Donegal's McBrearty on guard ahead of battle with Roscommon
Patrick McBrearty
By Chris McNulty
No matter who Donegal play these days, there is a backstory and, with it, a rivalry.
It comes with the territory of being one of the top teams in the country, a tag that Donegal have earned over the last six years.
When a 17-year-old Patrick McBrearty first jogged up to train with the senior panel in May 2011, the future had protected its secret and there was no hint that a force was to be awakened.
On Sunday, McBrearty played what he terms ‘the toughest’ he’s endured in the county’s colours as Kerry overcame Donegal 1-13 to 1-8 in Tralee.
“There is a big rivalry developing there between Donegal and Kerry,” said McBrearty. "There was the quarter-final in 2012 and the All-Ireland final in 2014.
“We were going down there with six points and wanted the win. Their backs were to the wall and needed to win. Every day we go out, we don’t lie down. It was definitely the most high profile game in terms of that physicality. There was a good deal of physicality to it, but it was just two teams going at it.”
It was intense, too, when Donegal defeated Mayo in Ballybofey and it will be similarly raw when they joust with Monaghan and Dublin in the coming weeks. For McBrearty, it shows the value of being in Division I.
He said: “In 2014 we came through Division II to get an All-Ireland final. Now, you’re looking at all the top teams, bar Tyrone, in Division I.
Patrick McBrearty and Seánie McDermott
"It’s the place to be because you’re meeting the teams you’d be meeting in the Championship. There is nothing between these teams.
“It’s great at this time of year. It’s the height of the season with the amount of games you have. You’re week-on-week now whereas you have a month of a break in the Championship.”
McBrearty has had a busy time of it of late, having featured in the Sigerson Cup for University of Ulster, Jordanstown and being an ever-present for Donegal in the Allianz League.
Donegal headed for Austin Stack Park having beaten Down, Cork and Mayo and will be keen to get back on track when they face Roscommon this Sunday in Letterkenny.
McBrearty said: “When we got back to seven-each, we should have kicked on because we had them rattled. We switched off for the goal and we couldn’t get back after that. It was a tough loss.
“We’ll learn a lot from the game. That’s a big thing. Bryan Sheehan kicked eight frees so we can’t be giving that kind of calibre of free taker those kind of opportunities. Roscommon are on good form so we just need to get back up on the horse again.
“We still have six points on the board. If you’d given us this situation before the League we’d have taken it. If we win this weekend we’d be in a League semi-final which would be good for us.”
Roscommon have been a surprise package in Division I and will roll into O’Donnell Park full of confidence, level on points with Donegal.
McBrearty said: “Roscommon are flying. I’d know a lot of their players from Sigerson and the U21s. They’re building something good in Roscommon. They’ll want to go a few steps further this year than they did last year.”
