Football

Monaghan's Darren Hughes feeling refreshed heading into county season

Darren Hughes is confident Monaghan can the right the wrongs of a disappointing 2016
Darren Hughes is confident Monaghan can the right the wrongs of a disappointing 2016 Darren Hughes is confident Monaghan can the right the wrongs of a disappointing 2016

THERE’S nothing Darren Hughes would love more than to be looking ahead to an All-Ireland Club semi-final next month, but Scotstown’s early provincial exit could play into Monaghan’s hands as 2017 progresses.

After completing back-to-back championship wins, An Bhoth bowed out of the Ulster Club to eventual finalists Kilcoo at the preliminary round stage.

That was on October 16, allowing Scotstown’s county players a break until the start of inter-county training in December.

Contrast that with the year previous when the Monaghan champions reached the Ulster final in December, losing out to Crossmaglen, before the county season got under way.

Hughes doesn’t know whether that heavy schedule played a part in what was a disappointing year for the Farneymen that saw them lose their grip on the Anglo-Celt Cup before a shock Qualifier defeat to Longford.

Although he would far rather Scotstown had continued to progress, Hughes admits the break from football has helped recharge his batteries and left him chomping at the bit when county training kicked in.

“I was glad to get back,” he said.

“I had six weeks off after the club went out and there’s only so much you can do in the off season, it can catch up on you too so you don’t want to leave things too long.

“Malachy was fair enough to us, he said whenever you’re ready to go, but we were all back at the first training session in December. It’s good to get back at it, you’d only be left behind if you didn’t.

“You need the routine I suppose, but you need the break too. We found last year we were into December and then you’re straight back - it was probably a bit much.”

The Farneymen opened their Dr McKenna Cup campaign with a one-point win over Fermanagh on Sunday, and can move a step closer to the semi-finals with victory over Antrim in Glenavy this weekend.

O’Rourke has shaken up his backroom team, drafting in former county midfielder Owen Lennon, and there is a freshness about the panel as they attempt to right the wrongs of last year.

Hughes continued: “Obviously the Longford game was disappointing, we came so close against Donegal - drew the first day lost the second day - but we were probably second best the both days.

“If we had sneaked a win we probably wouldn’t have deserved it, we only won three league games so probably when you look back we hadn’t been going as well all year.

“Each player personally has to look at themselves and reflect on whether they were putting in as much work - if not more - than the previous years, because it just doesn’t happen by chance.

“You have to be doing everything you can to maximise your potential on the pitch and maybe we took our eye off the ball a bit, and results reflected that.

“We know if we’re not at our full potential every day that we’re there to be beaten.”

O’Rourke named three debutants in his starting 15 on Sunday, while forward Tomas Kerr did his chances of nailing down a starting spot no harm with four points from play.

It’s early days, but the signs are positive.

“Malachy and the backroom team would’ve scanned the club championship and picked the guys who were on form,” he said.

“There’s quality players coming in there - Miceal Bannigan, a three-year county minor, obvious quality, David McAllister, James Mealiff stepping up from the U21 team that won Ulster last year, so there’s a lot of boys who have won medals and they’re there to push us.”