Erne Gaels boss O’Hagan building on winning environment

By Niall Gartland

BARRY O’Hagan has certainly put a fresh spin on things in his six months in charge of Erne Gaels, but he’s also the first to acknowledge the work of his predecessors.

Declan Bonner and his right-hand man Paul Brennan led the Belleek-based side to back-to-back championships before taking the reins at Fermanagh, so O’Hagan knew there was no need to reinvent the wheel.

That’s not to say there was no scope for improvement. No team is the finished article and the former Armagh footballer says that they’ve worked hard on upping the scoring rate in particular.

And things have gone smoothly to date. They take on Derrygonnelly in this weekend’s county final, but O’Hagan knows that Erne Gaels season will ultimately be judged on how they fare on the big day.

“In terms of the support, the commitment and the backroom team that is in place, it’s top class. As a result of the last 10 years and the way Erne Gaels have grown, it’s a very player-led group right throughout the playing panel.

“Declan and Paul also did a phenomenal job, putting certain things in place. They built up a good bit of belief and resilience in the group and had a very, very successful two years.

“Externally, you’re coming in and, if you don’t win the championship, there’s always going to be that expectation. You’re coming into a winning environment, but it’s something we’ve embraced and enjoyed.”

O’Hagan continued: “As we’ve come in, we’ve tried to add a couple of layers to how we play from an attacking point of view. Up to this stage, we’ve done that. We’re getting more scores and the team has evolved, although I’m not saying that’s all down to us.

“The worst thing in the world is trying to overhaul things completely, so we’ve tried to build on what Declan and Paul have done.”

Erne Gaels have impressed throughout the championship with their winning streak including a convincing group stage victory over Sunday’s opponents, Derrygonnelly. O’Hagan believes that game holds little relevance at this stage.

“For us, the championship started at the semi-final stage. In the group stage, we did have a target. I know it’s a cliché, but all our focus was on the first group game and getting a win.

“I have to say we didn’t put much emphasis on the league this year. We were in late, we had a lot of men away with the county, a few boys travelling and a lot of injuries. The priority certainly wasn’t winning the league; it was getting ready for the first game of the championship, and we took it game by game.

Target

“The Derrygonnelly game will bear no resemblance to what happens on Sunday in the county final. Our target was to top the group, and that was as much as that was about: giving us two weeks to prepare for a semi-final.

“We’ll be getting a much better version of Derrygonnelly on Sunday, and, to be fair, Derrygonnelly will be getting a much better version of us as well.”

O’Hagan also paid tribute to the many ‘unsung heroes’ in the Erne Gaels group, including Fermanagh hurling captain Ódhrán Johnston

“There are a lot of unsung heroes in the team. Young Eamon Óg Magee has come into the team this year. He was U20 this year and played full-back for Fermanagh. He had a great year with Fermanagh, and Ronan Gallagher took him under his wing. He really improved and came back a much better player.

“The experienced lads – the likes of Ultan and Oisín Kelm, Ryan Lyons and Jack McCann – have all been performing well. They’d probably all say they can still improve. Someone like Ódhrán Johnston as well, the county hurling captain, is an unsung hero because of the work he does for his team. We really appreciate the job he does.

“Michael Óg McGarrigle is having a fantastic season and doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Dan McCann is back from injury and is absolutely flying, while Aogán Kelm has the potential to be anything he wants. He’s been really excellent for us in the championship this year.”