DONEGAL team boss Rory Gallagher has drafted in nine new faces to the squad as he prepares for his third year in charge of Tír Chonaill.
The promising Ethan O’Donnell and this year’s minor Eoghan McGettigan of Naomh Conaill have got the call along while Aidan McLaughlin from Muff, Termon’s Enda McCormick and Jason McGee from Cloughaneely, also from this year’s minor team have all been added to the senior squad.
Burt’s Mark Coyle, who was very impressive in last year’s U21 squad, is also drafted into the senior panel. St Eunan’s Conor Morrison, Michael Langan of St Michael’s and Gaoth Dobhair’s Cian Mulligan have all been given the call up and all have impressed at minor and U21 level in recent years.
These additions, coupled with the news that Karl Lacey and Frank McGlynn are going to commit for another year, has given Gallagher an early boost for 2017.
Christy Toye, Neil Gallagher and Rory Kavanagh have yet to make up their minds but the Fermanagh native is hopeful that these icons will give it at least another year.
On his new additions, Gallagher said:“Anyone who has watched these young lads will see the real extent of their ability.
“They are all very good footballers but it is a massive step up to performing at the level that is necessary where the county is at. I was at the recent county U21 semi-finals and finals and there was some pretty impressive talent on view.
“It is a question of getting then ready for senior football and we have quite a lot of lads from last year’s U21 squad who are in their final year. They have a big game with Tyrone in the middle of March, but will be training with us for a while before going back for games and one thing and another.”
Gallagher is now starting a three-year term, with the option of a fourth year. This means he will probably be in situ until 2020, all being well: “At the end of this year, we sat down with the players to talk about where they wanted to go,” he said.
“They felt we have to go ahead with a clear objective just like in 2010/11 when we built a new team over a period of time.”
Gallagher added that this new period up to 2020 would see the end of a number of careers. Gallagher has a new trainer, Richard Thornton from Tyrone and a new goalkeeping coach Paul Callaghan from Burt, but insists that there have not been any real radical changes.
“We will take it one day at a time and we will be looking at bringing in a lot of new players because there is a hard core of players with an awful lot of mileage clocked up,” said Gallagher.
“There are a number of them still thinking about their futures but nobody will be rushing them. The idea of the new players is for 2017 and also 2018. I am happy with the quality of players we have and we will still have around 25 from last year even if we have a few more retirements.”
Michael Carroll and Ciaran Gillespie of Gaoth Dobhair and Eoghan Gallagher of Killybegs and Kilcar’s Stephen McBrearty all got a glimpse of just how tough it can be at the top last year.
“But we will be looking to be hitting the ground running for the Dr McKenna Cup and the NFL,” added Gallagher.
It is well-known that the Dr McKenna Cup is not all that important to Gallagher whose main focus at present is the opening National Football League game against Kerry on February 5.
And he does not subscribe to the old theory that the Dr McKenna Cup is necessarily the place to try out new blood: "The way we operate, all our players get a chance to shine every night at training," Gallagher said.
“That is as good a benchmark as any. Many of our younger players are away at college so there is no point in fighting the colleges over them and some of the older players will be just coming back to training. Our main focus is the game against Kerry.”
But it is equally clear Donegal are about to become deeply involved in a transition period over the remaining years of the manager’s tenure.
2017 ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE FIXTURES
(To be ratified by Central Council)
Antrim (Division 2A)
Sun Feb 12 (1pm, Corrigan Park): London; Sun Feb 19 (2pm, Netwatch Cullen Park): Carlow; Sun March 5 (2pm, Ballycastle): Kildare; Sun March 12 (2pm, Athletic Grounds): Armagh; Sun March 26 (1pm, Cushendall): Westmeath
Armagh (Division 2A)
Sun Feb 12 (12.30pm, Athletic Grounds): Wicklow; Sun Feb 19 (1pm, Athletic Grounds): London; Sun March 5 (2pm, Cusack Park): Westmeath; Sun March 12 (2pm, Athletic Grounds): Antrim; Sun March 26 (1pm, Cullen Park): Carlow
Derry (Division 2B)
