By Michael McMullan

FOUR Masters manager Kevin Sinclair feels Gaoth Dobhair will be a “different proposition” in this weekend’s Donegal SFC quarter-final.

Now in his third year as manager, he is not keen on the term “bonus territory” but states his side have ticked their two main boxes – winning the Division Two league and making it to the last eight of the championship.

Sinclair is also an advocate of the current championship structure. While some feel a return to the “home and away” format would improve things, he feels this format is much better.

“We’re ticking along nicely,” Sinclair said but was quick to point out that they’ve not beaten Naomh Conaill, Kilcar or St Eunan’s yet.

“I put Gaoth Dobhair back into that bracket too. We may have caught them in the hop in the first game (of the group stages).

“They mightn’t have treated it with the same respect we did. I think there’ll be a different proposition for us this weekend but it’s nice to get a rattle at one of the big guns in a quarter-final setting.”

Four Masters’ only defeat was at the hands of Glenswilly with their wins coming against Gaoth Dobhair, Ardara, Downings and Killybegs, the latter coming in the preliminary quarter-finals.

“They’re all teams in and around us, teams that we’ve been gunning for over the last couple of years but maybe weren’t good enough to get over the line against.

“This year we just have a wee bit extra. We’ve put in a lot of work these last few years in the winter.”

While much has been made about Four Masters and their underage success, Sinclair rhymes off the names of their players in their mid to late 20s.

When he took over, he knew there had to be a focus on the players in the upper ages of the squad, those settling into their lives. It was about getting them to fully commit. And they did.

“That’s been the core of us,” he said. “The young boys have come in then and added to it, which is what we wanted.

“There was no point in 18- and 19-year-olds trying to lead it. It’s too big a jump into senior football that.”

Sinclair has noticed some of their younger players getting extra attention during games. An extra shoulder charge here or the odd word in their direction. They are feeling their way into becoming senior players. There was the media attention Sinclair felt came too early “blowing up” his side.

“We beat Gaoth Dobhair and everybody had us up in the top four, in the challenge for the title,” he said.

“One swallow doesn’t make a summer. We had to back that up,” added Sinclair who felt Glenswilly’s greater experience made the difference in seeing off Four Masters.

That’s where the value in the group format comes into play. Four Masters need the games.

That’s where the development comes. It helps give young players a focus, something more than an odd championship game and they could be gone.

“We’ve got five games so far this season,” Sinclair stressed. “There’s an awful lot of players getting exposure to championship football.”