By Orla Bannon

Patrick McBrearty got a sense recently his role in the Donegal team is evolving.

It's six years since Jim McGuinness catapulted him into the senior team before he'd even sat his Leaving Cert, but times have changed.

With all the comings and goings in the Donegal squad and the influx of U21s this season, he's not the baby-faced assassin any more.

“We had a challenge match there lately and I think I was the second oldest playing,” he says. That's a big change for me. I still consider myself young enough, I'm only 23.

“It was a bit strange, but I'm taking more of a leadership role with the young lads. It's a breath of fresh air to see them coming in and it's great to see they have no fear.

“They want to challenge the older lads and pressure us, and that's better for the whole squad. The majority of leaders are still there in Michael (Murphy), Karl (Lacey) and Frank (McGlynn) and we've already achieved our first goal for the season, which was integrating the young lads.”

He is maturing nicely under Rory Gallagher, his 0-11 against Cork in last year's All-Ireland qualifier in Croke Park a sign that there's a lot more to come from this gifted Kilcar corner-forward.

Sunday's opening Allianz Football League fixture sees Donegal host Kerry in Letterkenny.

February is usually a good time to play the Kingdom, famed for their slow start, having lost their first four league games in 2013 under Eamonn Fitzmaurice and again lost their opening three matches a year later.

However McBrearty has taken their McGrath Cup victory over Limerick last month as a sign they want to hit the ground running this year.

“They seem to have a more serious attitude towards it and are integrating a lot of younger lads. They're going to come to Letterkenny wanting to make their mark.”

Donegal's bitter Allianz League clash with Kerry last year was a one-off in terms of their rivalry according to McBrearty, who admits he was lucky not to be among those sent off in Tralee.

Both teams finished with 14 players amidst ugly scenes and a flurry of red, black and yellow cards. Fines of 5,000 euro each were later imposed by the CCCC along with a one-match ban for Donegal fullback Neil McGee. McBrearty expects no repeat of those hostilities on Sunday.

“I don't get involved in scuffles but I did that day and I don't know why. We didn't go out to set that tone but from the first 10 seconds there was a schmozzle.

“I was involved in an incident with Aidan O'Mahony underneath the stand. I was probably lucky enough to get away with it. It was soon forgotten. I can't see it happening again.”

Donegal are in rebuild mode having lost so many experienced players. Yet any suggestion they're in transition irks the UUJ business student.

“People on the outside might say that and not think before they speak, but as players we're very confident the way things are going.

“We've been in the last six Ulster finals in a row. Success breeds success and you become even hungrier. We're really happy with where we're at at the minute.”

Take a couple of big scalps in Division One this spring and McBrearty believes people will be talking about Donegal for all the right reasons.

“As a squad we're all united and want to prove to each other we're in this together. We have Kerry, Dublin, Monaghan and Tyrone all at home in the Allianz League so there'll be big crowds and hopefully we can get momentum behind us. It's exciting times to be honest.

“One win over a big team and people will have a different view of Donegal.”

---