly believe that things were better before the split season came in.
There was a wee bit of down time to be had but now there’s very little of it.
The only down time you get now is when you have surgery and you’ll still have to get back in and start the rehab fairly quickly after that.
