DONEGAL ALL-IRELAND winner Éamon McGee has welcomed the return of Karl Lacey to the county’s coaching unit, calling his former teammate “one of the best coaches about.”
Lacey, who resigned as the head of the Donegal GAA Academy two years ago, was appointed as manager of the U16 development squad this week. McGee believes Lacey’s style is also comparable with the approach of Paul Kinnerk, the coaching mastermind who is credited with the rise of the Limerick hurlers.
“Karl Lacey was good at the academy,” McGee begins, “Not because he was one of Donegal’s best players but because he’s professional, he’s well qualified, and he buys into the Paul Kinnerk game-based model. He’s one of the best coaches about, so having him involved is a great thing for Donegal.”
McGee adds that Donegal must develop a pool of prospective candidates for the Donegal seniors, and that the county cannot be overly reliant on Jim McGuinness to steer future rebuild projects.
“We can’t be calling Jim again in five, six years, and we have to put something in place that we’re producing players but producing them in a way that they have the mentality to go on and push on.
“What we were doing before, an All-Ireland every 20 years, for me, is not good enough for Donegal, I think we should be viewing ourselves as better than that. We need to build, we need to have that foundation.”
McGee’s brother Neil, another member of that successful 2012 Donegal side, has been involved with the current set-up under Jim McGuinness. McGee says his sibling is “loving” the journey so far having helped Donegal to Ulster glory and an All-Ireland semi-final appearance last year.
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He notes that there was some surprise at Neil’s inclusion in McGuinness’s backroom since it was Éamon who worked with the Donegal U20s, as well as the Buncrana club. But McGee explains that his younger brother was an important leader during McGuinness’s first term as Donegal boss, making him a natural fit for the position.
“If you read Jim’s book, the regard that Jim holds Neil in, and it’s even when, during his time with Donegal, Neil was one of his lieutenants.
“So if anybody was going in, Jim just wants people that see the game through his eyes, that he can trust, and Neil would have probably been top of the list, and obviously Colm, his brother-in-law there, so it’s good for Neil and I think he’s learning a lot about it.
“He’s learning about the coaching, and he’s open which I’m surprised at because there’s times down through the years that I would have just seen Neil as a closed book, that’s the way, this is the way you play the game now. But he’s in that learning mindset which is so important as a coach, so it’s good for him.”
Looking more closely at the current Donegal team, McGee believes Michael Murphy will start in the Ulster championship as they look to defend their title. After retiring from inter-county football in 2022, Murphy sensationally returned to the fold this season and marked his first appearance of the campaign with three points off the bench against Armagh.
He was also sprung from the bench against Derry, scoring a free to help Donegal close in on a league final place with their fourth win of the competition.
“I definitely think Murphy is going to be starting come Championship,” McGee says. “It’s a long time I’ve seen him looking as lean. And I think with the three up top, Michael can come in, go hard, and I think you need that focal point.
“I think one of them three needs to be a strong ball winner, and needs to be a presence. We’ve seen what happened when Armagh seen Murphy. His presence and his introduction kind of shook them. [Aidan] Forker bought into it, and you know, that whole thing that Michael brings with him, I definitely think he should be starting.
“It frees up [Oisín] Gallen as well.”
The Division 1 final is scheduled for Saturday, 29 March, which is one week before Donegal’s Ulster opener against Derry at home in Ballybofey. But even with the proximity of those two fixtures, McGee says Donegal should embrace the opportunity of competing for league silverware. However, he does feel that more space should be allocated between the end of the league and the start of the championship.
“It’s hard to fit in a League final, and it’s wild disrespectful to the League final because it’s a good medal to have. Like, I was lucky enough to win All-Ireland but, I’ve said this before, that if anybody leaves the League final out of my CV I’m quick to remind them that we won one in 2007.
“It shouldn’t be shoved in. I know we’re chatting away about a calendar again and how much space do we have to actually squeeze? But maybe it should be something that should be looked at next year.
“It’s not the end of the world if they do get to the league final. If it’s there now, and we do end up falling into the league final, then we’ll adapt, and the boys are there. The preparation that they’ve put in, they’ll be able to seamlessly fit it into their plans and get it sorted that way.”
