“Time to put up or shut up”
03.06.10
Wallace lays down gauntlet
ahead of Cup opener
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen
Independent
DONEGAL start their Lory Meagher Cup campaign on
Saturday when Longford visit O’Donnell Park in
Letterkenny (throw-in 3.30pm). Finalists in the
competition last year when they were beaten by Tyrone in
Croke Park, Donegal enter the competition as favourites
and manager Andrew Wallace says its time for his team to
finally deliver on their potential.
“The Lory Meagher Cup is our main target for the year
and it’s time for the players to prove themselves on the
field,” Wallace said yesterday. “There’s been a lot of
talk about Donegal being too good for the Lory Meagher
Cup, and for the Nickey Rackard Cup before it, but it’s
time to put up or shut up. We’ve never won an
All-Ireland championship. We have a few Ulster titles
and some national leagues, but we need to prove
ourselves in the championship.”
Donegal will be fielding close to their strongest 15 on
Saturday. After a season blighted by injury, Wallace
welcomes back a number of key players, although star
corner forward Niall Campbell has not yet recovered from
a broken wrist.
Walking wounded returning on Saturday include last
year’s player of the year Jamesie Donnelly, team captain
Colm Breathnach and Burt’s Mickey McCann. Sean McVeigh,
the former St Eunan’s player who has been playing his
club hurling with Ballycastle, has also returned to the
squad and is expected to transfer to St Eunan’s next
month.
“We’re nearly back to full strength now,” Wallace
confirmed. “That made picking Saturday’s team difficult
and we’ve had to make some tough calls in dropping
players to make way for those returning from injury, but
that’s preferable to how it was earlier in the season
when we were struggling to have 20 fit players
available.”
Donegal plied their trade in Division 3B of the league
this year, with Longford in Division 4. Wallace
travelled to see Longford play Monaghan in the Division
4 final and was impressed with what he saw.
“Although Longford lost, they had the better individual
players it’s just that Monaghan’s teamwork was a bit
better,” he said. “They have used the ‘five outside
players’ rule to good effect and have a couple of very
handy Offaly players in the team. That makes them very
dangerous. And they beat us in this competition last
year too, so there’s no question of us taken them
lightly.”
Wallace appealed for a large Donegal support on
Saturday. “This could be our last home game of the
season and I’d encourage supporters to come along,” he
said. “We can forget about the National League and
Ulster Championship when we were missing a load of
players – we’ll see the real Donegal on Saturday.” |
The Donegal team for
Saturday’s Lory Meagher Cup opener is: Paul O’Brien;
Mark Patton, Colm Breathnach, Justin McGee; Joe Boyle,
Jamesie Donnelly, Barry Friel; Ardal McDermott, Paddy
Hannigan; Mickey McCann, Danny Cullen, Lee Henderson;
Enda McDermott, Kevin Campbell, Ciaran Matthewson.
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