THE idea of Donegal complaining about Fermanagh’s style of football would be “the pot calling the kettle black” admits Tír Chonaill midfielder Hugh McFadden.
The St Michael’s man had an outstanding game at midfield as Donegal claimed the Division Two title on Saturday evening, and his under-rated presence at midfield this year has been a huge factor in allowing Michael Murphy to wreak permanent havoc at full-forward.
Having trailed by eight points after 13 minutes, Donegal steadied the ship and took control against Meath in a game that was full of long kicking and man-to-man battles.
It would probably be unwise to expect the same style of game when the reigning Ulster champions begin the defence of their crown in Brewster Park on May 26.
Fermanagh almost came up to the top tier with Donegal but fell short over the last two games, but still finished third and with comfortably the best defensive record in the four tiers of the National League, having conceded just 6-56.
The Ernemen also won in Letterkenny during the league, a result which for a while threatened to derail Donegal’s promotion hopes before they finished strong.
“There’s no point us criticising or calling anything wrong with playing a severely defensive, containing game. It’d be pot calling the kettle black,” said McFadden, referencing the way in which Donegal's All-Ireland winning crop of 2012 changed Gaelic football's emphasis on defence.
“I’ve no problems, whatever style you want to go out and play football.
"The rise of Fermanagh’s been severely impressive. They got to an Ulster final last year and out of Division Three, solidified themselves and nearly got promoted to Division One.
“They were the best defensive team in the country this year in the league. The challenge we’re going to have in Brewster Park is going to be phenomenal.”
Declan Bonner’s side come into the provincial series in the rare position of holding the crown and yet generally regarded as having been the third-best side in Ulster last year.
Tyrone went to Ballybofey and won their place in the All-Ireland semi-final in the last game of the Super 8s last summer, where they met Monaghan.
“We have to be realistic. Tyrone beat us by seven points last year in MacCumhaill Park unfortunately. It’s something we wouldn’t be proud of,” said McFadden.
“The standard of performances Monaghan and Tyrone both put in in the Super 8s last year probably left them in the top few teams in the country.
“We did win Ulster, we’ve come back and won Division Two this year. We see ourselves as a team that wants to win Ulster, but we have to recognise the quality of competition in Ulster is of a seriously high standard compared to the rest I think.
“It’s going to be a tight battle to try and land the Anglo Celt, and that’s without trying to get over Fermanagh first. That’s going to be a titanic battle given the recent history.”
The Super 8s last year contained seven of the sides from Division One and promoted Roscommon, with Mayo the only ones to miss out after losing a qualifier to fellow top-tier side Kildare.
Achieving summer success from a position outside Division One has become increasingly difficult in recent years, making the Division Two promotion race all the more frantic.
That’s one of the key reasons why McFadden believes Donegal needed to get up, but he put those alongside the promotional values to the county setup of the exposure the top flight offers.
“In terms of wanting to be in Division One, there’s a myriad of reasons. If you’re playing against the best teams all the time, you’ll only get better.
“Then obviously there’s the commercial, financial and exposure reasons. Your brand needs to be in Division One, on the best TV shows, on the channels the games are on, and your sponsorship is on League Sunday every week.
“Whether you like it or not, those things make your job a lot easier when you’re preparing as a county team.
“The most important thing is that you get to play against the best players, and when you’re doing that you’re only going to get better. It definitely adds to your chances to win silverware.”
