McKenna Cup 2024

[Angelo]

Other players WERE getting an opportunity.

Here is the Donegal line-up from the Derry game the other night:

Michael Lynch; Caolan Ward (1-1), Brendan McCole, Conor Morrison; Jeaic Mac Ceallbhuí, Conor O'Donnell, Paul Brennan; Caolan McGonagle, Michael Langan (0-3, 1 '45'); Eoin McHugh, Ethan O'Donnell (0-1), Daire Ó Baoill (0-1); Peadar Mogan (0-2, 1f), Michael Carroll, Eoghan McGettigan. Subs: Ciaran Thompson for Carroll (46 mins), Daniel Clarke for McGettigan (48 mins) Andrew McClean (0-1) for E.O'Donnell (53 mins), Ciaran Diver (0-1) for E.McHugh (58 mins), Aaron Deeney for Ward (60 mins).

Likely first choice players for the summer in that team are Langan, Thompson and maybe O'Baoill. If Carroll is truly back, he might be pushing. McCole might be there if Neil McGee is in decline, but its less than a year since Mickey Newman took him to the cleaners in Croke Park. The rest are either cover (Brennan, McConagle, Ward, McHugh) or just breaking into the senior picture.

So why can't they field a team?

Presumably the rest of the squad isn't back, fit and ready yet to go yet, same as every other year in the McKenna Cup.

And why hasn't he assmebled a squad that is capable of fulfilling the McKenna Cup, he should have known at the outset that there is a good chance of lots of players being unavailable for the McKenna Cup semi onwards.

Where are the likes of McBrearty, Murphy, McLoone, McGee, McFadden, McMenamin?

Contrast the Tyrone team and Donegal team that met last year:

Donegal: S Patton; P McGrath, N McGee, S McMenamin (0-01); R McHugh (0-01), N O'Donnell, E Ban Gallagher; H McFadden (0-01), J McGee; E McHugh (0-01), L McLoone, J Brennan (1-03); P McBrearty (0-03, 1f), M Murphy (0-05, 2d, 1 '45), M Langan (0-01).

Subs: C Thompson for McGee (15), D O Baoill for E McHugh (39), F McGlynn for McLoone (47), O Gallen for O'Donnell (53), P Brennan for J Brennan (64)

Tyrone: N Morgan (0-02, 1f, 1 '45); P Hampsey, R McNamee, L Rafferty; T McCann, B McDonnell, M McKernan; C Cavanagh, B Kennedy; M Donnelly (0-01), K McGeary (0-02), F Burns; C McShane (0-04, 3f), P Harte, R Donnelly (0-2).

Subs: C McAliskey for Harte (BC 9), N Sludden for Cavanagh (h-t), R Brennan for Rafferty (h-t), D McCurry (0-03, 1f) for McDonnell (40), M Cassidy (0-01) for Burns (51), A McCrory for McCann (56)

Donegal:

Injured: McGrath, Gallagher, J McGee
Opted out/retired: McGlynn
Not seen action yet: Murphy, McBrearty, McMenamin, McLoone
Sigerson: ??


Tyrone:
Injured: Donnelly
Opted out/retired: McAliskey and probably McShane
Not seen action yet: Harte, R Donnelly, Hampsey, McNamee, Cavanagh, Cassidy
Sigerson: Kennedy, McDonnell, Rafferty?, McKernan

So why are Donegal having such problems fielding a team?

[bannside]

You're not listening. Murphys  calling the shots. Hes not available so hes personally issued instructions to the Donegal board to seek to put the fixture back to accommodate his availability to manage Letterkenny IT for which he us being exceptionally well compensated. Make no mistake thats the major issue here. Bonnar caught up in it because Murphys throwing his weight around the county.

[rodney trotter]

Bonner already stated 13 are on Sigerson Duty. McGloone had a long year with his Club. Why would they flog him in Mckenna Cup.? McBrearty is away travelling and will miss the League. Jason Mc Gee will miss the league too, through injury. Oisin Gallen injured also .