Éamon McGee will feature in the final episode of this season’s Laochra Gael on Thursday on TG4 at 9.30pm
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'One of the best coaches about. Having him involved is great for Donegal'
DONEGAL ALL-IRELAND winner Éamon McGee has welcomed the return of Karl Lacey to the county’s coaching unit, calling his former teammate “one of the best coaches about.”
Lacey, who resigned as the head of the Donegal GAA Academy two years ago, was appointed as manager of the U16 development squad this week. McGee believes Lacey’s style is also comparable with the approach of Paul Kinnerk, the coaching mastermind who is credited with the rise of the Limerick hurlers.
“Karl Lacey was good at the academy,” McGee begins, “Not because he was one of Donegal’s best players but because he’s professional, he’s well qualified, and he buys into the Paul Kinnerk game-based model. He’s one of the best coaches about, so having him involved is a great thing for Donegal.”
McGee adds that Donegal must develop a pool of prospective candidates for the Donegal seniors, and that the county cannot be overly reliant on Jim McGuinness to steer future rebuild projects.
“We can’t be calling Jim again in five, six years, and we have to put something in place that we’re producing players but producing them in a way that they have the mentality to go on and push on.
“What we were doing before, an All-Ireland every 20 years, for me, is not good enough for Donegal, I think we should be viewing ourselves as better than that. We need to build, we need to have that foundation.”
McGee’s brother Neil, another member of that successful 2012 Donegal side, has been involved with the current set-up under Jim McGuinness. McGee says his sibling is “loving” the journey so far having helped Donegal to Ulster glory and an All-Ireland semi-final appearance last year.
He notes that there was some surprise at Neil’s inclusion in McGuinness’s backroom since it was Éamon who worked with the Donegal U20s, as well as the Buncrana club. But McGee explains that his younger brother was an important leader during McGuinness’s first term as Donegal boss, making him a natural fit for the position.
“If you read Jim’s book, the regard that Jim holds Neil in, and it’s even when, during his time with Donegal, Neil was one of his lieutenants.
“So if anybody was going in, Jim just wants people that see the game through his eyes, that he can trust, and Neil would have probably been top of the list, and obviously Colm, his brother-in-law there, so it’s good for Neil and I think he’s learning a lot about it.
“He’s learning about the coaching, and he’s open which I’m surprised at because there’s times down through the years that I would have just seen Neil as a closed book, that’s the way, this is the way you play the game now. But he’s in that learning mindset which is so important as a coach, so it’s good for him.”
Looking more closely at the current Donegal team, McGee believes Michael Murphy will start in the Ulster championship as they look to defend their title. After retiring from inter-county football in 2022, Murphy sensationally returned to the fold this season and marked his first appearance of the campaign with three points off the bench against Armagh.
He was also sprung from the bench against Derry, scoring a free to help Donegal close in on a league final place with their fourth win of the competition.
“I definitely think Murphy is going to be starting come Championship,” McGee says. “It’s a long time I’ve seen him looking as lean. And I think with the three up top, Michael can come in, go hard, and I think you need that focal point.
“I think one of them three needs to be a strong ball winner, and needs to be a presence. We’ve seen what happened when Armagh seen Murphy. His presence and his introduction kind of shook them. [Aidan] Forker bought into it, and you know, that whole thing that Michael brings with him, I definitely think he should be starting.
“It frees up [Oisín] Gallen as well.”
The Division 1 final is scheduled for Saturday, 29 March, which is one week before Donegal’s Ulster opener against Derry at home in Ballybofey. But even with the proximity of those two fixtures, McGee says Donegal should embrace the opportunity of competing for league silverware. However, he does feel that more space should be allocated between the end of the league and the start of the championship.
“It’s hard to fit in a League final, and it’s wild disrespectful to the League final because it’s a good medal to have. Like, I was lucky enough to win All-Ireland but, I’ve said this before, that if anybody leaves the League final out of my CV I’m quick to remind them that we won one in 2007.
“It shouldn’t be shoved in. I know we’re chatting away about a calendar again and how much space do we have to actually squeeze? But maybe it should be something that should be looked at next year.
“It’s not the end of the world if they do get to the league final. If it’s there now, and we do end up falling into the league final, then we’ll adapt, and the boys are there. The preparation that they’ve put in, they’ll be able to seamlessly fit it into their plans and get it sorted that way.”
Éamon McGee will feature in the final episode of this season’s Laochra Gael on Thursday on TG4 at 9.30pm
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