Michael Canning (Former Glenswilly Manager)
Hopes for 2025: I was involved with the Glenswilly minors in 2024 and we played a lot of excellent teams and it really struck me how good the football was. All these players are moving out of minor now and there’s not room for them in their senior teams yet. They’re going into reserve teams and the reserve leagues are just not fit for purpose anymore with walkovers and non-competitive games, and teams playing at the wrong level. I know there is some talk of changing the reserves structures and I’m not sure if they will, but I feel they really, really should. I think they should de-couple them from their senior teams and create Division 5, 6, 7, and 8 or whatever, and let those second teams stand on their own feet and make their own way up and down the grades. As I said, there is talent coming through but those young players won’t be playing at all in five or ten years’ time unless they are given meaningful football now. I know they say if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, and our Senior, Intermediate and Junior Championships are working but our reserve leagues and championships need to be looked at.
All-Ireland Champions: Donegal
Ulster Champions: Armagh
Donegal Senior Champions: Glenswilly
Donegal Intermediate Champions: Buncrana
Donegal Junior Champions: Carndonagh
One to Watch: Pauric Devine (Glenswilly)
Pauric is very young and he was a county minor last year. He has a great attitude and is a very good footballer with loads of skill. He played very well for Glenswilly’s Under 21s for a 17-year-old. I hope to see him in the green and gold for our senior team this year and he’s one to watch in the future.
Kevin Sinclair (Former Four Masters Manager)
Kevin Sinclair
Hopes for 2025: Firstly, I would hope that my own club Four Masters can establish themselves in Division 1, and maybe rattle the Championship. Generally, I would be hoping that the game improves and scorelines change from 0-8 to 0-7 to 0-18 to 0-17. I would really love to see more goals as well. I managed a team for the last few years and even on the line at times, I was bored. There were times when you just wished the opposition would come out and give it a go. I would like to see more entertainment and most people are the same. We don’t want to see this slow lateral passing across the pitch, and with the rule changes, I think it will be there for teams to push up more and that will lead to more attacking football and more goals.
All-Ireland Champions: Galway
Ulster Champions: Donegal
Donegal Senior Champions: Naomh Conaill
Donegal Intermediate Champions: Malin
Donegal Junior Champions: Carndonagh
One to Watch: Turlough Carr (Four Masters)
I think Turlough is a fabulous player. He’s going to be up with the county under 20s, and that will help him develop into an even better player. He’s got taller and stronger, and is improving all the time. There are not too many young fellas out there who can control a game like Turlough.
Oisín Cannon (Former Gaeil Leitir Ceanainn joint-manager)
Oisin Cannon
Hopes for 2025: I’m looking forward to seeing the new rules and I think there will be a lot of trial and error with them. I think it will favour more attacking teams, and I can only seeing it helping club teams locally. I think it will make for more entertaining games but it will take a while for things to settle. It’s going to take time for referees to get their heads around it and they will need help and support, and probably some patience from everyone. You won’t just be able to bring everyone behind the ball now so coaches are going to have to think of new ways to stop teams and win games.
All-Ireland Champions: Donegal
Ulster Champions: Donegal
Donegal Senior Champions: St Eunan’s
Donegal Intermediate Champions: Malin
Donegal Junior Champions: St Mary’s, Convoy
One to Watch: Kevin Muldoon (Four Masters)
I think Kevin has come out and said he’s committing to gaelic this year and won’t be playing for Sligo Rovers. I’m sure he didn’t make that call on a whim, and it probably helps that Four Masters are going so well at underage level. It bodes very well for them and Donegal going forward. He’s a great centre half-forward with a real eye for goal.
Michael Byrne (Former Malin manager)
Michael Byrne.
Hopes for 2025: My hope is that the rule changes do in fact improve the game as I am still slightly sceptical about them, particularly at club level. I think the tap and go rule will speed up the play and allow the advantage to the attacking team. I feel the rule on dissent is a double edge sword and it’s one where we will definitely cut down on verbals directed towards the referee but at the same time it is placing a lot more power with the officials and while this may be less of a concern at county level, I feel it may cause some frustration at club level. From a spectator’s point of view the three up will create a lot more space to attack and more opportunities for 1v1 scenarios and that’s one of the reasons I’m looking forward to seeing what Donegal can do this season.
All-Ireland Champions: Donegal
Ulster Champions: Tyrone
Donegal Senior Champions: St Eunan’s
Donegal Intermediate Champions: Buncrana
Donegal Junior Champions: Carndonagh
One to Watch: Finnbarr Roarty (Naomh Conaill)
We would have played Naomh Conaill in a league game last year in Glenties and there were many things that impressed me about Roarty that day. It was probably the maturity in his play and his decision making on the ball that would have impressed me the most for one so young. Obviously it’s very early in his development and it’s very important that he is allowed time to learn and improve over the next few years but there’s certainly huge potential there.
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