FERMANAGH senior football manager Pete McGrath has also taken the U21 reins for the upcoming season - and he has placed player welfare at the heart of his vision for his term in charge.
McGrath’s first competitive outing as U21 boss will be in the North West Cup in the new year, a four-team tournament involving Fermanagh, Mayo, Donegal and Sligo. While the former Down U21 manager vehemently disagrees with GAA director general Paraic Duffy’s proposal that the competition be abolished, McGrath is also acutely conscious of the increasing demands on intercounty players.
“I think the very idea that people are proposing that the U21 competition be abolished in ludicrous because what will happen to players between 18 and 21 in that age group?”
He added: “The North West tournament gives us an opportunity to play together at a competitive level and we’ve a number of players at university and we’re mindful not to overburden them.
“We will look at their training diaries and see what they can and can’t do. We will not be placing absolutely insurmountable burdens on these players.”
McGrath is following in the footsteps of Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney in simultaneously holding the senior and U21 posts: “We just felt that, due to no-one’s particular fault, the U21s in Fermanagh had maybe not been given the opportunity that they deserved and we certainly saw the need to put in place a blueprint that would enable the players to be given the chance because, obviously, the long-term welfare of the senior team is very dependent on a certain number of players coming through at underage level.”
NORTH WEST CUP FIXTURES
Sligo v Donegal (Sligo GAA Centre of Excellence, January 2); Fermanagh v Mayo (Fermanagh venue, January 2); Mayo v Sligo (James Stephens’ Park, Ballina, January 9); Donegal v Fermanagh (Ballyshannon, January 9); Fermanagh v Sligo (Fermanagh venue, January 16); Donegal v Mayo (Ballybofey, January 16); Shield final: (Sligo Centre of Excellence, January 23); Cup final: Sligo Centre of Excellence (January 23)
