A fabulous year for Donegal football was rounded off in style on Friday night with three All Stars pocketed. Despite the team ethic that’s been built up within the panel it was time for some individual praise last weekend as the end of year award circuit got into full swing. Karl Lacey picked up his third All Star, making him Donegal’s most decorated winner. It’s a shame that the Four Masters man didn’t make the shortlist for the GAA/GPA Player of the Year and if it weren’t for Stephen Cluxton’s All Ireland winning free its hard to see how Lacey would have been left out.
Neil McGee picked up his first all star, decreeing him as the game’s best full back. His club mate Kevin Cassidy collected his second all star, following up his gong in 2002.
It was an impressive haul as 2011 was always going to be a difficult year to win All Stars after Dublin winning an All Ireland. Indeed, as is usual, some of the awards were questionable to say the least. For example, a deserving winner was Andy Moran of Mayo, primarily because of his performances against Michael Shields of Cork and Kerry’s Marc O’Se - two brilliant defenders, both All Star winners themselves - and Moran destroyed both of them. If Moran was rewarded for this why then did Marc O’Se receive an award when his only other meaningful games were the first half against Cork and then the All Ireland final, where his man Bernard Brogan scored four points including two wonder scores from play?
Anyway, the GAA award season is a time to reflect and it’s as good a time as any to reflect on Donegal’s 2011 adventure and indeed look ahead to 2012
(check out Donegal GAA Road To Croker 2011 on Facebook for some more memories from this year)
The dust has settled on our semi final exit and the criticism we received has died down somewhat. People are realising that while we played ultra defensive, Dublin weren’t too dissimilar and they won the All Ireland. We have to tweak, we have to develop, we have to improve but what’s certain is that we are on the right road and despite the flak levelled at him, our Messiah, our Jimmy, is the man for the job. He is without doubt one of the top coaches in the game, an obvious heir to Mickey Harte’s throne as the game’s eminent thinker. He will be scouring the league fixtures at present looking for those one or two players who can make a difference and bring the panel on further. Karl Lacey said recently that he doesn’t know how the players could improve or put in more effort but they would try anyway. That gives an indication of how hard they worked last year, now its up to Jim and Rory to find those extra few inches to bring us on.
The league fixtures were announced last week; we have a chance to challenge the Dubs again in Croke Park at the end of March while the trip to Killarney and the visit of Cork to the North West will be key barometers for the team’s early season form.
We’re back to Breffni then of course next May to defend our Ulster title and at least Michael Murphy will be returning to the Cavan venue on a happier than usual note. He banished any lingering Breffni ghosts last weekend with a last minute penalty to win a first ever Ulster club game for his club Glenswilly. On the field that shaped the young maestro as much as any - the U21 penalty heartache, the red card this Summer - he truly delivered; his club were two points down and awarded a last minute do-or-die penalty, and he nailed it!
His year in a Donegal jersey ended on a somewhat low note with his deep lying role against Dublin where we didn’t see the best of him, indeed this may have cost him an All Star. Now he has an Ulster quarter final to look forward to, that is of course after he returns from Australia where he represents his country along with Karl Lacey and Neil McGee.
What is frightening, for other teams anyway, is that he didn’t play at his best in the championship yet he was still fantastic – the pivotal figure against Tyrone setting up both goals, wonderful against Derry and majestic against Kildare.
The moments of the year…..
Remembering Michaela
Just being present at the McKenna Cup game with Tyrone, the county’s first since the passing of Michaela McAreavey, was an honour. A remarkable girl and a true Gael, her death touched everyone in the GAA community and to be able stand side by side with Tyrone men and women to pay our respects and remember her was a fitting reminder of the camaraderie and friendship that makes Cumann Luthchleas Gael the organisation it is.
Leo the Lion
Tyrone again, and this time the league fixture at Healy Park and the display given by Leo McLoone. The Glenties boy was immense, scoring two points from centre back and his marker, the great Sean Cavanagh had no influence on proceedings. Two sickenening injuries curtailed the rest of Leo's year but it'll be like having a new player when he's back fully fit in 2012.
