By Michael McMullan

SATURDAY’S Division 3A final in Aughrim is the middle installment of Donegal and Wicklow in a crucial six-week period.

The Garden County were seven-point winners in the league encounter at O’Donnell Park.

While there is a cup up for grabs then they cross paths this weekend, next month’s Christy Ring Cup opener with Wicklow is firmly in the sights.

Donegal have already ticked their main box for the year by securing a place in Saturday’s final with victory over Roscommon. It secured a return to Division Two.

That’s where their development needs to grow from. Since their last-gasp defeat to Derry in the Conor McGurk Cup final, they weren’t properly challenged until their recent two outings.

Liam McKinney is in his fifth year of senior county hurling, having come in as 18-year-old.

“It was so, so important,” he said of beating the Rossies and clinching promotion.

“Getting relegated last year from Division Two, we really wanted to get back up.

“We just need to be playing games that are more competitive for us.”

Like his manager Mickey McCann has been constantly saying, McKinney feels the two up and two down approach doesn’t serve the ambitious teams well enough.

A group like Donegal need a sustained spell in Division Two to properly grow and McKinney backs recently relegated Derry to bounce straight back up.

That’s why beating Roscommon was so important to the Donegal camp. Those steering the ship from the inside.

“We were really up for it against Roscommon,” McKinney said. “We all knew ourselves what was on the line, without the management over-emphasising it too much.”

Wicklow was the first test and they failed. Last weekend demanded so much more and it soon became evident Donegal were at the pitch of it.

“Five minutes into the game, how the team was playing, we were tackling well and we were working well,” he said of their vital victory over the Rossies.

“Things started to fall into place for us then and once we hit the few goals in the game, it really gave us a cushion going into the second half.”

The two weeks before painted the picture. A week of looking at what had gone wrong against Wicklow with the second week used to fix it.

“The season so far, it’s been a success because our goal was to get promoted and that’s what we’ve done,” McKinney added.

“We have a league final to look forward to now which is a great bonus this weekend coming.

“The Roscommon game and this weekend’s final will be good to get before we go into the championship now in a few weeks’ time.”

GENERATION GAME…Three generations of Liam McKinney pictured after Saturday’s win over Roscommon. Photo: Donegal GAA

It will be Wicklow again when the Christy Ring Cup campaign rolls into Letterkenny next month.

McKinney represents the new breed of Donegal hurler in a group with plenty of youth at its core.

While he hurls with his native Burt, study took him to Galway where he now works as an accountant with KMPG.

Training is a bigger package, trekking up the road on a Thursday for a weekend of hurling. It paints a picture of the level of commitment needed to hurl among his own.

He puts the upward trajectory of the county hurling team under McCann down to the professional approach.

“Mickey himself, he has been bringing in different coaches and we have a very good strength and conditioning coach in Shane Sweeney,” he said.

“We feel that we’re as fit as any team in any division we play in, which is a huge bonus.

“The players themselves are obviously taking things more seriously. Even myself, as a young enough player, when we were coming through.”

All the boxes were getting ticked. Nutrition, sleep, recovery, anything needed to keep the engine purring alongside their hurling.

“The likes of Danny Cullen and Declan Coulter, they’re the upper over 30s,” McKinney said of their age profile.

“There are a few lads that are just over 30 but a lot of lads are in their mid and early 20s.

“In my opinion, you’ll always need older players for the experience. You can’t go around with a team just under 25 especially at inter-county level in the big games you need the lads that have experience.”

McKinney spoke of the younger players coming into the panel this season. Donal Farrelly and John Kealey have bedded into the side, helping to add freshness.

ULSTER CHAMPS…Liam McKinney in action for Burt. Photo Evan Logan

“It’s just about trying to bring the new lads in and get them up to speed as quickly as possible,” he said.

“When there’s a good group already there, so it’s easier to blend into the team.

“It was the same whenever I was trying to break into the team. If there’s a good group of players experienced players there.

“They help you along, it’s just easier to get involved and it doesn’t feel as daunting when you’re going to try to play for your county.”

Away from the county scene, McKinney was at the forefront of Burt’s march to the Ulster Junior title last year.

Having been part of a group that excelled as they came up the underage ranks, he is well placed to look into the county’s recent drive to promote the game in other areas of Donegal.

“The more clubs the better the better it is for the county team, even as regards trying to break up rivalries,” he said of a wider range of clubs represented within the Donegal squad.

“A lot of the hurling is focused on the north-east side. If we can bring in clubs towards the west of Donegal, it would make a huge difference even for children being able to play the game.

“It’s a brilliant game, I think it’s the best game in the world and it would just be brilliant for the children to experience it.”

Regardless of Saturday in Aughrim, Donegal are back where they wanted to be – in Division Two, the foundation they want for the next step. Men like McKinney hold the keys.