McGonagle set to miss opening rounds of Intermediate Championship through injury

Buncrana manager Gary Duffy will have to do without star man Caolan McGonagle for the start of the Intermediate championship with the Donegal player currently recovering from an injury sustained in the Division 2 league final last month against Four Masters. 

The Donegal half-back suffered an ankle injury against Four Masters during the early stages of the Division 2 league final when he fell awkwardly after colliding with Four Masters midfielder Jason Duignan, who in turn was given a Black Card for the high challenge on the inter-county star. 

While there is no set date yet for McGonangle’s return to the club scene, or any indication of it being a long-term injury, Duffy is hopeful that he will be back for the latter stages of the Intermediate championship. 

However, the former Donegal minor and U-20 manager feels more protection has to be given from officials to inter-county players at club level to prevent dangerous injuries from occurring. 

“At the moment Caolan is be assessed, he injured his ankle in the league final against Four Masters when he fell after a challenge. We’re hopeful that he’ll be back for the latter stages of the championship,” Duffy said. 

“Look, nobody loves harder hitting games more than myself but I’ve noticed that inter-county players get an awful lot of abuse at club level and it’s something that needs to watched and needs to be fixed soon. 

“There needs to be greater protection for our county men. Certainly, at senior level it can be evenly matched because county men are marking each other, but at our level, and I’ve seen it for a long time, a player like Caolan has to work an awful lot harder to win a free or get something to go his way at this level. 

“Caolan is a great ambassador for our club and county, he’s probably in Donegal’s top three best players this season and when he comes back to his club, he’s singled out by opposition teams and the hits he gets, or other county men get, can so easily result in dangerous injuries and it needs to be looked at.” 

On the championship as a whole, it’s something Duffy is really looking forward to. He knows the challenge that can present itself at this level with the Buncrana manager calling it a really unpredictable championship that any team can win. 

“We’re looking forward to the championship absolutely, but the Intermediate championship is so unpredictable. Anyone of the teams can come through and win and every year that is proven,” he said. 

“Downings won the championship last season and they were probably the team rank fifth maybe going into the competition, and they ended up beating Malin who were a Division 1 team in the final. They also got to play in the top league which would’ve helped them in the championship too. 

“You also have teams like Naomh Columba, Termon, Milford, Bundoran, all teams who are tinkering between the two top leagues and have experience playing against the best sides.” 

With the Inishowen men flying so far this season and posing really tough challenges in Division 2 to some top senior clubs, it shows how far they’ve come in a short space of time. 

“We were in Division 3 a few years back and we actually lost out in a league play-off last season in our first year in Division 2, but we’ve come on since then,” Duffy said. 

“We were unbeaten in eight games until the league final and that will stand to us hopefully in the championship because some of the teams we have beaten are top senior clubs. 

“For years, Buncrana has gone through immigration, injuries, setbacks, you name it, but now we have a core group. I think we have at least eight U-21 players that will play championship for us, along with lads that are in their prime years, so that’s really positive for us.”