THERE are many big decisions for a management team to make over the course of a season but getting Lee McMonagle back on board was a huge plus for the St Eunan’s brain tank in 2024.
McMonagle was 19 when he scored the crucial goal for St Eunan’s in their 2012 County Final success.
However, he found it hard to secure his place in the years that followed and gradually drifted away from senior football.
He still kept his hand in with the second string, and often looked far too good for that level, while he has scored goals by the bucket load in the Donegal Junior League in recent years.
However, there was still a feeling that he could produce the goods at senior championship level again and he explained what brought him back into the set-up.
“It was Barry Meehan and (Brendan) Devenney, (Kieran) Sharkey, Dualtach (Molloy). They put the trust in me.
“I was always between playing Junior and Reserves and I always wanted to try to throw the hat in.
“Obviously I’m not in the shape that I was when I was 18 or 20 but I still thought I had a job to do and when they rang me I didn’t hesitate a second to say yes.
“So once the soccer finished, I got back out and just put the work in and again as I said every game I played I knew they had trust in me which then obviously drives me on every day.”
McMonagle looked sharp in the games that he started but there was intense competition for places.
He was used off the bench in the final and worked hard for the twenty minutes he was on the field.
“Even training wise I just enjoy it, it’s a very young team and they’re just a class group of fellas.
“I can’t remember the last year I went to any kind of gaelic session and was enjoying training.
“Even though you know you’re going to get dogged nights you still enjoy going, there’s a real buzz around that the boys have instilled. It’s just class.’
St Eunan’s haven’t always made the impression in the Ulster Senior Championship that they would have liked, although they have tended to land difficult draws.
It’s a similar story this year and there are definitely easier ties than away to the Tyrone champions.
However, McMonagle and his teammates want to keep their season going long into the winter.
‘Yeah we will try and keep it going for another while and I’ll see where the future lies then.’
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