This game was significant because it gave Donegal that extra belief - going to Omagh and playing Tyrone off the field. The seeds of the Division Two title win were sown here.
Michael’s March
The team produced one his best performances of the year against Meath in early March and Michael Murphy stole the show with four exquisite points from play. Four times he got the ball near the left touchline and four times he sailed the ball over the bar, two of them from virtually the 45-metre line.
A week later he scored the goal of the year. As often happens to Michael these days he was being double marked but it made little difference. One marker in front, one behind and a long ball was sent his way - he plucked it out of the sky and in one pirouette landed and swivelled and headed for goal. One solo and bang!
The Block
Donegal started the Ulster Semi Final against Tyrone poorly and we looked to be out of our depth early on - were we ready to take on one of the game’s superpowers? We got a couple of points on the board and began to find our feet. Anthony Thompson forayed up field but gave the ball away needlessly with a stray pass; Stephen O’Neill receives the ball, dodges and weaves his way through the Tir Conaill rearguard and finds a yard of space. Just as he pulls the trigger, having tracked back following his error, Thompson throws himself at the shot and crucially blocks it. The ball is worked back up the field with Kevin Cassidy scoring a trademark wonder point and Donegal never looked back.
That Pick Up
The game that took on a life of its own - anyone privileged to be there will not forget this in a hurry. After ninety absorbing minutes, lungs searching desperately for air, bodies hoping for an ounce of energy from somewhere and the stands at Croke Park fraught with tension the coolest man in the stadium is Michael Murphy. Christy Toye played a ball down his channel and despite his dodgy hamstring Murphy outpaced two Kildare defenders to get to it - they‘re not far behind though. In such a situation all the traditional training manuals would say one simple thing - bend your back! But with incredible awareness and the presence of mind that only the true geniuses possess Michael instead, realising he would be immediately swamped by the two Lilywhite men, dinks the ball up while at the same time muscling a defender away. That little microsecond of thought allowed Donegal to work some space, the ball found its way to Kevin Cassidy who didn’t need a second invitation to shoot - cue euphoria.
Just thinking back over all these really whets the appetite for next year. Can we get back to where we were? Can we go that extra step? For now lets hope the boys winter well, top up their hunger and appetite and we’ll see them for a cold, wet night in January when its back to the bread and butter of McKenna Cup action. That’ll be the start of our 2012 journey, who knows where it’ll end…..
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Our journey is over…for now
A year that started with University of Ulster Jordanstown visiting MacCumhaill Park in front of a few hundred hardy souls ended yesterday with 81,436 fans packed into Headquarters. We’ve had quite a journey in between and despite the agony of falling at the penultimate hurdle, the first year of The Messiah in charge has been brilliant for Donegal football.
17 games: 11 wins - 2 draws - 4 defeats culminating in two trophies for Tir Chonaill.
Yesterday raised the ire of most commentators and they are fully justified after what we saw at Croke Park. An ugly spectacle right from the off, this isn’t what we have in mind when we think of the big championship summer days. While some don’t agree with Jim McGuinness, it is understandable why he feels it necessary to adopt these tactics. He wants to win and he feels Donegal wont do so against the big boys by playing orthodox football. In truth if tactics and systems and the like weren’t such a feature of the modern game could anyone outside of Kerry, Cork and Dublin actually win the All-Ireland? Everyone is entitled to their opinion and philosophy and this is Jim’s - he’s the man at the helm so we will back him.
This team though have played most teams they’ve met off the park, both in terms of defence and offence. It is against the top bracket of teams that we have yet to figure out how to play the defensive system while still scoring enough to win. And you can be sure that Jim has ideas as to how to develop his team’s play to challenge the top table.
The portents of doom in the media believe that other teams will copy the McGuinness model but it isn’t as straight forward as many make out; it’s not simply a case of get everyone behind the ball and you’ll win games. The level of fitness required to play the system is phenomenal, and that doesn’t just happen with a decent pre-season. For a team to adopt this style of play they have to make a huge commitment and make sure they get into the required shape. That’s why not just any team can play this way, you have to commit to it 100%.
