McMenamin relishes Fermanagh's 'stiff challenge' as he reveals squad's excitement to get back on pitch

Boss is looking to the positives as Fermanagh bid to forget 2020 woe

Big test: Ryan McMenamin’s Fermanagh side face into a demanding mission when the Allianz League gets under way

�INPHO/John McVitty

Big test: Ryan McMenamin’s Fermanagh side face into a demanding mission when the Allianz League gets under way

John Campbell

January 07 2021 12:25 PM

Just as has been the case in wider society, uncertainty has been an unwelcome bedfellow of the GAA for the best part of a year now.

And there is no sign of a parting of the ways in the immediate future. With collective club and inter-county training now on hold until the start of next month at the earliest, there are growing fears that the start of the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues may have to be deferred.

As things stand, the inter-county season is scheduled to swing into action on the weekend of February 27-28, but GAA chiefs are monitoring the situation closely while bracing themselves for perhaps having to make yet another big call.

Meanwhile, county team bosses up and down the island are toiling diligently behind the scenes as they piece together their squads and attempt to spark an initial flush of optimism via Zoom meetings.

It is debatable if any manager shouldered the pressure and ultimately disappointment that came the way of Fermanagh boss Ryan McMenamin in the closing phase of 2020.

The Erne outfit shouldered a heavy burden in terms of Covid-19 cases in the October-November period yet somehow McMenamin scrambled together a team that came within touching distance of beating Clare before a collapse in the closing minutes saw them bow the knee to Laois in their concluding Division Two games - losses which sealed the team's relegation. A defeat to Down in the Ulster Championship then brought down the curtain on a traumatic season.

Yet even though he will now be without the services of some of his experienced players and faces into the difficult assignment of striving to make a quick return to Division Two, there is no weeping or gnashing of teeth from McMenamin. Rather, there is a steely resolve to turn the corner and triumph over adversity.

"While it was difficult to fulfil our fixtures against Clare and Laois, it was important that we played those games to let us know where we are at," insisted McMenamin. "At the moment, I gather from Zoom meetings that there is a great buzz among the players and they are certainly putting the work in on an individual basis. I can't ask for more than that because we certainly face a stiff challenge."

With the Jones brothers Conall and Ryan and the Corrigan brothers Tomás and Ruairi having stepped away from his squad, McMenamin might have been thought to have grounds for grave disappointment.

Instead, he prefers to dwell on the return of Sean Quigley from a period in exile, Ultan Kelm's comeback after injury and the rich promise players such as Michael Glynn, Lorcan McStravick, Conor Love, Josh Largo Ellis and Luke Flanagan can bring to the table.

Lob in the contribution that Darragh McGurn, Conor McAuley and Tiernan Daly are capable of making and it can be seen that McMenamin is not short on talent.

"It's vital that we have a good spirit going forward and the boys seem to be enjoying what they are doing. Obviously with collective training now a little further down the line we have to try and make the best progress we can," stated McMenamin.

Fermanagh are bracketed with Derry, Cavan and Longford in Division Three North and McMenamin, in common with all managers, is keen to see his side get off to a good start.

Meanwhile, former Antrim PRO Sean Kelly has been appointed as one of his county's delegates to the Ulster Council. Kelly broke new ground in his five-year stint as PRO with the Saffrons by launching several fresh initiatives and is now looking forward to serving their interests in the corridors of power.

"We are obviously very keen to move forward on a positive note and, while there is much work to be done, I am looking forward to what is a new challenge for me personally," said Kelly.

The Antrim hurlers' triumph in winning the Joe McDonagh Cup, the refurbishment of Corrigan Park and the success of the Gaelfast venture are just three of the positives that the county will take into 2021.

"The aim now going forward is to try and build as much as possible on the progress that has been made," stated Kelly.

McMenamin relishes Fermanagh's 'stiff challenge' as he reveals squad's excitement to get back on pitch

Boss is looking to the positives as Fermanagh bid to forget 2020 woe

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