McEntee’s Sligo are defeated
SLIGO manager Tony McEntee has admitted that he’s already thinking of 2022.
There is still one game left in the current campaign – a Connacht GAA Senior Football Championship semi-final against Mayo at Markievicz Park on Saturday week – but McEntee says that next year is where Sligo can put this year’s troubles behind them.
He was speaking after last Sunday’s 12-point loss to Wexford at MW Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, two weeks on from losing by 10 points away to Louth. “The reality is that we will play the game against Mayo and we look forward to next year and start prepping. That is as much as we can look forward to at this stage.”
“This year is a washout and it is over now. We do have to look forward now and see what we can get out of next year.”
It was put to the former Crossmaglen Rangers star, who is in his first year at the helm, that Sligo might have fared better in a ‘normal’ season, one in which the Connacht county would have had seven Allianz Football League games with which to possibly prosper.
“Look, we had three good games against three good teams [Leitrim, Antrim and Louth]. It wasn’t as if we didn’t have enough competition. We had opportunities to get something out of the season.” “But on reflection, now that the year is almost over, we’ll just chalk this up and start again come September.”
“The reality is that we didn’t beat Antrim and we didn’t beat Louth. We’re going into a championship game against Mayo on the back of two heavy defeats [against Louth and Wexford].”
He said there was nothing positive to be salvaged from last Sunday’s display and outcome, adding that Mayo – who are heading back to the Allianz Football League’s top tier for next year – won’t have been fretting about Sligo, given their neighbours’ current dismal form.
But Mayo could be without the O’Connor brothers for this month’s trip to Markievicz Park because Cillian and Diarmuid each sustained injuries in last Sunday’s AFL Division 2 semi-final defeat of Clare (whose coach is Tourlestrane’s Gerry McGowan). McEntee, though, retained a measure of hope for the months to come. “Against Mayo, at the very least, the players will have to show a bit of pride. But it is not just the players, it is the management as well – we’re all in this.” “I think I’ve a better handle on things – that is what management is all about. It is about learning and progressing.” He added: “There is more in these players and there is an awful lot more in us, as a management set-up. I think it is going to be next year until we see more of that.”