ERRIGAL Ciaran's devastating early season form has set a searing pace as they target a successful defence of their Tyrone Division One league title.
With nine goals in their opening two games and an average winning margin of 16.5 points, the men from Dunmoyle have shown serious attacking firepower.
But a championship titLe is the prime target for a club that has been starved of O'Neill Cup success since its last triumph in 2012.
"Championship is a long way away. We're not even thinking about it at the minute. we want to get the style of play going and get a few wins on the board," team captain Damian 'Dasher' McDermott insisted.
The Canavan factor is, as always, at the heart of the Errigal project. Manager Pascal watched his three nephews share a combined haul of 2-10 in Sunday's 5-14 to 1-7 win at Eglish. Cousins Darragh, Darren, and Tommy tormented the Eglish defence with their movement, creativity, and finishing.
"There's a few new faces in there and we're just getting to grips with things. The boys are playing with each other a lot more, but there's a lot of men that haven't seen game time yet. By the end of the year, they will. There's a lot of competition for places there, so we're happy with that," said McDermott.
And they will meet Eglish in the championship as well, when the Errigal skipper is expecting a stiffer challenge.
"We're very pleased with the start. I suppose we got a few lucky goals that opened it up for us.
"But we're not taking anything for granted, it's very early in the season. We'll meet them further down the road and it will be a different game then.
"Down the line we'll see these boys again, and we have a lot to work on and a lot to improve on."
Only two other teams – Clonoe and newly-promoted Dungannon – have full points from two rounds of games, and this weekend's top of the table clash of Errigal and Clonoe promises to be a cracker.
"We have a good history in the league and we respect it completely as a competition. There's only two things you can win each year, and the league is one of them.
"I have a few in the bag and they're definitely very important to me, and they're important to the rest of the boys in the squad.
"We have a good panel there and with the competition for places, boys push on right from the start of the year, so I suppose that's why we're in good stead with two wins out of two, and that's all you can look for."
After four games, Errigal will lose their county players, Peter Harte, Ben McDonnell, Aidan McCrory, and Darragh Canavan, as the Red Hands intensify preparations for the Ulster Championship opener against Derry.
A series of 'starred' league games will feature no members of the Tyrone squad, with Errigal particularly affected by the absence of four key players.
"They're four key players for us, so we want to get as many points on the board as possible, and capitalise on what we did last year. We got a good start in the league last year, and if we did it again this year, hopefully it will serve us well for the rest of the season".
