It would have been a pleasant sight for Fermanagh fans to see Che Cullen return to the green and white jersey for competitive action in 2023.

It has been almost three years since he last donned the Erne colours, lining out in the National Football League in 2020 before Covid-19 put a halt to proceedings.

Cullen, who was travelling back from Budapest for the county, was locked down like everyone else. But now he is back and looking forward to another season with Fermanagh.

The Belnaleck defender is a massive addition to Kieran Donnelly’s squad alongside his brother, Lee, who is making his way towards match fitness.

And now, as one of the older heads in the squad, he will be someone for the younger generation to take example from.

Closer to home

Now living in Co. Leitrim, Cullen does not have the burden of travelling from Belfast, Newry or Budapest to deal with, and being closer to home he is hoping to see the benefits as he prepares for another league campaign.

Coming back into the inter-county fold after a time away, Cullen has seen a difference in how the game is played, but also in how the younger players are acquitting themselves to the rigours of top-level Gaelic games.

“Under previous management, full backs with the way we played weren’t required to run as much, but I feel like coming back now, there’s a lot more running to be done, and there’s a lot more ball playing to be done.

“There’s a lot expected of you, in terms of being able to kick a score, pick a pass into the full forward line.

“I think teams have got better at attacking as well as defending, particularly in Ulster.

“It means I can’t be just a good defender. I have to be able to play Gaelic football,” joked Cullen.

And looking at the younger players around him now, Cullen has been impressed.

“There was a game we played – I think it was the Tyrone game – where I was like the oldest player on the team, and that was a bit of a shock. Maybe Ryan Lyons was one year ahead of me.

“The young lads, they’ve brought some freshness into it, and it’s good to see them involved.

“I have to say, I don’t think I was at the same standard as they were when I was coming into my first year in Senior,” said Cullen, who can see these younger players more prepared for inter-county football these days.

For Cullen himselft, getting up to the pitch of the game came in the Dr. McKenna Cup when Fermanagh played Tyrone and Derry.

Despite two defeats, Cullen was happy with how Fermanagh performed: “Huge. The learnings we took from both Derry and Tyrone were massive. You can train all you want, but competitive games against good-quality opposition gives you a good idea of where you are at.

‘Intensity’

“That intensity that Tyrone and Derry brought was probably a good eye-opener for all of us, because Tyrone are a Division One team and Derry are a Division Two team, but Derry were in an All-Ireland semi-final last year so they are doing a lot of things right.

“And I thought we did well. I thought there’s a lot to work on, at the same time.

“I thought we all acquitted ourselves well and we got the most out of both the games.”

These learnings will be crucial going into a highly-competitive Division Three campaign, with Longford up first this Saturday.

“It is a tough division. It is a bit of a minefield but the target has to be promotion.

“We were close last year. I was watching a few of the games. We had a point disallowed against Westmeath which made it harder for us to get promotion.

“The target is promotion but at the same time you take each game as it comes. Every game is tough.

“If you look down that list of teams, there is not one team you can take for granted, and as soon as you cross the white line it is going to be a battle every time.

“But that’s what you want you want to be in a good standard. I think Division Three is the most competitive that I have ever competed in.

“But I’m looking forward to it, to be honest,” concluded Cullen.