CROSSMAGLEN’S Johnny Hanratty has welcomed the return of midfield partner David McKenna ahead of Sunday’s Ulster Club final against Scotstown.
Hanratty hasn’t quite ploughed a lone furrow at midfield in his absence, but McKenna’s experience and ball-winning ability could prove crucial against Scotstown’s impressive midfield duo James Turley and Francis Caulfield. And his recovery from a back problem is yet another boost for a Crossmaglen side whose stars would seem to be aligning at the right time with the recent return of Jamie Clarke.
While McKenna is a midfielder in the more traditional mould, Hanratty dispelled perceptions that he’s a mere grafter with two commanding performances against Antrim champions Cargin and semi-final opponents Kilcoo.
Commenting on the imminent return of McKenna, who has missed the entirety of Crossmaglen’s Ulster Championship campaign, Hanratty said: “David’s a great help, whenever you can win primary possession from kick-outs it’s a massive thing.
"Whenever it’s kicked on David’s head, it’s not too often he doesn’t catch it, so if it starts or not I don’t know, but it’s a big bonus to us and hopefully we’ll get the job done.”
The 28-year-old - who says he “will still be floating about” with Crossmaglen for another three or four years - was the stand-out performer against Cargin in the quarter-final, absorbing some big hits before killing the game off with a deftly finished goal. His performance against Kilcoo was in much the same vein and he believes McKenna’s absence has had the unintended positive side-effect of forcing him to up his own efforts.
“David and I were going well until he got injured, but I didn’t mind [being the go-to man at midfield] at all - it put a bit more pressure on me and maybe it made me outdo myself really. I knew I hard to work that bit harder, but there’s other players around the middle and there’s also someone to give you a helping hand or a kick up the ass if you need it.”
Crossmaglen enter Sunday’s final after a three-year absence and Hanratty claims two factors are behind this season’s resurgence - the introduction of new blood, such as 19-year-old full-back Aidan Rushe, and the influence of joint-managers John McEntee and Oisín McConville.
“I think this year means more to us than even our first one. I was young and winning Ulster became maybe the normal thing, but now after three years, the buzz is back," he said.
“I think the boys [John McEntee and Oisín McConville] made us take a look at ourselves. We struggled through Armagh and the minors we brought in were a big influence, they brightened us up and gave us a bit of a spark. I think it's made a big difference. [But] we’re always confident, it’s just the type of people we are, I’ve waited since Omagh last year for this game, so I can’t wait to get going.”
McConville and John McEntee’s first season in charge ended in disappointment against Omagh in last year’s semi-final. A slow start in the Armagh championship gave credence to whispers Cross weren’t what they were, but after a string of impressive performances, they are second favourites to win the All-Ireland club title for a sixth time, after Castlebar Mitchel's.
Hanratty goes so far as to say it wouldn’t be “fair” if McEntee and McConville don’t enjoy the same level of success as some of their predecessors.
“There’s a big emphasis on that too, the boys don’t deserve us to be losers - while we’re not losers as such, the managers before them, Gareth O'Neill and Tony McEntee, won a lot of silverware with us and it wouldn’t be fair to the boys if we don't do the same again," he said.
"The boys have been brilliant all year and I think they have us right where they want us at the moment, we’re ready for Scotstown.”
He also believes Crossmaglen will make the necessary tactical adjustments to deal with the threat of Scotstown full-forward Darren Hughes.
“They’ve been coming for the last couple of years, so it’s no surprise that they’ve come out of Monaghan and it’s no surprise that they’re in the Ulster final. They’ve a couple of big, tall fellas around the middle and the two Hughes and Rory Beggan. It’s their first Ulster final since 1989 and that whole squad will be for up," he added.
“Any Ulster final’s a good final and they play nice football. They’ve big Darren Hughes and they like to kick it into him, so we’ll have to adjust back there and I’m sure they’ll adjust to us as well.”
