Ryan McHugh set to renew acquaintance with old college roommate Kieran Hughes

Class

Niall McIntyre

Ryan McHugh set to renew acquaintance with old college roommate Kieran Hughes

“Friendships will go out the window on Sunday, I suppose.”

Kilcar won their first Donegal title in 24 years last weekend, setting up an Ulster quarter-final meeting with Monaghan champions, Scotstown, this Sunday.

It will be the first time for any of these Kilcar players to make the provincial stages of the club competition, unlike their Farney opponents.

Scotstown have now won three county titles on the trot, and have an abundance more experience than their opponents at this level of club competition.

They will be hot favourites going into the Clones showpiece, but Kilcar star, Ryan McHugh who was speaking at the AIB launch of the 2017/2018 club Championships on Monday, is confident that his side can put it up to them.

Indeed, Kilcar completed the league/Championship double in Donegal this year, and they’re rearing for the big one.

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“It’s such new territory to us at this point in time. We’ll know more on Sunday evening,” began the roving half back.

“Nah, we’re really looking forward to it. We got a good week’s training. We had our final league match on Sunday, so we’ve got the whole club county championship out of our system, and we’re going to give it a good go. We’re going to give it everything we have, and if that’s good enough, it’s good enough. If it’s not, it’s not,” he added.
McHugh will be coming up against an opponent he is very familiar with, having lived with Scotstown’s Kieran Hughes during his college years in UUJ.
They have played against each other many times in the past representing their counties, but never in the club colours, and the pair have been buzzing off each other in the build-up.

“You talk about knowing people. We’re actually playing Scotstown. I actually lived with Kieran Hughes in college, so I know Scotstown pretty well as well, actually,” he began.
The pair are still close friends, and Hughes has made an offer to McHugh to stay down in Monaghan after the game to go out on the town. According to the Donegal man, the result of the game will determine his response.

I do, I do. Sure I was chatting to him today, so I was! It was just a bit of craic, so it was – just seeing what’s happening. Ah, like, he was texting earlier on, he was talking about staying down on Sunday night maybe. We’ll decide about that afterwards,” he said.

Kilcar captain Paddy McBrearty also lived with the lads in the Belfast college, while Scotstown net-minder Rory Beggan was a classmate, highlighting just how close the opposition teams are.
On Sunday, none of that will matter.

Ah, me and Kieran were big [friends]. Patrick McBrearty actually lived with us as well, so we’ve good connections, so we do. And Rory Beggan was in a class with me in Jordanstown, as well,” added the 23-year-old.

“They’re good lads, but friendships will have to go out the window on Sunday I’m afraid,” he quipped.

This is the big one.
Donegal and Kilcar star Ryan McHugh was at the launch of the 2017/2018 AIB GAA Club Championships #TheToughest, the 26th year of AIB’s sponsorship of the Championships. For exclusive content and to see why AIB are backing Club and County follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and AIB.ie/GAA.

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