McDermott delighted with players’ dedicated approach

Micheal McDermott doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. He is already well-recognised as one of the top managers in the game having coached Clare senior footballers for three years and guided Kilmurry-Ibrickane to the All-Ireland Club final in 2010.

The Cavan native also led Ramor United to the SFC in his own county and he was much sought after when Wolfe Tones appointed him to replace Tony Kearney at the end of 2019.

Despite all his experience in the game McDermott, like every other coach involved in sport, wasn't prepared for all 2020 the world, but the Cavan native saw enough in his new side's 2020 campaign to suggest they could go places in his second year in charge.

"Championship football can be very unpredictable. When the draw was made we were in a tough group with Gaeil Colmcille, Simonstown and Moynalvey," recalled McDermott.

"The way it panned out following week one after we drew with Gaeil Colmcille and Moynalvey beat Simonstown, it meant we had to get results in our last two matches.

"Straight away we were under pressure to perform and win, but we approached those games with the right mindset and came out of the group.

"When you look back at last year we were in another tough group, yet if it weren't for the Covid rules which meant only the top team advanced from the group we would have made the quarter-final then too.

"We were very unfortunate not to top that group last year and make it to the semi-final, a late goal for Summerhill knocked us out.

"So we have been building to the extent of where we are now and the performances, especially this year throughout the Feis Cup and the championship, have been decent, bar a couple of little blips in two finals along the way.

"After the draw with Gaeil Colmcille it really became knockout championship for us. We knew we had to go out and give it our best in every game and then it was all about winning very match in front of us and that was the way we approached it.

"The format of the championship this year has been brilliant because we knew every two weeks we had a match, we knew that that match was of real significance and we were able to prepare accordingly for it.

"That is the way we have approached every game, we are not going to change our system of training now, we are just going to do exactly what we have done for every two weeks the whole year.

"When you get to this stage of the year the players know they have a game every two weeks until they are knocked out, so they can plan their time. They know what the routine is, we train every Wednesday and Friday and if it was a hurling weekend then rather than a game we would train again Monday.

"Fair dues to the Co Board because the format has been really, really good and we have enjoyed getting ready for every match and it is no different going into the final. We are enjoying the two weeks, we will train hard on our normal nights and see where it takes us."

Wolfe Tones' form has been sensational this year with their only losses coming in the deferred 2020 Feis Cup final against Gaeil Colmcille two weeks before the SFC started and against Simonstown in the 2021 Feis Cup final two weeks before the SFC quarter-finals, but McDermott was delighted with the way his side responded to those setbacks.

"When we looked back at the 2020 Feis Cup final against Gaeil Colmcille, which was just two weeks before the start of the 2021 championship against the same opposition, we were on a run going into that game, but in the back of everyone's mind the fact that we would be facing them again a couple of weeks later probably had an impact on our performance in that final.

"Maybe we got complacent going into that game thinking we were in a much better place than we thought. We got a real lesson that first day by Gaeil Colmcille and we learned a lot about where we were, the performance was not anywhere near what would be acceptable for championship football coming down the road.

"After the Feis Cup final losses to both Gaeil Colmcille and Simonstown the players were hugely disappointed, but they showed huge character to bounce back two weeks later on both occasions to be ready for the next challenge, so that was a big plus for me.

"Those two losses didn't effect our preparation heading into the championship, we didn't change anything because we lost. we accepted that they were blips and poor performances. We looked back to see where it went wrong for us and we planned accordingly."

The players attitudes and character is what excites McDermott the most.

He is delighted with the impact the leaders of the team have had on the younger players and while he knows the challenge Dunboyne will pose in Sunday's final will be a tough one, he is looking forward to the decider and the future.

"I have to hand it to the players, their attitude has been exceptional. These are a unique bunch of lads the way they prepare themselves," said McDermott.

"The good thing about the more mature players, we'll call them, is that they set the standards for all the players coming up through the ranks.

"Look at the younger lads coming through this year, lads like Adam O'Neill and Oisin Martin who are making the team and others like Gearoid O'Brien, Joey Smith, Eoin Donegan who are pushing hard in training and who have performed really well throughout the Feis Cup.

"Those lads are the future, they have come into the panel and have picked up the good habits and the good attitudes of the more mature players.

"Dunboyne were probably everybody's favourites at the start of the championship, even though Ratoath were going for three-in-a-row. They have a lot of really high quality players, they are extremely well drilled and conditioned and they are a serious challenge to come up against.

"In a final life becomes a new page for everybody and it can be unpredictable. Players that you might expect to stand up and take the game by the scruff of the neck may not be the ones who do it on the day.

"I think it will be a 50-50 game. We have two good teams trying to win the Keegan Cup, we're one of them. We know we will have to be at our best to have a chance in this final. "All we strive for is to be our best and give our best and if that gets us over the line it will be fantastic for the community, the club and the players," concluded the Cavan man.