[Angelo]

Thats right getoverthebar. And if he loses by a point because of all this unwelcome disruption?? Or his skeleton squad gets a trimming. That would be good for morale too, wouldnt it?

Bottom line is Murphy getting extremely well compensated for his involvement with Letterkenny. That's the root of this problem....he has insisted that the Donegal board request the game put back largely to accommodate him. If Murphy wasnt in this situation there wouldnt be a word about it, but as I say  money talks and that's why his allegiance this weekend is to his paymasters. That's the problem I have with it SambaSaffron.

I don't get your point at all. No county will have Sigerson players in action this weekend so it doesn't matter what Murphy is doing with the Donegal County board, all counties are at the same loss here.

The problem seems to be that Declan Bonner picked a squad for the McKenna Cup which would struggle to field a team, why didn't he give players a run out who could play games? Donegal could field a team if they wanted but Bonner has thrown his toys out of the pram.

[Angelo]

Bonner already stated 13 are on Sigerson Duty. McGloone had a long year with his Club. Why would they flog him in Mckenna Cup.? McBrearty is away travelling and will miss the League. Jason Mc Gee will miss the league too, through injury. Oisin Gallen injured also .

So what?

Tyrone have similar numbers on Sigerson duty at the minute, as do Mayo, as do Galway etc.

The following players haven't featured yet for Tyrone - Harte, Hampsey, Cavanagh, Meyler, McNamee, R Donnelly, Bradley, HP McGeary.

Harry Loughran, Declan McClure and Mattie Donnelly are currently injured.

So that's about 20 players that Tyrone could be without this weekend, they will still field a team though.

It looks on the face of it to be amateurish from Bonner not to have a squad for this and embarrassing that he has thrown his toys out of the pram when he should have been planning for it.

[Aristo 60]

Bonner already stated 13 are on Sigerson Duty. McGloone had a long year with his Club. Why would they flog him in Mckenna Cup.? McBrearty is away travelling and will miss the League. Jason Mc Gee will miss the league too, through injury. Oisin Gallen injured also .

So what?

Tyrone have similar numbers on Sigerson duty at the minute, as do Mayo, as do Galway etc.

The following players haven't featured yet for Tyrone - Harte, Hampsey, Cavanagh, Meyler, McNamee, R Donnelly, Bradley, HP McGeary.

Harry Loughran, Declan McClure and Mattie Donnelly are currently injured.

So that's about 20 players that Tyrone could be without this weekend, they will still field a team though.

It looks on the face of it to be amateurish from Bonner not to have a squad for this and embarrassing that he has thrown his toys out of the pram when he should have been planning for it.

If the cap fits?

[tiempo]

As long as Bonner gets his mileage allowance and meal ticket for going to watch the Sigerson games it'll all be grand.

[J70]

One would presume Bonner thought long and hard about which players he wanted to include in the McKenna Cup with a view to their potential as proper squad members. Naturally a lot of those lads are also going to be on college teams. Are you suggesting that he alter those plans and instead include non-college players he is less interested in on the off-chance that he might have a semi-final fixture to fulfill? It's a meaningless pre-season tournament, not the World Cup.

[rodney trotter]

Bonner already stated 13 are on Sigerson Duty. McGloone had a long year with his Club. Why would they flog him in Mckenna Cup.? McBrearty is away travelling and will miss the League. Jason Mc Gee will miss the league too, through injury. Oisin Gallen injured also .

So what?

Tyrone have similar numbers on Sigerson duty at the minute, as do Mayo, as do Galway etc.

The following players haven't featured yet for Tyrone - Harte, Hampsey, Cavanagh, Meyler, McNamee, R Donnelly, Bradley, HP McGeary.

Harry Loughran, Declan McClure and Mattie Donnelly are currently injured.

So that's about 20 players that Tyrone could be without this weekend, they will still field a team though.

It looks on the face of it to be amateurish from Bonner not to have a squad for this and embarrassing that he has thrown his toys out of the pram when he should have been planning for it.

Bonner requested that the Mckenna Cup game be moved to next Wednesday,  but Ulster Council refused.  It's a pre season competition, but it's run like its the All Ireland.

