By Shaun Casey

TOURING the country in search of challenge games just after Christmas doesn’t sound too appealing for county players and managers. That’s why the return of the Dr McKenna Cup is so significant, according to three inter-county managers.

Newly appointed Fermanagh and Antrim bosses Declan Bonner and Mark Doran are big fans of the pre-season competition and have backed its return, as has Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan, now entering his second season in charge of the Farney county.

All pre-season tournaments were dropped last year, meaning counties were forced to look for friendlies early on in the season before the league got underway, but they have been reinstated to the calendar and 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of the McKenna Cup.

Derry are the reigning champions having claimed the title in January of 2024, beating Donegal in the final, at Healy Park, Omagh, with six points to spare in the end.

Bannigan can see why the games were suspended but is glad that they have made a swift return. “I know why the GPA wanted to try and reduce the season and felt that there wasn’t room in the calendar for the pre-season competitions,” said the Aughnamullen clubman.

“I can completely understand the logic around it. But the reality is, and everyone that is involved knows this, you’re going to be playing games anyway in preparation for the league so why not play some competitive games?

“As GAA men, these are our games, it’s our national sport. Gaelic football is still the most popular sport in Ireland, and you have to think of everyone that loves Gaelic football, not just those of us who are involved.

“The All-Ireland finished back in July so that’s five months with no county football. People are itching to get back to watching county football and people are looking forward to the pre-season competitions, even though it’s played in bad weather, it’s wet and it’s cold.”

Bonner has always been a supporter of the competition. During his days in charge of his native county Donegal, his second stint as manager, they always took the games seriously and won the McKenna Cup in 2018 against Tyrone as well as reaching the final in 2022.

As an outside manager heading in to take over Fermanagh, although he’s spent the last two seasons overseeing the fortunes of back-to-back county champions Erne Gaels, Bonner is happy to get the chance to run his eye over his panel during competitive action.

Fermanagh will compete in Division Three of the NFL in the new year and will be eyeing up a return to Division Two football, so the McKenna Cup will help Bonner and his players as they prepare for that journey.

“I always felt when I was in Donegal that the McKenna Cup, yes it’s a pre-season tournament, but it still has that competitive edge to it which is important,” said the 1992 All-Ireland winner.

“If you’re not playing games in the McKenna Cup during January, then you are going off to play challenge games at that time of the year anyway to get ready for the league.

“I always felt that the McKenna Cup is really important in terms of preparation for the National League campaign. That very much remains the case. Hopefully we’ll get those couple of games in early January under our belts before the league starts.”

Doran is in a similar situation to Bonner, coming into a county team that’s not his own. He has a pretty impressive coaching CV built up at inter-county level, but the Saffrons are the Longstone native’s first management job at this level.

Doran has spent time coaching with Down, Clare, Wicklow and more recently Roscommon so has a good grasp of what it takes to compete at the highest level. Last year he experienced how things operated without pre-season competitions.

“It’s absolutely brilliant to see the McKenna Cup back,” Doran added. “For somebody new (coming into the county), it’s brilliant that you are guaranteed at least two games and two really competitive games.

“Last year they weren’t on and I know from being in with Roscommon, you were trawling the country. You were playing challenge games, going through the hassle of getting challenge games and the hassle of booking pitches and booking referees.

“Then maybe you would get a game organised and then get a phone call the day before to say the pitch isn’t playable or something like that. To have the McKenna Cup back, it’s absolutely brilliant.”

Without the Dr McKenna Cup last year, Monaghan tried to provide challenge games in front of crowds to get their players used to it, especially the fresh faces that had been welcomed into the panel. They travelled to both Mayo and Fermanagh, but it just wasn’t the same.

“You’ll see big crowds at the McKenna Cup games. The supporters will want to come out and see how some of the new boys are showing up and see how the teams are shaping up, and they’ll be mad to get back watching football,” Bannigan added.

“Last year when there was no McKenna Cup, I was trying to organise challenge games in front of a crowd. We managed to do that against Mayo in Castlebar and Fermanagh in Tempo, two weeks before we played Cavan in the first round of the league.”

For the younger players coming into the senior county squad for the very first time, the McKenna Cup provides a nice platform for them to pull on the county jersey and experience inter-county football.

Monaghan are back up in Division One next season and operating at the top level so to fire a new player in at the deep end probably wouldn’t happen, but Bannigan is more than happy to test them out in the McKenna Cup and see who can put their hand up for the league.

“There’s going to be new players coming into every county panel and they want to make their mark. If you only have the National League for those lads, some of them aren’t even going to get a competitive game,” he continued.

“At least with the McKenna Cup and the pre-season competitions, they’re all going to get competitive football in their county jersey and a fairer chance of having a crack at it so for me it’s a no-brainer.”

For all GAA fans, players and managers alike, a return to inter-county action just after Christmas will be a welcome one. Doran can’t wait to get started, and the countdown is already on.

“I have three wee girls, and they are on the countdown to Christmas while I’m counting down the days to the 4th of January for the first round of the McKenna Cup so it’s good in that way and it’s exciting,” he laughed.

“You can do all the training you want but the proof will be in the pudding when you actually get to see boys playing, who’s up to it and who’s not but I’m really, really delighted the McKenna Cup is back and hopefully it stays in the calendar for the foreseeable future.”