Five minutes with Derry’s Ben McKinless

Name: | Ben McKinless |
Age: | 19
Occupation: | Pintman/Student

Teams played for:

Ballinderry, Derry, St. Mary’s

If you were throwing a party and you could invite anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would you ask around?

Paddy Grubber and Martin Blackpig, serious outfit.

Where do you like to go out to celebrate after a big victory?

Usually the ‘bridge but big Glenn Squazz would drag me to the underage Greenvale

If you weren’t playing GAA what would you be at?

Working in G1 Barbers or Revo

What’s the worst pitch you’ve ever played on?

‘The Meada’

Which character in any film are you most like?

Chris from Love Island, we share a lot of similarities …

Any odd items in your kit bag?

Bag of Thais

What’s your preferred brand of gear?

Precision training, best about.

Who’s the biggest joker in the teams you play for?

On the Derry team it would definitely be a tie between big Sucky and Emmett McGuckin but on the Ballinderry team it’d be Raymond Crook or Dylan Wilkinson, they’re also the biggest wasters.

Which team mate has the best looking other half?

On the Ballinderry team I’d happily take Lee Martin’s

Who is the worst trainer?

The worst trainer I have ever came across is definitely Ryan O’Neill, He’s either being sick or complaining about the drills (this is when he does train)

Who spends most time in front of the mirror in the dressing room?

Oisin Duffin would be at the top of the queue but Niall Keenan isn’t far behind, always poking at his hair before he leaves and checking how his beard looks.

Who’s the best/worst person to share a room with on away trips?

Connor Nevin would be the worst, spends most of the night talking about Massey Fergusons and how he can’t wait for silage season.
Best man to share with is Oisin Duffin, all he does is sleep.

Who’s the best/worst person to sit beside on the team bus?

Chrissy McKaigue definitely the worst to sit beside, never done talking about women. Or big Ryan Sucky because of his videos. Best to sit beside would probably be Mickey C, great feel good factor after that journey.

Who has the best and who has the worst diet on the team, and what does it include?

Michael McEvoy has both the best and worst diet on the Derry team, he eats literally anything that is put in front of him.

Toughest opponent you have faced?

Sean Cavanagh would be up there, Andy Moran and Cillian O’Connor would be too. Conor Loftus still gives me nightmares though…

Best or worst quote you’ve heard, either from a manager, player, opponent?

Either ‘I’m the hardest man you’ve ever come across’ or ‘I’m the reason we won that game’ both from big James Conway.

Best manager you’ve ever played under?

Minor set up in 2015 and 2016 has to be the best.

Best ever performance?

Ulster minor final 2015 or 16, played better in 16 decider but we were beat.

One to forget?

Mayo last year in the qualifiers…I was doomed from day one with that ket blonde fringe.

When you were playing in the back garden, who did you pretend to be?

Idolised David Clarke growing up as a goalkeeper but as an outfielder I’d usually have pretended I was Big Enda Muldoon.

If there was a transfer market who’d be in and who’d be out of the team?

Gareth McKinless would be the first man to go, no doubt about that.
I’d draft in Michael-Paul McCann from Ogra, he’s playing some serious stuff at the minute.