Bannigan glad to see McKenna Cup return

Interview

Damien Donohoe

Gabriel Bannigan smiles when the subject of Cavan comes up. The Monaghan manager knows the neighbouring county very well – he lived in Drumalee, on the outskirts of Cavan Town, for seven years and work often takes the affable Aughamullen man behind enemy lines, too.

With the counties meeting in the McKenna Cup and Ulster Championship, the oldest and arguably most enduring derby in Ulster football will garner plenty of interest this season, as is generally the case.

Speaking at the launch of the competition in Armagh, Bannigan made it clear he is firmly in favour of the its return, particularly in a season where Monaghan are bedding in new faces and preparing for life back in Division 1.

“Oh yeah, very much so,” he said.

“I know there’s two schools of thought and one school of thought is that we don’t need this competition, that there’s not room in the calendar for it. But I think from a players’ perspective and a management perspective, you’re going to be playing pre-season games anyway. You’re going to be playing challenge games anyway. From a player’s point of view, you want to be playing in front of a crowd. You want to be playing in a competitive match.”

For Bannigan, the McKenna Cup is not simply a nod to tradition but a practical and valuable part of preparation. With Monaghan facing Cavan and Fermanagh in the group stages, he sees it as an ideal testing ground, especially for those on the fringes of the panel.

“I have a lot of new players in the panel, so it’s going to be a big occasion for them to get their chances in Monaghan jerseys now in these two games against Cavan and Fermanagh,” he said.

“So for all those reasons, they’re an important part of pre-season, they’re important in terms of giving players opportunities, they’re important for the management teams in terms of preparation for the league. And I think they’re important for the supporters as well.”

That supporter element is something Bannigan is keenly aware of. Monaghan have not played since the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Donegal on June 28 last and Bannigan senses an appetite for football returning after the long winter lay-off.

“Monaghan supporters haven’t seen the Monaghan team play since last June and I’m sure there’s an appetite to get back out and support the team as well,” he said.

“So yeah, I’m a huge advocate for it coming back.”

Traditionally, the McKenna Cup has been a proving ground for emerging players, a place where supporters get their first look at the next generation. Bannigan acknowledges that remains very much the case and says the early weeks of training have been encouraging, even if circumstances have limited the numbers available.

“Training has been very, very good,” he said.

“The mood music in training, the application of the lads, the quality, the intensity, everything. We’ve been very happy with training so far. We’re only back since November 23, so it’s only a few weeks, but those few weeks, yeah, we’ve been happy with how it’s gone.”

There have been challenges, however. Injuries, travel and club commitments have left Bannigan working with a young and inexperienced group, something he accepts as part of the job.

“We wouldn’t have as many in the group as we’d like to have and there’s a number of reasons for that,” he explained.

“We’ve had a number of lads come back in from the clubs with niggly injuries that are taking time to clear up, so we need to get them cleared up. We have a few long-term injuries who are rehabbing, boys like Bobby McCaul and Michael Hamill. Killian Lavelle, unfortunately, will miss the entire league. He had an operation on his shoulder on Thursday, so he’s gone for the entire league and that’s going to be a huge loss to us.”

There are other absentees too. Ciarán McNulty has gone travelling, while the Scotstown contingent are not yet available.

“We’re missing a lot of quality from the panel at the moment,” he said.

“It’s a very young group, it’s a very inexperienced group that we’re working with, but in terms of energy, application, attitude, all those things I’ve been very happy with… Please God, over the course of these pre-season McKenna Cup games and the early rounds of the league, hopefully we’re going to find a few new stars for Monaghan,” he said.

Those games begin with a trip to Breffni Park, a venue that holds positive recent memories for Monaghan after last year’s league win there.

“Oh yeah, look at it, Monaghan and Cavan, any of the local rivalries are great, that’s what sport is all about,” Bannigan said. “I have a lot of friends in Cavan. I would have lived in Cavan for seven years. Two of my children were born in Cavan.

“Part of the business that I’m involved in, we have a good part of it in Cavan. I spent all day yesterday in Cavan and there was great banter already about the new season. We’re playing Cavan in the McKenna Cup. But the big one obviously is we’ve drawn each other in the Ulster Championship as well.

“Cavan and Monaghan people live beside each other, work with each other. A lot of them work through each other. A number of them are married through each other. There’ll be plenty of craic and lots to look forward to. But that’s sport and that’s great. That’s brilliant.”

Heading into his second year in charge, he admits the landscape has changed more than he anticipated.

“Being honest, I genuinely, when the season finished last year, I genuinely felt I wouldn’t have as much change in year two and I was looking forward to really building on the platform that we had last year,” he said.

“Unfortunately there’s been more change than I expected going into year two with the boys that I mentioned that are missing.”

That reality has forced a reset of sorts, but Bannigan frames it as an opportunity rather than a setback.

“That’s sport and that’s just from a management point of view, that’s my job to deal with those challenges and find solutions,” he said. “The only way of looking at it is the glass half full approach, which is the challenge now. The opportunity is there for new players to come through. The challenge from my point of view and the management point of view is to nurture that and develop that and coach that and try to find some new stars for Monaghan for this year and for going forward.”

The challenge is heightened by Monaghan’s return to Division 1, a division Bannigan describes as unforgiving. After promotion last year, expectations inevitably rise, but he is careful to strike a balanced note.

“The task is a bit bigger because obviously we’re going to be playing in Division 1,” he said. “Last year Division 2, as everyone knows, was very competitive. But Division 1 is a step up again. It’s very unforgiving. If you’re not at it, you’ll not be picking up any points.”

Still, there is no hesitation about where he wants his team to be.

“That’s where I want to be playing and that’s where I want the team I’m managing to be competing,” he said.

“I wanted to get Monaghan back into Division 1. I want us competing with the best. I want us learning in that process and of course the whole objective, be it in terms of pre-season, McKenna Cup and National League, is to have a really good, well-prepared team come Championship.”

Bannigan is realistic about what league status does and does not mean. He points to recent examples of teams achieving championship success after relegation to underline that promotion is not the ultimate prize.

“We see teams like Galway were relegated and got to the All-Ireland Final from Division 2. Dublin were relegated and won the All-Ireland from Division 2. Armagh were relegated and won the All-Ireland from Division 2. Donegal were relegated and won the Ulster Championship from Division 2. It’s not the be all and end all.”

Ultimately, everything circles back to championship football, and that is where the early season work is aimed. For Monaghan, that road begins against Cavan, with all the history, familiarity and rivalry that entails.

“It’s a big game for both counties,” he said.

“It’s not because it’s Monaghan and Cavan. It’s because we want to progress in the Championship. Now, there’s the added flavour to it because it’s the local derby, but no matter who it is, you want to win and progress in the Championship.”