 Well, it's time to talk Gaelic games and in particular our standout feature this weekend here in Highland It is of course the semi-final of the Ulster senior football championship where old rivals are going to clash for a place in the big Decider, it's Dunigal against Kevin and to look forward to the game I'm joined by two men who are Ulster winners and they are all stars from Dunigal and Kevin Mark McHugh and Dermot McCabe. Gentlemen, you're welcome to Highland Yes, Arshie. Hi Arshie Dermot, first time having you on so it's great to see you and and and good to talk to you How's life in Kevin at the moment? I know you're a very busy man and you as we said a former Ulster winner and all-star and You played your part in Kevin Futba. You were assistant manager last year to Mickey Graham You're the current coaching officer in the Brefnay County. So I would say life's busy for you at the moment. Is it Dermot? Yeah, first off, thanks very much Arshie and the invitation Yeah, I suppose it's a big weekend We had around the 20s out a couple of weeks ago and seniors and minors out the first weekend This weekend we have our minors and our seniors out and Hopefully we're we're confident are quietly confident in both games and that we can get the results Is there a confidence then you're saying and and Kevin that that Kevin can overturn Dunigal again because it was a bit of a shock a couple of years ago Would it be seen as such a big shock if it was to happen again Dermot? um, I I suppose a Kevin had a social sort of league campaign, but I suppose technically the games are very difficult in that it's packed defenses and it's it's very closed up and and stop star probably in division four Kevin were building towards getting promotion and got that And then a key of potential stumbling block sort of cardigan park or no or sort of approach you know was a danger and and and Kevin were very comprehensive Or I would say very impressive and very well structured in that game and They would take confidence on that they have they have won the division four cup They were comfortable in cardigan park And they've checked all the boxes so far. So um I think the players might look at it and say that you know They would have felt they performed the best in 2020 in that in that ulster final and maybe didn't Get the the recognition that perhaps they deserve that many people were saying that That don't you all took it for granted and and maybe they might want to go out and prove that it was no Fluke and and they can repeat that success. Yeah, we'll bring martin in martin You of course have a have a second home in cavern and Dermot was one of your stars and helping use one a an ulster title in 1997 Are this cavern team martin in your eyes any closer to to getting another ulster title? Can they follow on in any sort of way from from 2020 or as some might say that they haven't got the recognition that they deserved a couple of years ago and Can they progress on can they Well, probably the people looked at it from the game and in two years ago Was that it was played in the winter time and it was played Maybe people are seeing a tight pitch in in our man everything else and now that the tonus pitch is a lot wider It'll be a harder sod and everything else. I don't buy into that at all I thought cavern were the better side that day and that some great victories coming back from maybe nine ten points down Against monon and against down earlier on so You know and cavern played really well that day and I think looking at the two teams Now up to the armad game and I don't know what we can read into the armad game And hopefully we don't read as much into the armad game as we did Players management the county in all two years ago when we beat our mat and and brefney park In that semi ulster semi final everybody thought it was only a matter done He got turning up for the for the for everybody who's chatting up for the ulster final and everybody was talking about playing Doubling and I think you know looking at it from that time and I know cavern are playing in division four But I was at the game against antra most down on the sideline right beside them. They're physically A far bigger team than they were two years ago They've corner moina who's a big player for them back that didn't play that day And and you know, they're they're going into this game the way they want to go into themselves Nobody really outside cavern giving them a chance and maybe nobody outside the players And the management is the same. Maybe it's the last time giving them a chance. I think cavern actually since Two years ago, even though people say they're playing division four I think cavern have improved really up to the armad game and I don't know what to make of the armad game I felt uneagle had gone back us since that game two years ago So I think this game is more of a toss of a coin and I wouldn't agree with the bookies and everybody else What people are saying I think this will go down to the wire and sunday Yeah, would you agree with martin? Maybe the cavern are a better team than what there were a couple of years ago down there Well, a lot of the bones of the team is still there. A lot of conditioning work would have continued And I know tightly they would have got more student in how they play and how they manage games So you would like to think while some of the experiences weren't great that they are a lot more experienced and And now this is this bunch of players You know, they've played in two ulster finals winning one of them. So You would like to think that there's a solid base of experience there and they can handle this type of occasion on sunday Oshin, your voice is gone. Oshin. Yeah, you're gonna mute. Yeah. I'm back again. I've unmuted myself So I have I was saying about donnie gall Dermot, what's your take on donnie gall following their one against our ma Because it was a huge result for deckland boner side because a lot of people were tipping Armad to be the the next kingpins of of ulster and that's not going to happen now because of an excellent donnie gall performance Yeah, look at it. We talk about experiences. There's not much more experienced teams than donnie gall You know in