DESSIE Mone embarks on his 18th senior championship season when the ball is thrown in for the start of Clontibret’s defence of the Mick Duffy Cup against fellow contenders Ballybay tomorrow.
Championship action in the Farney county will have a ‘champions league’ format this season with the 10 senior teams split into two groups of five for a round-robin series before the knockout phase begins.
Mone, a seven-time championship winner with the O’Neill’s club since making his debut in 2002 as a 17-year-old, expects a tough examination from Ballybay in the opener and there’s little doubt that he’ll get it.
“Every time we play Ballybay, there’s nothing between the teams,” he said.
“Last year it went down to the last kick of the game, it was a very tight, intense game. We all know Ballybay, they have a very good forward line – Paul Finlay is still going well for them and they have Chrissy McGuinness and his brother Shane. They need a lot of watching and their manager Colin Malone is a very good coach and he’ll have them well set-up so they’ll know what they’re about.”
Managed by Crossmaglen native John McEntee, Clontribret squeezed past Carrickmacross in their championship opener last year. The game finished 2-14 to 0-20 after extra-time but Clontibret won the penalty shoot-out, the first in their history, 2-0 and then edged out Ballybay and Latton by one-point margins before ending Scotstown’s bid for five in-a-row with a six-point victory in the final.
The games will come thick and fast as the championship is run-off in six action-packed weeks.
“It’ll be an onslaught of games now,” said Mone, who works as a PE teacher at Largy College in Clones.
“And that’s where the squad will come in. It’s not going to be the one-to-15 that’ll see you through this format, it’s going to one-to-25 or the one-to-30. Teams will pick up injuries over the next six weeks so the squad-strength will be vital and the big thing is keeping injury-free over the next few weeks.
“We have some young players coming through this year and this format means they’ll maybe get a chance in the championship this year. Managers are going to be looking to the squad members and the younger players are going to get a chance to get into the thick of the action.”
Talking of managers, the arrivals of Oisin McConville and former Scotstown and Cavan manager Mattie McGleenan, have added more experience and knowhow to Inniskeen and Carrickmacross respectively and those clubs will expect to join Ballybay and Clontibret in the mix.
Meanwhile, the other contenders include Scotstown, packed with experience and proven inter-county talent in the Hughes brothers (Kieran and Darren), Conor McCarthy and goalkeeper Rory Beggan, and Maghercloone, who went all the way to the All-Ireland intermediate final last year and have now returned to senior level.
“Every game was close last year and we were lucky enough that we got over the line,” says Mone.
“The teams with the new managers will be all gung-ho this year, they’ll be looking to push on and try and get the title. Oisin McConville and Mattie McGleenan will be looking to get a championship this year especially saying it’s going to be run-off in six weeks. Everybody will be thinking they have a chance.”
