McEniff's role of honour
THERE would have been something wrong with Brian McEniff's love affair with Donegal football ending on Saturday evening in Clones.
It wasn't meant to end with his team pulling in four different directions, with his forwards forgetting where the posts were and his most important player refusing instructions from the sideline.
The fall of Donegal, in four short weeks, from championship dark horses to also-rans has been one of the most perplexing stories to come from a county that so often perplexes.
Players have been cast as an unruly bunch unaware of how far their talents could take them.
Nobody could have blamed McEniff if he walked away as the mist fell on Clones. He has invested his life into Donegal football. On Saturday, his players, with a few exceptions, refused to pay interest on that investment.
And yet, he has decided to remain at the helm for another year. A phrase involving martyrs and lost causes springs to mind, but McEniff has seen bleak times in Donegal before and has remained true.
This time was no different.
"Well first of all, I signed on for a two-year term," he said yesterday.
"But that's not the reason. I didn't want to leave behind this situation the team is coming off two bad results, the fall-out from the Armagh game and everything that happened from that which has been well-publicised.
"I am a committed GAA person, to the entire GAA in Donegal, not just county football and that was a situation I didn't want to walk away from. The support I got from the county executive and some of the players convinced me to stay. I am confident we can turn this situation around."
It's all a far cry from the aftermath of the Ulster semi-final. When Donegal ruthlessly disposed of Tyrone, they were the talk of the country. Within the county, the buzz was palpable.
It now seems bizarre that supporters went to Croker convinced they were about to be crowned Ulster champions for the first time in 12 years.
"I said it after the Tyrone game, too much was read into that result," McEniff stressed.
"Tyrone were ripe for the picking, and because of that result, I think the public here in Donegal, and probably some players too, thought it was just a case of turning up at Croke Park.
"The hype was too much. We needed to improve vastly to beat Armagh. They have been the most consistent team in the country for the past five years. I always said that, but there was this feeling within the county that we just deserved to win it. You have to earn your corn in every game and that was lost in all the expectancy."
Other things went wrong on Saturday. Composed kickers like Micheal Hegarty and Brian Roper missed simple chances. The most telling vignette was Adrian Sweeney not allowing Colm McFadden to kick the frees in extra-time.
"I was disappointed at the time it happened. The whole ground saw me telling Colm to take the frees, that's why I put him back on. One of the best aspects of his game is kicking pressure points. But what's done is done. We have to look to the future."
It may be a future without Brendan Devenney. Already there is the suggestion that he is signing a contract with Finn Harps. His manhandling of an official is unlikely to go down well in the new ref-friendly era.
"I can't condone what Brendan did, but it was the result of frustration. He's a corner-forward and can't tackle and maybe the ref was compensating for not sending another Donegal player off earlier. But players like Brendan, and it is the same in every county, never get much protection. They are always being pulled and dragged and maybe that should be looked at.
"Getting two players sent off is not the way we play football in Donegal. I never send teams out to play like that. Things just got on top of the players. I apologise to the referee for what happened. The indiscipline came from other sources."
Saturday's result was compounded by rumours of a rift in the county between north and south. Those who know Donegal know the sides can seem like two counties at the best of times, but McEniff won't accept that.
"I don't buy into that, there is nothing like a rift between the north and south of the county."
As if to prove a point, McEniff talks about the stars of the future, most of whom come from north Donegal.
"There are a lot of positives to take from this year. Karl Lacey, at just 19, played some wonderful stuff on his championship debut. So too did Barry Dunnion.
"Colm is only 21, so's Christy, there's a young fella from Glenswilly, Neil Gallagher, only 20 and great things are expected of him.
"We have some great talent coming through."
McEniff insists Donegal will be in better shape next summer, with a spring of First Division football behind them. And he says he will review the squad. Some might make decisions for him. John Gildea's knees might force him to walk away but the powerhouse midfielder should be used as an example for younger players about commitment to your county.
"We have to look at the management structure, maybe freshen that up. But let's not forget the real story here, and that's Fermanagh. Charlie Mulgrew has done a marvellous job."
While happy for one of his past on-pitch lieutenants, there remains a tinge of regret in his voice.
Last Thursday night at training, he kicked a ball from 21 yards over the bar. Something his players couldn't repeat two days later.
"We have to look at how we are taking frees. Maybe it is time to go back to taking frees from the ground, like Donegal did in the past," he says.
In the last few days, his mind keeps coming back to Manus Boyle. What he wouldn't have done for the most accurate boots to come out of Killybegs in Clones.
Instead, a summer that promised so much is now over. And the weather in Donegal hasn't got much better.