this competition and definitely left in the competition at ulster uh, they're always managed to retain their division one status, which is always being massive and and You know, their key players are going, you know going extremely well the ryan mccues peather mogans obon galahar michael murphy is back to himself and then I suppose the added addition that I suppose where cavill will worry about is the performance of jason mcgee the last day and then michael langan in 2019 would have caused cavill a lot of difficulties with his size and physique at wing half forward So, you know, you would think that they're going quite well. They're faring quite well, but Hopefully, you know what what I feel is critical parts is probably the matchup son Who's going to take who and in what position of the field will they have to take each other on? And then the other element is I suppose gaining possession is key for everything and that's through the kick outs You know, will will teams press donnie gall generally try to press the kick outs Will they do that on sunday and force cavill long will that suit cavill because cavill a lot of big men around the middle tort And what would cavill do when the donnie gall kick outs, you know pattern Has a tremendous length to his kick out the fear is if you push up on that Like in 2019 some of these kick outs can go over the top and and they're in on goal Uh, or do you choose to give give the kick out up and who do you give that kick out up to as regards personnel? So those are the major factors for me as regards that that'll that'll decide the game Yeah, martin. You're normally good. We are we are matchups and picking who's going to take on who What's the matchups going to be on sunday? Very hard to know, you know It's supposed to be look at it and we go back to looking at last sunday's the toro and dairy game Like dairy got all the matchups right and toro normally are very very good at it And it probably cost them the fact that they didn't put connor mailer Start them on gareth mckinley's in the middle of field probably nearly cost them much because mckinley's was the big player The first half so matchups as dermis is going to be important That midfield area is going to be very important and the kick outs we talked about both goalkeepers Uh, both goalkeepers have very big kick outs long kick outs. They want it. They're very good going short And they're they're good keepers now donnie gall did press a r-ma Keeper eithan rafferty. They pressed up on him and all that there But it's different kettle of fish with raymond galligan because galligan is can can kick long and where they knew that That eithan rafferty hadn't got a long kick out and so that they could afford to press Now the press is dangerous in a way if it works, it's okay But if it goes wrong like toro and try to press the second half of 14 men against dairy And if dairy won the kick out they were through maybe creating a goal chance right away So kick out is important matchups will be expect connor brady is actually from dermis club will probably pick up Uh, make a langing probably two big men both of them normally play in the middle of the field So they'll be made for each other and then the midfield battle the jason migie with thomas thomas galligan It's going to be a big battle that area two great fetters of the ball both of them And you know james smith will probably go to fall forward and he start inside with paddy lynch who will donnie gall But put on him It's probably steven big men and i'll pick up james smith and then he comes out the field Maybe even keelan ward could follow him when he comes if he presses pushes out the field a bit and expect brend mccole To pick to pick up paddy lynch. So I just think that you know from from cabins point of view what matchups they put Jason mclaughlin the last time on ryan mcu they pushed him up to the half orling probably might do the same thing again Uh, they were probably happy enough for this performance that day the michael morphe battle is who the who the will go Will will will they go with killian clark and michael morphe? Oh, they leave killian clark in the in the middle of the field and because he's been very good in the middle of the field One in one in a lot of ball in that area in turnovers and he won a lot of ball against antrim. So I think that They might go with paulik faulkner. Maybe it fall back on michael morphe plays inside and then who's going to pick up party My priority that's probably the big ones They'll be the big matchups and the other ones that they feel if they can get them I've cabin especially get that right that they were great friends. Yeah Dermott mentioned there about uh, the big men around the middle We'll don't go play all of the big men martin if they're all fit to go obviously michael langan uh, jason mcgee and Keelan mcgonigal who came on as as a sub the last day all big men all fantastic fuppers and fetched in there They have the physicality for it. Do you play all three in Sunday? Well, I'd say that they're probably the I'd say they probably go close to the same team they played against her ma And you know having the bench is very important And I was worried about the dunny gall bench that day You know because keelan mcgonigal hadn't played a lot of football But he did well when he came in so he's a big plus to have to come into the team You know, I thought shane o'Donnell is another player that came of age the last day It was brilliant in the championship game for dunny gall and he gives dunny gall another option up front Another players remark. I think the bench will be important. So I think they'll hold one of them And it probably it probably maybe will be keelan mcgonigal and feeling that he hasn't got enough time in and yet to maybe to start the game And I mean that's but it's very important of two or three good players to come off the bench And I think the bench could be the difference on Sunday because it's going to be important A big clonus pitch paying 80 minutes and everything else. The subs are very very important to have players to come on and just like Derry dropped em at Bradley the last day, but he came on. He was really really good I think you need an