Take Laois for example. Both ourselves and Laois got promoted from Division Two and contested the league final back in April. Justin McNulty’s style of play and new found work ethic and fitness regime had many people considering Laois as a dark horse for the summer following the early rounds of the league. However after the heights they reached in beating Derry and Donegal in the group phase their season didn’t amount to much. This would suggest that they didn’t do the required work in the depths of winter and perhaps McNulty didn’t have the total dedication and buy-in of the players like Jim does.
It is easy for purists and pundits to give out about Donegal; these same people criticised us over the years for being party animals and free spirits with no backbone and no pride in the jersey. People also have to appreciate that we are not like Kerry who have four or five top class forwards who can win games on their own.
We do though have two of the game’s eminent stars in Messieurs Murphy and Lacey and the team is built around them. The latter’s knee injury yesterday prevented one of his customary tour de force displays and when he went off with half an hour to go we fell apart.
Michael did not have a good day at the office. The pressure on him is immense and while like any star he thrives on this pressure and responsibility, it can affect his performance if he is asked to take on a central playmaking role. If the opposition stop Murphy dictating, they can stop Donegal. Yesterday playing at centre forward pretty much everything was going to have to go through him if we were to put up a match winning score. Things didn’t really go for him – handling errors, turnovers and bad decisions; indeed he was lucky to stay on the field after an early incident with Rory O’Carroll. Yet for all his genius and magical moments he’s given us this year and previously, we have to remember he’s just 22 years old. There’s plenty more to come from Michael, let’s just be glad he’s a Donegal man.
Again you can see where the manager is coming from though on playing Murphy deep. You want your best players on the ball, involved in the game as much as possible. Yesterday Dublin left three defenders back to mark Colm McFadden; if Murphy was also alongside him they would have had a couple more back there. Long ball being kicked into him would have missed its target more times than it would have hit. So by bringing him out the field at least he is getting on the ball and having an impact. This ploy has worked on occasions this year, other times it hasn’t - unfortunately yesterday was the latter.
McFadden had the lonely role of Donegal’s sole forward yesterday and for the most part did very well, a few spilt balls apart. Without having direct experience of it it is hard to imagine how someone can play football and win the ball when there are three opposition defenders around you at all times. He coped well though and could have won the game had his shot after half time gone under rather than over the bar. Paddy McGrath, Ryan Bradley and Neil McGee were the other standouts yesterday - all have had fine seasons.
One major disappointment yesterday was that none of our substitutions had much of an impact. We have a strong squad with genuine depth and quality, which we didn’t have in recent years but it didn’t show yesterday. It was strange that neither Dermot Molloy nor Leo McLoone saw any action. Christy Toye’s replacement was no surprise – it’s just so difficult for a ball player like him to thread passes through to the scoring zone when there are so many bodies in the way and maybe starting him wasn’t the right call.
Our two most defensive orientated performances in this year's championship, and probably our two poorest, have been against Tyrone and Dublin. In between these were the excellent displays against Derry and Kildare, the common denominator – Murphy played at full forward. Had he been 100% fit against Kildare he may well have played a deeper role but with his hamstring trouble he had to stay close to goal. The challenge now for McGuinness is developing what is a sound defensive system into a more all round game plan and trying to extract even more from our talisman.
We have all the individual pieces of the jigsaw – putting them all together on the one day is the tricky bit. We have shown superb defensive displays, most notably against Tyrone (both league and championship) and Dublin. We’ve produced brilliant attacking play against Derry (again both league and championship) and Meath. We’ve ground out wins and draws when we had no right to against Kildare and Sligo. Our fitness is exceptional, work ethic and commitment as good as it’s ever been. Playing in Division One next year will help the team enormously in developing their play and trying to make it work against the likes of Dublin and Kerry.
