PATRICK McBrearty can’t wait to once again sample that Croke Park buzz when Donegal tangle with Dublin this Saturday night, under lights, at HQ.
Jim Gavin’s men are already guaranteed a semi-final position but the current Sam Maguire holders’ recent championship history with Donegal means that any NFL shadow boxing in between is always tasty fare.
After a blistering start to the Division 1 season, where Rory Gallagher’s outfit won their first three games, successive losses to Kerry and Roscommon has grounded some of that initial Tir Chonaill hype.
McBrearty sticks to Donegal’s general theme that the league is being used to hone their assault on summer – starting with their Ulster SFC opener against the winners of preliminary squabblers Antrim and Fermanagh.
He said: “We didn’t get too far ahead of ourselves when we were winning games so we’re not letting the last few results get us too down. It’s never nice losing but the games are coming thick and fast and the chance to get back on track is never far away.
“We’re just looking forward to getting back to Croke Park on Saturday night. It’s under lights so it should be a great atmosphere.”
McBrearty has, this year, been joined in the senior ranks by his younger brother Stephen. The Kilcar siblings have strong family ties to the capital. McBrearty was actually born in Dublin, but the family moved to Donegal at a young age. His mother, Carol, is a Dublin native and is a cousin of former Dublin All-Ireland winner Tommy Conroy.
Stephen has already graced the turf at Jones Road and was part of the Donegal side that lost out to Kerry in the 2014 All-Ireland minor decider. Eoghan Ban Gallagher was also a member of the ranks back then under Declan Bonner. The elder McBrearty says that Croker under lights is a unique experience that the new faces in the set-up will enjoy sampling.
McBrearty adds that it’s always good to accustom yourself with the inner geography of the venue as much as possible so it feels familiar if you’re lucky enough to return to it in the All-Ireland series.
“It’s all about getting experience,” he said. “The Mayo and Kerry games were as close to championship as you’re going to get. Those types of matches are great learning curves for the new lads coming in. Of course we were disappointed with how the Roscommon game went last time out.
“But for us, it’s just a matter of looking to put it behind us at the weekend. No better place to do that than Croke Park. Any chance you get to run out there is great. For the likes of Stephen (McBrearty) and Eoghan Ban (Gallagher) it’ll be their first time as part of the senior set-up.
“Both were very good for the U21s against Derry so their confidence will be up. If they bring that into training this week I’m sure Rory will give them their chance. For all the new lads, to get experience of Croke Park against the All-Ireland champions will only bring them on.”
McBrearty again underlines that the NFL and regardless of what eventually comes out of it, won’t impact on how Donegal approach championship. They’ll not turn their noses up at a semi-final spot but they certainly won’t dwell for too long if they miss out.
He explains: “Any year we’ve had success we haven’t always had great league campaigns. Rory is looking at stuff at the moment and trying new things out so maybe the results aren’t the most important thing.
“But you also see Dublin winning three Leagues in-a-row and still bringing that into Championship. I suppose it’s about what best suits you. There is a massive difference between league and championship football. For the experienced lads, they know that. For the new lads, winning is still a great habit to get under your belt as quickly as possible.”“We just approach it with the view to building towards summer. Winning as we go would be the ideal scenario.”
And even though Dublin aren’t in need of the points, McBrearty certainly doesn’t anticipate any favours or an easier ride.
“We’ll be expecting a very good Dublin side in front of us no matter what 15 they put out. Again, we’re more concerned about ourselves and getting things right our end.”