impact from the bench. It's important to have that Yeah, what about or mcfaden ferre martin does deckland boner shuffle the pack? He was a regular starter He was the he was the regular corner back and then he got suspended and listen the performance that dunny gall put in The last day against our ma How hard is it for deckland boner to to change that fifting? Would you put or mcfaden ferre back in? Well, I think that goes if he wants another marker in defense He would go with him as a marker or mcfaden ferre, you know He's unlucky with with everything that he lost out the last day and dunny gall played that well It's hard to see dunny gall change in the team again He's a good man to come on the chances are you're going to pick up maybe a yellow card You could pick up and you might have replaced the player area on if you get a yellow card area on or Or you know an injury or anything like that there or maybe even sending off or something like that can happen You change the game so I think it's important to have player I don't know maybe I would expect them maybe to hold on mcfaden ferre to have them to just go with the team The way the team played so well, especially the defense played very well the last day against our ma Now I don't like reading too much into our ma because when we look at our ma's record It's been very very poor and they're probably of the big so-called five and ulster or six and ulster whatever you have You know looking at antrim down and for man and maybe we're behind the rest But the mother you feel that our mother the worst of them team so I hope dunny gall don't read too much into this our ma into the our ma game because Our ma being were very very disappointing and they were playing championship Oshin in my opinion when in the first two games of league when everybody else We're just getting ready for the league and they were they were a challenge at pace I think and that's the only two games that really won the big kill there then looking off afterwards That's the only game so one so I wouldn't read I hope we don't read as much as we read the last time into it And we get ready because this is going to be a real battle on sunday two very experienced teams and two physically very very strong teams as well And cabin definitely were a lot more physical power even they had two years ago Yeah, martin mentioned there dermot about How important the dunny gall bench is going to be how important is the cabin bench going to be because Ken Madden came off it and that final a couple of years ago and scored one two What's the strength like of the current cabin bench dermot? First of all us, you know, I hope the dunny gall read very much into the arm out performance and Take huge bonuses from it I suppose we would have Kieran Brady who would have been a regular for us for the last Five eight years And he's just coming back from injury So I'd be hoping that he would be in contention and maybe definitely to be able to be some minutes into him Martin Riley has huge experience and would have come on the last day and was instrumental in getting the goal A against antrum So hopefully he has got more game time in the weeks in between and training So you're hoping that he would be available an option and as you mentioned connor madden Is always a sort of an outfit there and got the fantastic old in the ulster final. So Hey, I can't imagine I suppose there being too many changes I suppose like dunny gall from from the last day because they done so well, but just be interesting perhaps Where there may be played I suppose from two years ago when we played a We didn't we tried to not allow Sort of matchups to happen in the positions they were so we would have felt that ombar galler was going to go to center back and grow So we moved grow to the bit of the field which may have been a little bit of help to walk over that So so so mickey and the management team will have decisions to make in relation to that Martin already mentioned about the jason mclaughlin moving up to half forward to trying carb Ryan mcquee that will be another big decision and in that particular game a Killian clark was on patty mcreerty and pouring falcons and jamie brennan. So I suppose mickey and his manager team We were wondering do we switch they would be major switches to switch around as killian isn't doing very well in the middle of the field But that would be his dilemma and debate. I'd say over these last few days Is that the way he lines out his team or does he restructure slightly? Yeah, you of course have been part of mickey's management team. Is there another trick in the book to come from them? Do you think I hope there's many more tricks in the book to come from and and That opportunities arise this weekend and And we take them I think calvin are sitting in quite a nice position um At times struggles, but we don't know what was being done at training We don't know how heavy training was through the league But they got the cup and got that done and then as I say had a very convincing win in corridor park so i'm hoping that the players and manager will be going with great confidence and and Uh, the the supporters won't be screaming from the roofs But we'll be quietly confident that we can get a very good performance on sunday Okay, martin dunigal done all they're talking on the pitch the last day. There was a lot of stuff Being set away from from from the actual game Obviously in the lead up to suspensions and different things and pundits had to go with dunigal and was saying various different things But dunigal Didn't get dragged into that. They don't know all the talking on the pitch Um dunigal will be seen as rage and hot favorites for this game But it's a matter of keeping that format. Do you're talking on the pitch and don't let anything else Have an effect or a matter martin? Yeah, that's that's that's exactly it. I think you know, we look at that You know the whole thing of the build up to the maybe even the troll dairy game And the armadunigal game was all about suspensions and getting suspensions off and You know went up to Dublin to fight it with solicitors and barristers and everything else And maybe both our ma maybe and her own put a lot of