AFTER a recent challenge game, players from the losing side were mighty impressed by the pace and skill of Clonoe who begin their Tyrone Division One campaign against reigning county champions Trillick tomorrow.
As you might expect from a Stevie McDonnell-managed side, the O’Rahilly’s outfit looked to get the ball quickly and accurately to a potent full-forward line and take the game to their opposition.
But former Armagh forward star McDonnell, who switched to Clonoe after three years with Down’s Burren, warned against setting too much store on the result of a friendly as he looked forward to the start of the serious stuff and a new chapter in his management career.
“We’ve played a few friendlies and you’re looking at different players in different roles,” said the 2002 All-Ireland winner.
“I’ve just been trying to familiarise myself with them and they’re a very committed group of lads who work hard at every training session and if you have a group of lads who will do that then you can make progress with them.”
There are good players throughout the side from goalkeeper Mickey O’Neill up to the forward line that includes the skills of Connor McAlliskey and PJ Lavery and there is experience of players who won the county title in 2013 under Damian Cassidy.
“At the end of the day, it’s seven years since they won anything at that level so it is about trying to instil a bit of belief and keep momentum going,” said McDonnell.
“We need to get a few results in the league because we really have a baptism of fire in the championship against Coalisland. It’s never easy when you’re playing one of the favourites in the championship but it makes it more difficult when you’re playing your nearest rivals.”
That Clonoe-Coalisland derby is a mouth-watering clash for neutrals that will raise the curtain on a genuinely cutthroat championship that has produced seven different winners in the past 10 seasons.
McDonnell feels that there are “seven or eight teams” in the mix again this year and he is relishing the chance to pit his wits against his rivals.
“When the opportunity came I saw it as a challenge,” he said.
“When you come from a competitive background you always have that feeling in your stomach that you want to set yourself goals and this is a challenge to try and get Clonoe back to the top of the pile. It’s a work in progress, we haven’t even kicked a competitive ball yet so I don’t know exactly where those boys are at yet.
“But if you have a group of lads on the training field week-in, week-out and they are prepared to listen and work you’re over halfway there. From what I’ve seen so far, they’re definitely a good group of lads with a bright future.”
From experience, McDonnell knows that “every game is competitive” in Tyrone and among the highlights on this long-awaited opening weekend are the clashes between Ardboe and Carrickmore, Errigal Ciaran and Moy, Omagh and Dromore and Derrylaughan and Coalisland.
“We have a reduced league campaign and, even though there’s no relegation this year, we have four league games before the first round of the championship, which is knockout, and each team will want to lay down a marker,” said McDonnell.
“Tyrone football is full of talented players and there is a very competitive edge.
“Each team wants to build up that winning feeling and have momentum going into the championship. I predict it is going to be a fiercely competitive couple of months ahead and there’s no better baptism of fire than playing the county champions in the first league game.”
