League champions Erne Gaels get their championship campaign under way on home soil on Saturday when they take on Colm Bradley’s Belnaleck.

The Belleek outfit enter the championship full of confidence after that league win but Manager Seamus Ryder is not satisfied with that and now wants to make a real push for Championship glory.

“We parked the league when we went back to training last Wednesday night and all our focus is now on Belnaleck.

“We will take it game by game, and our first goal will be to get out of the group, but we want to win the championship, we make no bones about it – that’s our ambition and anything less than that will be disappointing,” said Ryder, who knows they face a tough group.

“We have Belnaleck and then away to Teemore, and you get nothing easy there, and then we finish with Derrygonnelly so you want to have your work done before you face them in the last game,” he added.

Art McMurroughs boss Bradley says that their first goal is to get out of the group and he feels that any team that reaches the knock-out stages will have a chance of going the whole way.

“My hope is that as a squad we do to not look too far ahead, to be honest.

“I feel anyone who gets to a quarter final is going to be dangerous and think they have a chance. We are no different, so our aim is to get out of the group, first and foremost.

“But the best way to do that is to take each game as it comes and treat it as an old-fashioned knock-out.

“We have shown over the past couple of years that we can compete, but it is up to us to push on now,” he stated.

Bradley believes that his side will be facing the current best side in the county when they travel to Belleek this Saturday, but he stresses that they will be giving it their best to return with a result.

“Erne Gaels are the best team in the county at the moment. Their record proves that.

“They are well balanced and are comfortable in what they do, and possess some excellent players.

“It is going to be a game where very few people give us a chance so we will head down to Belleek and give it our absolute best,” he added.

Ryder though is taking nothing for granted and he expects a massive test against a Belnaleck side who have Darragh McGurn back from America, and Che Cullen now home on a permanent basis.

“They are a big, physical team. You have Cullen, Conor McCauley is playing really well for them, Darragh McGurn is back from America and is a big powerful unit who is well able to take scores.

“It will be a big test,” he said.