Fermanagh gunning for Tailteann glory
Declan McCusker of Fermanagh during the Tailteann Cup launch at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
By John Harrington
Declan McCusker makes no bones about it, Fermanagh are in the Tailteann Cup to win it.
They might have the lowest number of registered club players of all of the 32 counties, but Fermanagh football teams have never lacked ambition.
Perhaps that’s why they consistently punch above their weight, a fact underlined once again this year by their promotion from Division 3 of the Allianz Football League.
Winning a Tailteann Cup wouldn’t just be a huge achievement for the current group of players, it would also inspire a new generation in a county where they have to make the most of what they have.
“It would be absolutely massive,” says McCusker. “Fermanagh haven't lifted a trophy since the 1997 McKenna Cup. We obviously don't have a history of winning things so to win any trophy with Fermanagh, to lift a trophy in Croke Park, would be brilliant. It would be huge for all the younger ones in the county as well.
“We have had relative success. In 2004 we got to the All-Ireland semi-final and in 2008 we got to the Ulster Final. In 2015 we got to the quarter-final and then 2018 (Fermanagh reached Round 4 of the All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers).
“So there's always been...I don't know if you'd call them successful seasons, but seasons that sort of gave the county a big boost. So to actually go and win a trophy would be massive. That's the plan, that's what we're hoping to do.
“The numbers thing is massive and you need to motivate the young players in the county. Obviously the more of them that stick at it the more chance you have of them coming through.”
Along with Cavan and Meath, Fermanagh are one of just three of the 17 teams competing in the Tailteann Cup this year who will play in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League in 2024.
Declan McCusker of Fermanagh during the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup Round 2 match between Fermanagh and Derry at Ederney St Josephs GAA Club in Ederney, Fermanagh. Photo by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile
If they can replicate the form they showed while winning promotion from Division 3 this year they’ll surely be one of the top contenders for Tailteann Cup glory, but McCusker admits it’s hard to know where they’re at following their disappointing Ulster SFC exit at the hands of Derry.
“Yeah, we had a good League campaign,” he said. “After the Offaly game we rattled off five wins in a row, a lot of them very tight and we just got on the right side of results.
“Built a bit of momentum, then a poor League Final and obviously a poor Ulster championship.
“We just have to try to build up that momentum again now and hopefully when we get into these games, and they'll be tight games as well, but if we can get on the right side of the result we can build momentum again and hopefully push on.
“When you go four weeks without a game it's nearly like the start of the year again, you don't know fully where you're at.
“Obviously you're playing Derry who at the minute are on a different level and they gave us serious lessons. If you can learn from those and take them on board it will hold you in good stead hopefully for the Tailteann Cup.”
So, what were the major lessons gleaned from that 12-point Ulster Quarter-Final defeat at the hands of a very impressive Derry?
“I suppose one of the biggest shocks was the way they pushed 15 forward, including the keeper,” says McCusker.
“We had a fair idea they would probably push up but I didn't think they'd go that far. Maybe players on the pitch didn't respond to it quick enough and maybe marked too many men out wide.
“They weren't giving us a sweeper, you weren't going to get a sweeper the way they were playing, but I think we still could have played smarter and maybe changed one or two things on the pitch.
“The players will learn from that. We'll know in the Tailteann Cup that maybe some teams will come with the unexpected and maybe other teams will try to copy Derry's system and things. That would be one thing.
“And early on I think we had a couple of stupid shots. Especially when you're the underdog you need to try to control the ball better and make sure that your shot is an 80 per cent shot in general play. Especially when you're playing those bigger teams you can't afford to take pot-shots. There's lots of learnings we'll take from it.”
In attendance are players, from left, Peter Healy of Antrim, Chris Farley of London, Paddy Fox of Longford, Paul Maher of Limerick, Raymond Galligan of Cavan, Darragh Foley of Carlow, Eoghan Nolan of Wexford, Stephen O’Brien of Tipperary, Matthew Costello of Meath, Padraig O’Toole of Wicklow, Dermot Ryan of Waterford, Niall McParland of Down, Mark Barry of Laois, Paddy Maguire of Leitrim, Declan Hogan of Offaly, Declan McCusker of Fermanagh, during the Tailteann Cup launch at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Fermanagh have brought through a new generation of players over the last couple of years, but McCusker doesn’t think that means they’re a team for the future rather than the present.
He wants them to apply lessons learned from matches such as that Derry deefeat as soon as possible, rather than continue to make mistakes.
“We do have a young team but there's a lot of them there too who are 23/24 plus,” he says. “Those boys are young, yes, I wish I was that age, but I don't think you need to be waiting about anymore. The time is now to do something. You can't always look to next year.
“Obviously next year we're in Division 2 and we'll have to improve for that and hopefully with the age-profile of the team we should be improving next year.
“I still think you have to look at the now and the time that you're in and there's no reason we can't go and give this Tailteann Cup a rattle so why not.”