Bonner was more making a stance then anything else about fixture congestion. They just cram in games without much thought.

[bannside]

The big show in town is the Super 8s as it's being referred to. For other counties winning a properly marketed properly rewarded Tier 2 may also morph into a very worthwhile competition in due course. Maybe.

Take Donegal last year. Went full pelt to beat Tyrone in the Ulster cship and threw so much at the tank too early, petered out tamely in early August with a muted display in Castlebar when the rest of the big counties were only getting warmed up. You'll find they time things differently this year.

The NFL is a stepping stone to building a squad and a system of play for these competitions.

The Mc Kenna Cup is a couple of trumphed up friendlies that dont matter much except as a fundraiser for Ulster Council expenses. Donegal dont need it one iota at this stage. Theyve got the Anglo Celt there atm and its prestige is being eroded by the year in place of the big show, The Super 8s. One provincial competition will be enough per calendar year in the near future.

[J70]

Anyone remember, without looking it up, who won the McKenna Cup last year? Or who was in the final?

[Angelo]

One would presume Bonner thought long and hard about which players he wanted to include in the McKenna Cup with a view to their potential as proper squad members. Naturally a lot of those lads are also going to be on college teams. Are you suggesting that he alter those plans and include non-college players he is less interested in on the off-chance that he might have a semi-final fixture to fulfill? It's a meaningless pre-season tournament, not the World Cup.

The exact same as most counties but Donegal seem to be the only one unwilling to fulfill a fixture. He's made a big scene of throwing his toys out of the pram, if it's not the World Cup then why has he shown such overt displays of petulance?

[bannside]

What the hell are you on about? Bonnars done nothing wrong here. Give me one reason why Bonnar might have the remotest interest in fulfilling a fixture without any resemblance of his team to play Mayo in two weeks in a game that matters at least a little bit. Plus, its Murphy calling the shots here or at least trying too!

[J70]

One would presume Bonner thought long and hard about which players he wanted to include in the McKenna Cup with a view to their potential as proper squad members. Naturally a lot of those lads are also going to be on college teams. Are you suggesting that he alter those plans and include non-college players he is less interested in on the off-chance that he might have a semi-final fixture to fulfill? It's a meaningless pre-season tournament, not the World Cup.

The exact same as most counties but Donegal seem to be the only one unwilling to fulfill a fixture. He's made a big scene of throwing his toys out of the pram, if it's not the World Cup then why has he shown such overt displays of petulance?

Evidently not the same as most counties as the other semi-finalists can field teams the same day as the Sigerson.

And what petulance and big scenes are you talking about? We know some of you Tyrone boys dislike Bonner, but you're being a wee bit over-sensitive here. He withdrew from a tournament no one cares about as it didn't work for his squad plans. It's not the end of the world. At worst, Monaghan will go into the final a bit more refreshed than the other finalist.

[Angelo]

Bonner already stated 13 are on Sigerson Duty. McGloone had a long year with his Club. Why would they flog him in Mckenna Cup.? McBrearty is away travelling and will miss the League. Jason Mc Gee will miss the league too, through injury. Oisin Gallen injured also .

So what?

Tyrone have similar numbers on Sigerson duty at the minute, as do Mayo, as do Galway etc.

The following players haven't featured yet for Tyrone - Harte, Hampsey, Cavanagh, Meyler, McNamee, R Donnelly, Bradley, HP McGeary.

Harry Loughran, Declan McClure and Mattie Donnelly are currently injured.

So that's about 20 players that Tyrone could be without this weekend, they will still field a team though.

It looks on the face of it to be amateurish from Bonner not to have a squad for this and embarrassing that he has thrown his toys out of the pram when he should have been planning for it.

Bonner requested that the Mckenna Cup game be moved to next Wednesday,  but Ulster Council refused.  It's a pre season competition, but it's run like its the All Ireland.

Bonner was more making a stance then anything else about fixture congestion. They just cram in games without much thought.

So he's worried about player welfare yet he wanted to add another game in a short space of time for those players to play in? He should have planned without his Sigerson players for this weekend, like every other county did.