Sport

Mulrone mulling over defence

Fermanagh's Barry Mulrone admits that they had to tighten up defensively after last year. Picture: Philip Walsh
Fermanagh's Barry Mulrone admits that they had to tighten up defensively after last year. Picture: Philip Walsh Fermanagh's Barry Mulrone admits that they had to tighten up defensively after last year. Picture: Philip Walsh

IN JUST two Championship games last summer, Fermanagh scored 5-28. They hit 3-13 in one and 2-15 in the other. They lost them both.

Against Antrim, they hit 3-13 but could have had no complaints about the Saffrons seeing them off. They were considerably more unfortunate to lose by a point to Laois, going down by 1-19 to 2-15.

Entertaining and all as it might have been for the neutral, it was fairly obvious where Pete McGrath’s major concern was heading into this season.

Unperturbed by the loss of key players over the winter, Fermanagh began their McKenna Cup campaign with a very definitely defined defensive shape.

Among the key components of their new system has been Barry Mulrone.

Renowned as a defender in inter-county football, he began the season lined out in the half-forward line. It was a totally new experience to the Devenish man, who plays much of his club football there.

But as with most in the modern game, Mulrone is not your orthodox half-forward. He often tucks in behind his midfield and allows Ryan McCluskey – the free man in their defence – the freedom to roam, safe in the knowledge that Mulrone has his back.

“I'm enjoying it,” he says of his new role.

“I suppose I'd be enjoying any position because I'm getting to play a lot of games this year.

“Wing-half and anywhere in the middle eight is so interchangeable now that you're nearly back as much as you are forward, but definitely enjoying the role and getting a few more scores.”

It’s an improvement on last season, certainly, when Mulrone wasn’t a regular. After a stop-start league, he came on for the last 18 minutes of the defeat by Antrim, though he did start the game against Laois at number three, playing an hour.

Stop-start campaigns are nothing new to the 27-year-old. In 2011, he had to have his ankle reconstructed and missed five months. Just over a year later, at the end of 2012, he tore his cruciate knee ligament and missed the 2013 season as a result.

With growing numbers defecting from county panels all over Ireland because of the time and commitment required to play inter-county football, Mulrone is instead grateful for the opportunity.

“It is massive commitment but no-one is making you do it. Personally, I missed out on two or three decent years with Fermanagh with injury.

“I am 27 now and I just felt this year, when you have the pre-season and the fitness and you're playing games, you just want to keep playing for as long as possible. At inter-county level, it isn't a long career.”

Last year, in his own words, “I just wasn’t being selected.”

But that has changed. An ever-present through McKenna Cup and League this year, he is now a permanent fixture in a settled team which heads into the summer with great optimism.

“I have played every minute of competitive football this year in the McKenna Cup and the league, which brings you on something shocking.

“Pre-season will get you in form and the weights and strength and conditioning that Leon Carters has done with us has been superb to get us in top shape.

“It's the games along with the excellent training sessions we've had this year. Everything has been zoned in specific to what we're doing in games, which is showing up so far.”

Prior to the start of their Division Three campaign, many were predicting that Fermanagh would struggle to stay up.

The retirements of Barry Owens, Mark Murphy, Eamon Maguire, Tommy McElroy and Paul Ward left their squad looking more than a shade inexperienced.

So much so, that when he was sat in the Erne changing room ahead of their McKenna Cup tie with Queen’s in January, Mulrone realised that, at 26, he was the second oldest in the squad that day.

He was behind only Ryan McCluskey, the man whose back he now spends much of his time covering as part of his new role in the team.

“Last year with Clucker being the sweeper he was held maybe a wee bit too much in that role so it's been more interchangeable this year where I can go back and if he needs to go, then I can sit back for him, because we're both experienced at doing that role anyway.

“It's been very beneficial for the team but I think it's also a case that we're more settled in our defensive structure and we know where each player needs to be in terms of whenever the other team is on the attack.

“We are nullifying them and not giving away the silly goals that we were last year, thankfully.

“I think we have been quite balanced. It hasn't been more of one than the other. It's a better way of playing football rather than being too rigid.”

Despite that, he has just one Ulster Championship win to his name during his time with Fermanagh. The 1-13 to 0-13 victory over Cavan in 2010 was their last in the competition and the Devenish man is determined that they will end that run of defeats on Sunday.

“It has been at the top of our list all year.

“You can do as well as you want in the league but in Ulster if you're knocked out in the first round, everything you've done beforehand is forgotten about.

“Pete has said all year the one game he wanted to win was the Antrim game and we have been the exact same as players.”

Their run to the Division Three final was unexpected in many quarters. Having drawn with Armagh during the League stage, the sides were separated by five points in the decider at the end of April.

Despite missing out on a rare medal, Mulrone is philosophical about the overall weight of such a defeat, and believes that it might turn out to be a good thing in the end.

“The biggest problem about being in Croke Park and winning that game, possibly that would have been a lot of boys' season set, having a league medal and winning in Croke Park.

“Losing made us completely reassess the situation. We weren't as good as maybe we thought we were, which was a good thing because we've got to work on a lot of things that disappointed us in the league final, and the previous game against Clare which wasn't one our of best games either. That will be corrected for the Antrim game.”