Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup semi-final: Donegal 1-10 Armagh 0-14
HAVING played on the last Armagh team that won the McKenna Cup in 1994, Kieran McGeeney dismissed the notion that their solid January has been as a result of an ‘early’ start.
Speaking after yesterday’s one-point win over Donegal that sets up a decider on Saturday night with early-season specialists Tyrone, the Orchard boss wasn’t buying suggestions that they’d been back earlier than most inter-county teams.
“I wouldn’t say we are going as long as Donegal. Everybody does the same,” said McGeeney (right).
“You hear these stories. When I first came in, we were training 12 times a week and gobshites wrote it. What can you do?
“We went back the same time as everybody else. Everybody has their own pre-season, it’s periodisation. They start on the weights, they start back on the pitch, they do their running. Nobody’s any different. Despite all the stories about up and down sand dunes.
“We hear it all about what different teams are doing, about what Donegal done in the past, what Fermanagh done in the past, what Tyrone done in the past.
“You have people who are experts doing your training. It’s all the same. It just makes good headlines for somebody to write nonsense, so what can you do?”
On the notion that they were ahead physically of the teams they’d met, including Monaghan whom they edged out last midweek, McGeeney was of the contrary opinion.
“Nah. We would be way behind Donegal. Even look at the two teams togged out beside each other…
“Julie [Davis, Armagh strength and conditioning coach] is doing a good job, but you just have different players we have plans for in different condition, so we are getting there.
“Some of our players have been there for the long haul, the likes of Rory [Grugan), Aidan [Forker] and Stephen [Sheridan], they are at the level we would like. Other players are coming in behind and they are playing catch-up. That’s the same for most teams.”
With no agreement between the four teams involved in yesterday’s semi-finals, Armagh played in Omagh while Tyrone saw off Derry in the Athletic Grounds.
Both McGeeney and Mickey Harte confirmed after their respective games that they would be happy to toss for home advantage for Saturday night’s decider, with Ulster Council set to confirm the venue this morning.
Meanwhile, Donegal manager Declan Bonner refused to comment on the futures of Mark McHugh, Darach O’Connor and Stephen McBrearty, none of whom it seems will be involved in the near future.
Having been asked about the trio, he said: “I’m not making comment on those.”
McHugh and McBrearty both featured regularly in last summer’s Championship campaign, both starting the Super 8s clash with Dublin in Croke Park, while O’Connor, who started the 2014
All-Ireland final, seemed to have made a step forward following a few injury-ravaged campaigns.
Bonner, whose side begin their Division Two campaign away to Clare, said he expects Paddy McGrath, Leo McLoone and Eoghan Bán Gallagher back in harness this week, but that Michael Murphy and Frank McGlynn “will be a wee while longer”.