their energy into that Rather than as you said put the energy into maybe on the field, which is the most important thing And you know, both of them are very disappointing on the day, you know, the two teams So I think that look on that there maybe, you know from from dunigal's point of view is important that they don't concentrate on it after You know, I know Declan Warner was talking about it after the game and everybody was blaming the ccc and everybody else was to blame I think in the end it was important that you concentrate on on the team and the game and what you what you Have the ability to look after yourself. I think that's very very important And I think it's important to stay like that there. This is a different game that armadunigal game was classed Maybe even our ma slightly favorites dunigal are going in this time as warm favorites And dunigal don't do favorites well. We never have done favors well in dunigal. So I think this is this is a very difficult game I hear everybody that i'm talking to saying oh dunigal won't make the same mistake again They won't take their eye off the ball and all that there It's actually saying the exact same thing has happened two years ago And they know you know what happens if you don't perform to her own found out that against dairy He went in his red hot favorites didn't perform Football's all on the day and that's when it's played and the hungrier team Won always and that's just a bit of fear. I would have and dunigal the people are talking about our favorites for ulster Everything else about it. You have to every game to play and you have to go out and perform because if you don't Uh, you know somebody in caverns on to me. There's history is going to repeat itself 1997 25 years ago Dairy and cavern met in the ulster final. So they're saying that that might happen again So look at hopefully from a dunigal point of view that doesn't happen But if dunigal are not well prepared not ready not right everything about is right It was easy getting ready the last day as you said there were a lot of talk It was all about our mass all of it the suspended players is all about rean o'neill It's all about this this time, you know, it's different this team is different And it's important that dunigal have prepared right and you know, it'll still in my opinion It'll go down to the wire Is it going to go to the wire just finally then darmit mckipp Yeah, I don't think there's going to be a big uh, big pile in it. I think Whoever really I know we talked about before is the kick outs and sort of gains that possession On both sides of the teams with Hugh McFadden, Jason McGee, Michael Lange and Michael Murphy On our side, you have James smith, thomas galle and killian clark You know A lot of big james smith you have a lot of sort of big players in there So that middle toward is going to be vital and as regards who can gain the most possession and get it in As was in caverns Hope we're hoping with james smith and patty inch inside that now we have, you know The ball winners consistent ball winners and score getters in there that can cause a lot of hassle to defenders And that definitely was the case the last day and we hope that continues on sunday How do you handle michael morphe? We're great difficulty Ocean um I suppose, you know, he's so elusive in that he goes into different places, you know, we We put one slash two. I would say markers on them in 2019 And I would say that on surface of him or wisely of him. He possibly sacrificed his game that day Created spaces for opposition didn't really handle that much of the ball But completely opened us up by his movement. And if you recall that patty mcverty and jamey breland that day met He has the capacity to do that and read the game And then if things were difficult and ball needed to be won. He has the capacity to go and do that. So it's an extremely difficult Battle, but you have to have a man that's going to go with him and be with him and be titleless On most occasions in the game. Well, we'll wait to see how how that develops Dermott martin mentioned there 25 years since uh, he's guys one on the olster title 25 years since You got your all-star as well And was it was it the manager in place? So was it the class and caliber of the players that that proved to be The the fruit to the success that year dermott Hey, how much you're out answer that? Yeah, I think it was a combination. I suppose cavern had gone through Martin came in in 95 Or the end of 94 and cabinet go through quite a bad spell of six or eight first round defeats and In that three years we got the two finals and won one So he must have something and something right in relation to that. So just I suppose standards collectiveness Plan training A bit of a sort of a game plan, you know all those type of things that were only coming new to the game And the game has changed even so much more since but but that started to come into cavern and it came into progression and At that time you had a big physical team in cavern You had youngsters coming in and you had some very very good experienced Players on the team as well. The combination worked extremely well for those few years And thankfully we got a little bit of success. Yeah, these are still looking after them down there. So you sir Yeah Still getting the free dinners free dinners stories in cavern Stopped a couple of years ago. All right, but it's not it's not too bad. Not too bad I think listening to all that there. Oh, she think I'm ready to go back into management Who would take on dermott? That's and dermott's good to have you on the program. Good to speak to you and good to see you and I would say I wish you all the best in the game at the weekend But for me and martin's point of view, we'll be hoping that it's a it's a dunnigall success But listen enjoy clonus because it's it's great to be back in clonus great to be back playing football And what I've seen is the home of of of the holster championship and we're looking forward to what hope There will be a very very good game Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for the advice. Nice. No problem. Okay, martin. Thanks for joining us. Talk to you soon See us and take care. Bye