After three years away from inter-county football, Eamon Maguire is enjoying being back involved with Fermanagh having accepted an invitation from new manager Rory Gallagher in the winter to get back involved.
Maguire last played for Fermanagh in Pete McGrath’s first year in charge back in 2014 before work commitments ruled him out.
However, now back at home working, 34-year-old Maguire, who continues to shine for his club St. Pat’s, has returned and popped up with Fermanagh’s goal in the defeat to Westmeath on Sunday.
“I played under Pete McGrath in his first year but I was away working off shore and it made commitment impossible. I obviously missed it but I had good opportunities with work and I couldn’t turn it down at the time. I just had to go to wherever the work was. However, I always missed trying to get myself into shape to play at this level of football,” he said.
When the call came to go back this year, the St. Pat’s man admits that he did have a couple of concerns, not least getting up to the fitness required.
“I was a bit reluctant because of my age and the pace of the game is now savage. I started back in December and it was hard to get the fitness back up. I’m a bit older and I’ve been out of it for a few seasons so it has taken me that little bit longer to get up to speed,” he commented.
When Maguire first burst onto the scene in 2004 he was a fleet-footed half forward but he says that the game is much changed from back then.
“The intensity and the workrate that is demanded of you is serious. Sometimes it doesn’t really matter about the number on your back or your position. It’s about doing the job that you are asked to do and that isn’t always what maybe a forward used to do but that is the game now. You are expected to cover every inch of the pitch and the levels of fitness is unbelievable. When you see some of the players, some of them are in serious shape,” he said.
By the time the championship rolls around Maguire will be 35 and he knows that playing a full 70 minutes is not likely to be his role. However, he is enjoying being back involved and doing his bit for his county.
“I know it is not a 70 minute thing for me anymore, it is maybe more of a 15 minutes here or there, whatever I’m asked to do, I don’t mind. I’m just glad to be back in there and able to give a hand. I’m enjoying it,” he added.
The first slip up of the season for Fermanagh occurred last Sunday when they lost out after a Westmeath comeback and Maguire, who came on early in the second half, was disappointed with the outcome.
“It was very disappointing. We knew coming in at half time that instead of leading 0-07 to 0-02 it should have been maybe 0-10 to 0-02. Eoin Donnelly got injured and he was a massive loss for us in the second half and after Cian (McManus) got sent off we couldn’t get to grips with them in the middle of the field. They seemed to be outnumbering us and they pushed up on us and whenever they did score we couldn’t get the ball back up the field again.”
Maguire did bag a goal which put Fermanagh four ahead with just over ten minutes to go and he felt that they should have been able to see it out from that.
“It was nice to get on and get a goal and it will boost the confidence a bit. I thought though when we got the goal that we would push on and we were disappointed that we didn’t close it out. A four point gap at that stage, you would like to think that you would hold on,” he explained.
And the games don’t get any easier this weekend with league leaders Armagh the visitors to Brewster Park.
“It’s a massive game for us and maybe that loss to Westmeath is the kick that we need. This game is going to be another step up for us, they are a strong side and they are top of the league but we are just going to have to lick our wounds and go at it again. It’s a home game and hopefully we will be able to get a performance,” said Eamon.
Fermanagh will need to produce a better display than they did in the second half against Westmeath and Maguire feels that they need to be more ruthless when they get ahead of teams.
“When we do get ahead it is about being that wee bit more ruthless in front of the goals and not being happy with just going two or three points up and then letting them take the game to us. We need to keep at it and keep driving on to the very end.”
And Eamon knows that this Sunday’s clash with Kieran McGeeney’s charges has a bit more meaning than just league points.
“If we could grind out a result this weekend it would be massive for us, not only in the league, but looking further ahead to championship,  we meet them in Brewster Park again so it would also be a big mental thing,” he said.