Sun Feb 12 (2pm, MacHale Park): Mayo; Sun Feb 19 (2pm, Trim): Meath; Sun March 5 (12,30pm, Owenbeg): Wicklow; Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Owenbeg): Roscommon; Sun March 26 (3pm, Ballycran): Down
Donegal (Division 3A)
Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Letterkenny): Louth; Sun Feb 19 (2pm, Castleblayney): Monaghan; Sun Feb 26 (12.30pm, Healy Park): Tyrone; Sun March 5 (2pm, Letterkenny): Tyrone; Sun March 12 (2pm, Letterkenny): Monaghan; Sun March 26 (3pm, Darver): Louth
Down (Division 2B)
Sun Feb 12 (1pm, Páirc Tailteann): Meath; Sun Feb 19 (2pm, Ballycran): Roscommon; Sun March 5 (2pm, MacHale Park): Mayo; Sun March 12 (2pm, Pearse Park): Wicklow; Sun March 26 (3pm, Ballycran): Derry
Fermanagh (Division 3B)
Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park): Longford; Sun Feb 19 (2pm, Brewster Park): Warwickshire; Sun March 5 (12.30pm, Markievcz Park): Sligo; Sun March 26 (1pm, Brewster Park): Leitrim
Monaghan (Division 3A)
Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Healy Park): Tyrone; Sun Feb 19 (2pm, Castleblayney): Donegal; Sun Feb 26 (2pm, Darver): Louth; Sun March 5 (2pm, Inniskeen): Louth; Sun March 12 (2pm, Letterkenny): Donegal; Sun March 26 (3pm, Clones): Tyrone
Tyrone (Division 3A)
Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Healy Park): Monaghan; Sun Feb 19 (2pm, Darver): Louth; Sun Feb 26 (12.30pm, Healy Park): Donegal; Sun March 5 (2pm, Letterkenny): Donegal; Sun March 12 (2pm, Healy Park): Louth; Sun March 26 (3pm, Clones): Monaghan
2017 ALLIANZ NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE FIXTURES
Antrim (Division Three)
Sun Feb 5 (2pm, Clonmel): Tipperary; Sun Feb 12 (2pm, O’Connor Park): Offaly; Sun Feb 26 (2pm, Corrigan Park): Sligo; Sun March 5 (2pm, Gaelic Grounds): Louth; Sun March 19 (2pm, Corrigan Park): Laois; Sat March 25 (7pm, Athletic Grounds): Armagh; Sun April 2 (2pm, Corrigan Park): Longford
Armagh (Division Three)
Sun Feb 5 (2pm, Markievcz Park): Sligo; Sun Feb 12 (2.30pm, Athletic Grounds): Laois; Sun Feb 26 (2pm, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park): Longford; Sun March 5 (2pm, Athletic Grounds): Offaly; Sun March 19 (2pm, Gaelic Grounds): Louth; Sat March 25 (7pm, Athletic Grounds): Antrim; Sun April 2 (2pm, Athletic Grounds): Tipperary
Cavan (Division One)
Sun Feb 5 (2pm, Kingspan Breffni Park): Dublin; Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Castleblayney): Monaghan; Sun Feb 26 (2.30pm, Healy Park): Tyrone; Sat March 4 (7pm, Kingspan Breffni Park): Donegal; Sun March 19 (2pm, MacHale Park): Mayo; Sun March 26 (2pm, Kingspan Breffni Park): Kerry; Sun April 4 (2pm, Dr Hyde Park): Roscommon
Derry (Division Two)
Sun Feb 5 (2pm, Celtic Park): Clare; Sun Feb 12 (3pm, Páirc Tailteann): Meath; Sun Feb 26 (2pm, Celtic Park): Kildare; Sun March 5 (2.30pm, Owenbeg): Down; Sun March 19 (2pm, Tuam): Galway; Sun March 26 (3pm, Celtic Park): Cork; Sun April 2 (2pm, Brewster Park): Fermanagh
Donegal (Division One)
Sun Feb 5 (2pm, Letterkenny): Kerry; Sun Feb 12 (2.30pm, Dr Hyde Park): Roscommon; Sun Feb 26 (2pm, Ballybofey): Dublin; Sat March 4 (7pm, Kingspan Breffni Park): Cavan; Sat March 18 (7pm, Ballybofey): Tyrone; Sun March 26 (3pm, Ballyshannon): Monaghan; Sun April 2 (2pm, MacHale Park): Mayo
Down (Division Two)
Sat Feb 4 (7pm, Páirc Esler): Fermanagh; Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Ennis): Clare; Sat Feb 25 (7pm, Páirc Esler): Meath; Sun March 5 (2.30pm, Owenbeg): Derry; Sat March 18 (7pm, Páirc Esler): Kildare; Sun March 26 (3pm, Páirc Esler): Galway; Sun April 2 (2pm, Páirc Uí Rinn): Cork
Fermanagh (Division Two)
Sat Feb 4 (7pm, Páirc Esler): Down; Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Brewster Park): Galway; Sun Feb 26 (1pm, Páirc Uí Rinn): Cork; Sun March 5 (1pm, Newbridge): Kildare; Sun March 19 (2pm, Brewster Park): Clare; Sun March 26 (3pm, Páirc Tailteann): Meath; Sun April 2 (2pm, Brewster Park): Derry
Monaghan (Division One)
Sat Feb 4 (7pm, MacHale Park): Mayo; Sun Feb 12 (2pm, Castleblayney): Cavan; Sun Feb 26 (2pm, Fitzgerald Stadium): Kerry; Sat March 4 (7pm, Healy Park): Tyrone; Sun March 19 (2pm, Inniskeen): Roscommon; Sun March 26 (3pm, Ballyshannon): Donegal; Sun April 2 (2pm, Clones): Dublin
Tyrone (Division One)
Sun Feb 5 (2pm, Healy Park): Roscommon; Sat Feb 11 (7pm, Croke Park): Dublin; Sun Feb 26 (2.30pm, Healy Park): Cavan; Sat March 4 (7pm, Healy Park): Monaghan; Sat March 18 (7pm, Ballybofey): Donegal; Sun March 26 (3pm, Healy Park): Mayo; Sun April 4 (2pm, Fitzgerald Stadium): Kerry
