By Niall McCoy

EMERGING Monaghan star David Garland is determined to get on Séamus McEnaney’s radar when the inter-county season resumes.

The Donaghmoyne man has had a disjointed start to his Oriel career. He exited the panel in the middle of the 2019 season and only rejoined the squad in the weeks before the coronavirus outbreak.

Garland turns 22 next month and he feels that he is learning all the time. His stock has risen considerably too having been named Electric Ireland’s GAA Higher Education Rising Star Football Player of the Year after his brilliant performances in helping DCU to the Sigerson title in January.

“The first time I was on the county was in 2018 and I played three league matches and played the first Qualifier game against Waterford but was a bit disappointed not to play against Leitrim the following week. I didn’t see game time for the rest of the year.

“That year I was content, I was happy enough, but the thing that was in the back of my mind was that I had missed out on a whole summer playing football. Even with the club I couldn’t play football.

“In 2019 I played the last McKenna Cup game, played against Dublin in the league, got a few minutes against Galway but I could see myself that it was going to be the same role as the year before.

“I took my time and made a decision to drop off and go back to play with the club.”

Garland rejoined the Oriel panel at the end of February after the successful Sigerson Cup and perhaps in a sign of his maturing outlook on the game, he acknowledges that being a regular starter is not the only way to contribute to a team.

“I don’t like sitting on the bench, I like to play as much football as I can whether it’s at club level, college or county. I don’t like being an observer too much.

“The plan this year was to try and force my way into the starting team and if not, I was content to maybe getting 15, 20 minutes a game off the bench and seeing if I could make a positive impact.

“You look at Kevin McManamon with Dublin, he’s had that role for years. He was coming off the bench getting a vital goal or kicking a couple of vital points.”

Garland is the second Monaghan player in three years to pick up the Football Player of the Year award after Conor McCarthy (UCD) did likewise in 2018. Aughnamullen’s Mícheál Bannigan was named on the 2020 Team of the Year also.

Garland feels that the county’s increased prominence at Sigerson level can only be beneficial to McEnaney.

“The Sigerson campaign obviously went really well for me this year,” he said.

“To win the award at the end of the year, it’s always nice to get the recognition.

“Sigerson is a really enjoyable competition. You’re playing with inter-county players and getting to know them, experiencing them in the dressing room, learning a bit off them.

“The brand of football played is open, expansive. It’s like old times nearly with no blanket defences.

“Over the last number of years there have been several Monaghan players performing well, Mícheál, Conor, Dessie Ward. A few others who have did well in the Sigerson.

“Going into the Monaghan panel, that’s a real boost and you would be looking to use the Sigerson campaign as a springboard to move on in your inter-county career.”

n.mccoy@gaeliclife.com