Recovery leaves Fermanagh in rude health

Division One semi-final Tyrone v Fermanagh: Seán Moran talks to Fermanagh manager Dominic Corrigan about hisside's rehabilitation process following last June's humiliation against Kerry

Tomorrow's Allianz NFL semi-finals at Croke Park may mark a beginning to the serious business of the year but for Fermanagh there is also a sense of closure. Last July in the freshly concreted corridors of O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, Dominic Corrigan faced the media at its most sotto voce solicitous, to try and explain the outclassing of his Fermanagh team.

The county's All-Ireland qualifier against Kerry had remained competitive for all of a couple of minutes and thereafter the Ulster side's morale and nerve had disintegrated.

"We were certainly very down," says Corrigan. "One thing though that saved it on a personal level was that Kerry went on to do the same to much higher-profile teams than Fermanagh. Up until those Galway and Cork games, we felt we were nowhere.

"Finally we all decided to give it another go and aim to preserve our Division One status. The rehabilitation process was complete when we qualified for the league semi-final."

That qualification was an unexpected triumph on the last day of the season, when Fermanagh had to win in Mayo and hope that Cavan slipped up against Sligo.

"I knew Sligo would beat Cavan," he says. "Their results were worse than their performances and I told the players that if we beat Mayo we'd be rewarded."

But the campaign and its difficulties weren't as straightforward as that. Rewind a bit and see what happened in the aftermath of the Portlaoise nightmare. Fermanagh's best defender, Railway Cup full back Paddy McGuinness, retired and then the county's scoring machine Rory Gallagher - who equalled the all-time championship record with 3-9 against Monaghan last year - walked away from it all.

As he had relocated to Dublin the talk was that Gallagher would arrange a transfer but that never came to pass. Nonetheless, Corrigan's disappointment still registers.

"I spoke to him way back at the start when he first said that he didn't want to play for Fermanagh. I feel he did himself no service and served his county no purpose in taking what I consider the soft option. Last summer we were going nowhere and it was the easiest option to turn the back on Fermanagh. I'm delighted that 29 players didn't turn their back and I'm delighted that they now have their reward."

Corrigan insists that he hasn't turned his back on Gallagher if the player changes his mind. "It's always been a personal call and he'd know that I'd have the door closed on nobody."

He acknowledges that reaching a national final to find Tyrone waiting is a bit of a disappointment. The counties met only last January in the McKenna Cup.

" It's one of those disappointing things. I'd have loved get Cork or Galway or Kerry or Dublin. Another thing would be that none of them would be flying the way Tyrone are at the moment."

Corrigan also appreciates that sometimes just when teams are going well in the league, the wheels come off with the championship just around the corner.

"The top six are operating in the other division (One A). Two teams came out of our division last year. Mayo got a hiding from Tyrone in the semi-final and never recovered from it and then Cavan got a hiding from them in the final and they never recovered from it. We don't want to go to Croke Park, genuflect to Tyrone and throw away the rest of our season."

Fermanagh haven't been in a league play-off since 1935 and Corrigan expects 10,000 to travel. "They're saying that in September people come to Croke Park for All-Ireland weekend and that this Easter they're coming for Fermanagh weekend."

None of his panel, apart from former International Rules player Paul Brewster, have played in Croke Park. "We'll be able to walk it at about three o'clock on Saturday and the opportunity to be there is absolutely wonderful for players who have put in great effort for the county over the years."

There's a neat twist in the fact that Tyrone manager Mickey Harte and Fermanagh's new physical trainer, Martin McElkennon, teach in the same school and take charge of the St Ciaran's Ballygawley under-16s, who are in All-Ireland action next week.

"Martin's got good experience and he's been whipping us into shape. We're not championship fit because we're targeting June 1st (Ulster first round against Donegal). It's good to have got where we are without producing our best."

Will familiarity with Tyrone be a benefit at Croke Park or will Fermanagh's poor record against the holders inhibit them?

"Well, I'm happier to play them in Croke Park, where they don't have a great record, rather than in Clones, where they've beaten us a few times."

Cheeky.