Tyrone legend left baffled by Donegal's complaints over quick All-Ireland Quarter-Final turnaround

Belfast Telegraph

6 hours ago

Jim McGuinness' men beat Louth last Sunday in the preliminary Quarter-Final and will have to play Monaghan this Saturday in Croke Park, despite the fact that they requested that they be given the full seven days to recover.
The county released a statement highlighting their disappointment in the decision to deny this request, although it might seem unfair when you consider that the other three teams who played in preliminary Quarter-Finals will have gotten a full seven days.
However, when speaking at the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Championship Finals Preview, Cavanagh does not think there was anything untoward going on.
'Well, I certainly don't have anything against Donegal, and I don't really think anybody else does if I'm honest,' laughed the three-time All-Ireland winner.
'When you go looking for causes, you will always find them, and Jim is big into psychology but I don't totally get it if I'm honest with you.
'I remember back in 2005, we had a drawn game in the Ulster Final with Armagh that needed a replay, then into the back door against Monaghan, then another drawn game and replay with Dublin in the Quarter-Final – so I think we played four, five, maybe even six weekends in a row.
'We maybe had one weekend off over the six weeks, so we just got into the routine of you had to take work off on Friday afternoon, we would meet in Monaghan, head to Dublin, play the game on Saturday night and head back up the road.
'To be honest, we absolutely loved it, and I think if you asked most footballers – like, would you rather go to Carrington House next weekend and do a block of training or would you rather play a game of football, and they would all rather play the game.
'The six day turnaround has always been there, I never felt we had any ability to change that, that's the rules, that is the system, and the fact that Tyrone beat Donegal in Ballybofey in the first round, and the fact that Donegal had to play in the preliminary round of Ulster, it means they are under a bit of pressure, but it isn't the competition's fault.'
McGuinness was also vocal about having to travel to Hyde Park to play Mayo in the last game of the group stages when the venue was supposed to be a neutral ground because the stadium was so much closer to their opponents.
There are those who think that the manager is trying to harness a siege mentality and create an 'us against them' kind of feeling among the players, but the ex-Tyrone midfielder isn't convinced that it sends the right message.
He continued: 'If I was managing or coaching a team, I don't think I would be putting out noise, almost telling people that my team is tired.
'I wouldn't want that to filter into the players either, so I don't know if that is the external message to create a bit of a siege mentality and then there is an internal message saying otherwise.
'Their last game was in Ballybofey so I'm sure they were all in ice baths by six o'clock, and in the game itself they were able to rotate players, not pick up any injuries, so it doesn't feel like we will be talking about this in the grander scheme of things, especially if Donegal win on Saturday.'