HAVING Rory Kavanagh back in the Donegal engine room is a “massive lift” ahead of what the Tir Chonaill men hope will be a long season, according to assistant manager Maxi Curran.
The midfielder made his first start for the county since the 2014 All-Ireland final defeat to Kerry during Donegal’s two-point victory over Mayo last Sunday.
And he is expected to hold on to his place for this weekend’s trip to Tralee and a crunch clash with the Kingdom.
Curran knows Kavanagh better than most, having managed St Eunan’s, Letterkenny from 2013-2015, and believes his decision to come out of retirement in January will have a big impact on Donegal’s season.
“He was a huge loss last year and you could see that around the middle third when he wasn’t there,” said Curran.
“Rory’s probably been the best club footballer in Donegal for the past two seasons. His form hasn’t dipped at all and it had been a very intense four or five seasons up to 2014 when he just felt he needed a break.
“Thankfully we’ve managed to get him back and it has given everybody a massive lift. He carries an aura about him, he plays the game in a very thoughtful way, he’s very measured and he’s very much a calming figure for everybody, not just the young fellas.
“He speaks a lot of sense and there are just so many advantages to having him around – we’re delighted to have him back.”
Kavanagh and Christy Toye were involved in the move that led to Leo McLoone finding the back of the Mayo net 12 minutes from time as Donegal notched up a third League win on-the-trot.
That victory carried a huge weight for Rory Gallagher’s men, as it was the first time they have got one over on Mayo since the 2012 All-Ireland final.
With Kerry up next, followed by a home clash with in-form Roscommon and further away trips to All-Ireland champions Dublin and Ulster champions Monaghan, it’s not about to get any easier.
But Curran admits finally beating the westerners had given them the belief that they are well capable of mixing it with the big boys.
“We respect Mayo. It was a very big game for us, for lots of reason,” he said.
“There’s four teams sitting at the top table at the minute – Dublin, Kerry, Mayo and Monaghan – and they’re the teams you want to be gauging yourself against.
“When you come up against those teams, you have to be competitive and you have to show you can beat those teams on a given day. That was on our minds going into last Sunday’s game.
“Mayo have players just coming back – Seamie O’Shea, Chris Barrett, Donal Vaughan, Andy Moran. They’re just back, they’ve played very little football, so we’re not losing sight of the fact that Mayo were not at full tilt.
“But we’re in a good place. We know we have a long way to go – we’re away to Dublin, away to Kerry and away to Monaghan. That’s three of the top five teams in the country, so it’s still early days.”
Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s Kingdom looked in rude health en route to a 16-point demolition of Down last weekend – picking up their first two points of the campaign as they bid to retain their top-flight status.
And Curran is quick to dismiss the notion that such an easy victory isn’t exactly ideal preparation for Sunday’s game, which is likely to see the intensity level cranked up a few notches.
“Ah well, look. I know a bit of form’s important, but Kerry are Kerry. I don’t care if Kerry had lost four or five games in the League, when they have to do it they are capable of doing anything.”
