Jim McGuinness: 'The Ulster Championship is still the best competition'

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness says the importance and value of winning an Ulster championship has not changed and a certain level of respect needs to be brought back to the provincial championships.

This Saturday Donegal will face Derry in Celtic Park in one of the county's most highly anticipated clashes in recent times as McGuinness returns for his first championship match in over a decade as he faces his old managerial foe, Mickey Harte.

And while Derry goes into this clash as heavy favourites, having recently won the National League title and two Ulster titles back-to-back, McGuinness will be taking nothing for granted.

However, with discussions in recent times over the importance of the provincial championships and an effort to do away with them, the Donegal boss slams all criticism towards the Ulster championship calling it a huge motivational boost for teams to go further and win an All-Ireland, while also calling it the pinnacle of certain player’s careers.

“Obviously, the prize of winning an Ulster title is massive,” McGuinness notes. “For me in terms of past experiences, when you do end up on the right side of that campaign and win an Ulster title and you go down the road as champions, the psychological boost can be very significant in the wider scheme of things.”

“They’re trying to restructure certain competitions, but we have to understand that it was always tough to win an Ulster or an All-Ireland, nothing has changed in that sense and that’s why these medals are so precious, so I don’t know why they’re trying to do away with a competition like the one we have in Ulster, it’s the best competition.”

McGuinness points to the difficulty in winning the Anglo Celt, noting that Cavan’s win in 2020 was their first since ’97, while Derry’s two years ago was their first title since 1998, while mentioning the joy it brought to Donegal fans when they won the Ulster title in 2011, their first in 19 years.

“Players have tried so hard throughout their careers to try and win just one Ulster medal, that was the pinnacle of some careers,” the Donegal manager said. “I think we have to remember Donegal went 19 years without an Ulster championship, remember the joy it brought to the people of Donegal that day and we can’t forget that.”

However, McGuinness acknowledges the issues in the championship, specifically the timeframe where the winner of the Donegal and Derry game this Saturday will be back out on the field the following weekend for the Ulster semi-final, with McGuinness stating that it is impossible for a player to recover in that short period.

“If we were to get over the line against Derry, the only thing we get is a spot in the next round and God only knows who’s going to come out of that three-team conundrum, but worst of all, we only have seven days to prepare for the next round which really belittles the competition,” he states.

“I don’t know how a manager can do his job in that timeframe or how a player, if he fully invests in the first game, how he can fully recover for the following week to play another hard-hitting Ulster match in that timeframe.

“I think if you only have seven days between two championship matches, it’s impossible to train. I played many Ulster championship matches, and I can tell you, you’re sore for three days after and you’re trying to get back onto the pitch on the fourth day and then you’re looking to play a game the following weekend at a high level, it’s impossible.

“I’ve spoken about this before on the timeframe of matches and who it’s serving, as a spectacle, I don’t know how much they’re charging into games now but they’re not cheap, and then we have to play players who are fatigued and sore. That doesn’t serve the manager, the team, or the spectators in terms of entertainment. “

These are the people putting their hands in their pockets and paying to go to these games, which for most can be a paycheck, they’re going to these games week-in, week-out and they’re not getting full value, that’s not right, so in terms of timeframe and structure, we’re not thinking this through at all in the GAA.”