Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A BONN SCARE EVERY TIME PHONE RINGS
Donegal boss dreads any updates from the doctor ahead of League restart
COUNTY managers usually dread phone calls from their team doctors, but particularly so in these times.
Last month, Donegal became the first active inter-county squad to be hit by a Covid-19 outbreak, causing them to suspend training for a fortnight.
They’re back on track now ahead of this Sunday ’s League restart against Tyrone though the virus continues to spiral in the county despite going to Level 3, along with Dublin, before the rest of the country.
“We’re waiting on a daily basis,” cautions manager Declan Bonner, though he still has a full hand to pick from just now.
“Any time I see Dr Moran’s number come up on my phone, I go into a cold sweat. That is a daily occurrence.
“Touch wood , ever ything is under control and we’re looking forward to the match now.”
Managing at inter-county level is all-consuming at the best of times. The pandemic adds an extra thick layer of responsibility.
“It’s probably the not knowing on a day-to-day basis.
“I could get a phone call after training to say x or y has a problem, and all of a sudden that could lead to bigger problems.
“It’s just something that is totally out of your control.
“The players are well aware of the responsibility they have but it’s not watertight and I’m sure there are going to be cases down the line for us; not just us, I ’m sure it’s going to be the same for most counties.”
Although Donegal host Tyrone this weekend, they must go to Tralee the following Saturday and Bonner admitted it’s not ideal.
“You’re looking at travel, hotels, it is a logistical nightmare. There probably is a case to go to a neutral venue.
“You can see the cases are rising and the last 10 days has been at a level where it’s very difficult to manage.
“Once you get to a point where ICU beds are filled out, it’s going to be very scary.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. We can only control what we can control.
“We’re planning for an Ulster Championship.
“You don’t want to see any walkovers in any of the competitions.
“Let’s hope a bit of common sense is there and we get these games played.”