Quinn: Tough league was blessing in disguise

By Niall Gartland

FROM the outside looking in, it was difficult to assess where exactly Errigal Ciaran stood heading into the Championship. But from the early stages of their resounding first-half victory over Killyclogher, it was apparent that they were in the zone.

Speaking after the game, joint-manager Stevie Quinn said that a difficult league campaign had in some ways been a blessing in disguise. They finished 11th in the table, a world away from the battle for the title, but they obviously weren’t helped by the absence of a number of leading players through injury.

But it did have its plus points. Less established players were thrown into the deep end and have become accustomed to the demands of top-tier club football. And with Darragh Canavan and Ben McDonnell making their return against Killyclogher, they seem well-positioned for a crack at the title – albeit they certainly can’t afford to look beyond this Monday’s quarter-final joust with Trillick.

Reflecting on the learnings from their Division One campaign, Quinn said: “In a lot of ways, it was very worthwhile. We got a lot of game time into boys with the absences we had. Aodhán Quinn, Michael Mullin and Michael Quinn got a lot of opportunities for example.

“It was probably the best Division One in terms of the quality of teams that I can remember. It was cut-throat each week, which has helped the boys who maybe haven’t got as much game time.”

Speaking in the direct aftermath of their resounding victory over Killyclogher, Quinn wasn’t getting carried away, but there’s no doubt it was impressive stuff from the 2022 and 2024 county champions.

“We’re thrilled just to get over the line. We didn’t really know where we were, because a number of boys were missing in the league campaign, so we were just hoping to get a solid performance and get a result more than anything. The boys played well in patches and we’re happy to get through to the next round.”

While the game marked the return of Darragh Canavan and Ben McDonnell, two other mainstays, Joe Oguz and Ruairi Canavan are yet to return. Quinn says time will tell whether they’ll be back for Monday’s showdown with Trillick.

“Players of the calibre of Darragh and Ben, you always like to see them back and playing well, and hopefully they continue to get a bit more game time, because there’s a big quarter-final coming down the line in Trillick. It’ll be a massive battle, they’re a super team – what else needs to be said?”

On Oguz and Ruairi Canavan, Quinn commented: “It’s very much up in the air. They weren’t ready for tonight. Will Trillick be too soon? It’s too early to say. We didn’t know we’d have Darragh at the start of this week, so every day counts in the recovery.”