McCague: ‘We need to raise our game’ for Magherafelt

By Maitiú Monaghan

Scotstown manager David McCague is a popular man at Ulster GAA's launch of the Senior Club Football Championships.

At a hotel in Cookstown, representatives from each of the county title winning clubs in the province are sitting around tables making small talk, drinking tea.

One-by-one they're called for photos, or are tapped on the shoulders by the press for a chat about the upcoming competition.

This year, all eyes are on Scotstown's Rory Beggan and David McCague.

As reigning champions, the pair rightly have 'top-dog' status, and are scarcely given a minute between media duties for the various publications.

The Celt catches McCabe in one of the quieter moments. What does he make of the whole thing?

"I'm not always as popular," the Scotstown manager laughs. "It is great to be here representing Monaghan, representing Scotstown.

"There's real anticipation about what we view as the best competition in the GAA. That's building, you can feel it in the room tonight.

"Everyone is here with an eye on the prize, and with an eye on their first-round opponents.

"It is a measure of the competition the level of anticipation in this room," he explains.

Having won four Monaghan titles in a row since he took over as Scotstown manager, McCague is no stranger to the Ulster club scene.

Scotstown are also the bookies favourites to win the competition, at 9/4. After that, it is this weekend' opponents Magherafelt, and Armagh kingpins Crossmaglen, both at 4/1.

McCague is asked if that changes anything ahead of this weekend's quarter-final tie.

"Not at all. We were the 2025 champions, this is 2026. We ourselves have parked that, it is in history. We don't dwell on that, we look to the future.

"We will use the benefit of our experience in the past to try and prepare as best as we can. That's the only thing we feel- the need to prepare, and to prepare really well."

Traditionally, the Derry champions have been firecely competitive in Ulster. The county has the most wins (17), and the second most runners up (seven). By comparison, Monaghan boasts of just seven titles, and six runners-up.

Those paths are inextricably linked. In 2023, Glen Maghera beat Scotstown in the decider, while in the 1994 final, Bellaghy beat Clontibret.

This year, the Monaghan Champions have the benefit of an extra week's preparation, with the Derry final between Magherafelt and Newbridge being played a week after Monaghan's decider.

"(The Derry final) was a brilliant game of football between two really top class sides. It is a measure of Magherafelt that they overcame a Newbridge side that we couldn't beat in sixty minutes last year.

"Newbridge took us to penalties, which can be a lottery at times. We're aware of the challenge coming down the tracks.

"In fact, if we don't raise our game from the levels we hit in Monaghan then we will have a short stay in the Ulster Championship for 2026," McCague explained.

The Celt is a bit taken aback, after spending the Autumn watching Scotstown ruthlessly brush aside all that came before them in Monaghan, including Truagh, who they beat by 15 points.

That win equaled Scotstown's highest winning margin since this run of form began in the 2013 county final, when David McCague was playing as his club beat Clontibret, 2-16 to 0-7.

Was that a surprise for him?

"It was, to be honest." McCague began, "because of the respect that we have for Truagh.

"We need to factor in the two-point score into that. That wasn't there in 2013, or in previous years. We kicked a lot of twos on the day.

"In the old rules, it wasn't a 15 point game, in the new rules it was.

"Scotstown went 20 years without winning a Senior Championship. We were always striving to win it, but we weren't good enough. So, we're always aware that we want to try and cultivate a culture where winning is attainable for all of our young players.

"This season was everyone's first 2026 Championship. We'd never one that Champioinship before -that's why we're as hungry as we are.

"The inscription on the Mick Duffy Cup says '2026 Scotstown', it didn't say that until eight days ago. Regardless of what we won in the past, there is always another competition to chase and go after."

Ambitions

Before he's whisked away to another interview, there's time for The Celt to ask one last question.

There are a lot of similarities between Down's Kilcoo and Scotstown- not least the dominance of their respective county over the last decade.

Scotstown beat Kilcoo in last year's final, lost to them in the semi-final the year before, but beat them in the semis in 2024.

Does McCague find it strange that big teams like Kilcoo, Glen, and Errigal Ciaran aren't in the competition this season?

"The reason some of those teams aren't here, is because there are teams that are better than them in the competition.

"The best team in every county wins the Championship. The best team is the one that performs in clutch moments. I think the level is as high as ever.

"The level of experience in management teams is very high. Magherafelt played in the Ulster Club Championship in 2019, but Stephen Kiernan has more Ulster Club experience than I have, so does Enda Muldoon, and Gavin Devlin has more inter-county experience than I have."

McCague does also praise his own backroom team, and the talented coaches that make Scotstown tick week on week.

None more so than Diarmuid Scullion, the Bellaghy native who now lives in Scotstown. Scullion is also involved with coaching the Cavan footballers.

“Diarmuid has been with Scotstown six years now,” McCague explained.

“It is a measure of the man that his influence endures.

“He’s our head-coach and often when you’re freshening up set-ups you will look at changing coaches.

“But Diarmuid has just been such a positive influence, a meticulous operator in terms of preparation and analysis.

“He is a huge part in our team for this Championship.

“We enjoy so much the opportunity to be together.

“If we had been beaten in the county final, that would have been it. But we have gotten to be together for three weeks.

“The enjoyment, fun, and camaraderie in our group is something that we all cherish. Competition at training is great, and that all is enjoyable as well.

It is well known, that the Scotstown manager is also the principal of the Sem in Monaghan Town.

The school has a rich history of producing quality footballers, and the current crop are in good hands with McCague on staff along with Truagh manager Mark Counihan.

Was there any craic in the staffroom between the two after the county final?

“In the weeks leading up to the final we were nervous with each other,” McCague offers.

“Out of respect for each other, and the jobs that we had to do.

“I have serious respect for John (McCarron, the Truagh captain who also teaches in the school), and for Mark as a manager.

“I’ve coached alongside Mark, so I knew the level of preparation and detail that would go into him getting his team ready for the game.

“It was a challenge for us to match that. I’ll be honest, I’ve been in Mark’s position, I lost an Ulster Club Final as a manager.

“I knew how tough it was going to be for one of us to lose that.

“There was certainly no triumphalism afterwards from us. I have great empathy for him and the work that he did.

“They are a great club Truagh, they’ll be back.

“I had a job to do for Scotstown, it just happened to be them that lost.”