“We have to go for it” - Naomh Padraig boss Daniel McCauley

It’s win or bust for Naomh Padraig’s Junior A Championship aspirations this weekend.

Daniel McCauley takes the Iskaheen men to O’Donnell Park on Saturday evening (throw-in 6pm) to face St Eunan’s.

Injury has ravaged Naomh Padraig in 2022 and the black and amber will provide them with a stern examination.

“We have to go for it,” McCauley told Donegal Live.

“We have nothing to lose and just have to go for it.”

Donegal panelist Caolan McColgan has returned from America and played in the recent 3-12 to 2-8 win over Robert Emmets - a victory that followed defeats at the hands of Naomh Ultan and Urris.

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Drew McKinney’s season ended against Robert Emmets, with the club still awaiting a scan for a knee injury sustained that afternoon at Maurice McMenamin Memorial Park. McKinney was on the Donegal under-20s panel and is a big loss for the Ture residents.

Johnny Toye and Rory Hirrell are available again after hamstring and knee injuries. Hirrell missed a large swathe of the campaign after sustaining a knee injury during the League, but came on as a substitute against Robert Emmets.

Patrick McRoddy is in San Diego, but Shane McColgan, who won the league this year with John Mitchells in Liverpool, could make an appearance were Naomh Padraig to successfully navigate Saturday’s game in Letterkenny.

Evan Craig is a doubt, but Eunan Keaveney, a former Donegal minor, is back again and Joe McCauley could feature after making a return to training.

The availability of McColgan has given Naomh Padraig a big boost in recent weeks.

“Caolan is massive for us,” McCauley said. “For a small club like us, a player like Caolan just gives the whole thing such a lift.

“We have been big time hampered by injuries this year, but we have to give this a big rattle on Saturday.”

This is McCauley’s third year at the helm. The 2020 campaign was disrupted by Covid and 2021 wasn’t straightforward either with a Regional League not getting the juices flowing.

“This had been the first proper year in the job,” he said. “It’s the first year there was a proper League that wasn’t mixed up in some way.

“I was disappointed on a personal level with our League this year. We were going grand and then we started to pick up injuries. We list to Naomh Ultan and it started to fall away from us a bit. It was a struggle but I still felt that the change to three Divisions was a good set up and a good change for clubs.”

Naomh Padraig were pipped to promotion by Na Rossa in a play-off last November and they now have just one Championship life remaining this year.

While St Eunan’s lost by 2-12 to 1-13 at Urris on Saturday, McCauley saw enough in that game at Crampsey Park to order some caution this week.

“We beat St Eunan’s well in the League, but their team is totally unrecognisable now,” he said. “You look at the likes of Rory Carr, Lee McMonagle, Daragh Ellison and Cormac Finn; they could all play senior for St Eunan’s. They have all played senior at some stage and some of them have won the senior championship.

“Conor Morrison gives them great protection. He’s some player to be playing in the junior. Conor could play for the Donegal seniors if he was fit. It’s savage for a club to have players like that playing in junior football.

“I’m sure they’re not breaking any rules, but it’s some boost for them. After watching them play twice, I’d have them as one of the favourites for the Junior Championship.”