WATCH: Don’t tell this Derry forward early season games don’t mean anything

And people say county stars don't care about these early season competitions...

Neil Forrester made his senior inter-county debut with Derry in 2012. He is dearly hoping to be involved as much as possible in 2017. If that means he has to put it all on the line in the McKenna Cup then so be it. He played in the 2012 McKenna Cup final against Tyrone and felt he did well despite victory for Mickey Harte's men. Still, he didn't get back into the Derry senior squad until 2015. He came off the bench in a championship clash with Galway and lapped over a fine point. Last January, he reflected:

"Coming on against Galway and scoring that point, I’ve not had many better feelings in my life than that."

Forrester is gunning for more in 2017. He has started the year with a bang. On Wednesday, he lined out for the Oak Leafers against Queens and scored a super 'Superman' goal. 1-6 to 0-2 up as the first half wound down, he made a great supporting run and flung himself forward to make the vital connection. The game finished 2-20 to 0-6. Forrester and Derry had their win but bigger challenges await. They're ready. They can't wait.