The ultimate aim for any manager is to strike the perfect balance between defence and attack. Jim’s approach to this has been to set up a defensive system and try to blend in the natural ability Donegal has possessed for years rather than blending in defence to the ability. Without any doubt Donegal are a better team with The Messiah at the helm and each and every player in the squad has improved numerous aspects of their game – most notably fitness, attitude and honesty of effort. With the rugby world cup on the horizon, lyrics from one of the sport’s most famous anthems captures what the players have achieved this year….
Just to be the best I can, that’s the goal of every man
If I win, lose or draw, it’s a victory for all
Every member of the panel to a man has definitely reached this goal; indeed when the All Star awards are handed out in November there’ll be a number of Donegal players in the running. Add to that a Division Two title, the famine-ending Anglo Celt triumph and the never to be forgotten epic with Kildare - we’ve had a great season. One trophy eluded us but we are now firmly in the top four or five teams in the country and bringing Sam back to the hills under The Messiah’s tenure is a realistic ambition - don’t stop believin.
Before all that gets going again though it’ll be back to Ballybofey on freezing winter nights in January for the McKenna Cup – can’t wait!
17 games: 11 wins - 2 draws - 4 defeats culminating in two trophies for Tir Chonaill.
Yesterday raised the ire of most commentators and they are fully justified after what we saw at Croke Park. An ugly spectacle right from the off, this isn’t what we have in mind when we think of the big championship summer days. While some don’t agree with Jim McGuinness, it is understandable why he feels it necessary to adopt these tactics. He wants to win and he feels Donegal wont do so against the big boys by playing orthodox football. In truth if tactics and systems and the like weren’t such a feature of the modern game could anyone outside of Kerry, Cork and Dublin actually win the All-Ireland? Everyone is entitled to their opinion and philosophy and this is Jim’s - he’s the man at the helm so we will back him.
This team though have played most teams they’ve met off the park, both in terms of defence and offence. It is against the top bracket of teams that we have yet to figure out how to play the defensive system while still scoring enough to win. And you can be sure that Jim has ideas as to how to develop his team’s play to challenge the top table.
The portents of doom in the media believe that other teams will copy the McGuinness model but it isn’t as straight forward as many make out; it’s not simply a case of get everyone behind the ball and you’ll win games. The level of fitness required to play the system is phenomenal, and that doesn’t just happen with a decent pre-season. For a team to adopt this style of play they have to make a huge commitment and make sure they get into the required shape. That’s why not just any team can play this way, you have to commit to it 100%.
Take Laois for example. Both ourselves and Laois got promoted from Division Two and contested the league final back in April. Justin McNulty’s style of play and new found work ethic and fitness regime had many people considering Laois as a dark horse for the summer following the early rounds of the league. However after the heights they reached in beating Derry and Donegal in the group phase their season didn’t amount to much. This would suggest that they didn’t do the required work in the depths of winter and perhaps McNulty didn’t have the total dedication and buy-in of the players like Jim does.
It is easy for purists and pundits to give out about Donegal; these same people criticised us over the years for being party animals and free spirits with no backbone and no pride in the jersey. People also have to appreciate that we are not like Kerry who have four or five top class forwards who can win games on their own.
We do though have two of the game’s eminent stars in Messieurs Murphy and Lacey and the team is built around them. The latter’s knee injury yesterday prevented one of his customary tour de force displays and when he went off with half an hour to go we fell apart.
Michael did not have a good day at the office. The pressure on him is immense and while like any star he thrives on this pressure and responsibility, it can affect his performance if he is asked to take on a central playmaking role. If the opposition stop Murphy dictating, they can stop Donegal. Yesterday playing at centre forward pretty much everything was going to have to go through him if we were to put up a match winning score. Things didn’t really go for him – handling errors, turnovers and bad decisions; indeed he was lucky to stay on the field after an early incident with Rory O’Carroll. Yet for all his genius and magical moments he’s given us this year and previously, we have to remember he’s just 22 years old. There’s plenty more to come from Michael, let’s just be glad he’s a Donegal man.
Again you can see where the manager is coming from though on playing Murphy deep. You want your best players on the ball, involved in the game as much as possible. Yesterday Dublin left three defenders back to mark Colm McFadden; if Murphy was also alongside him they would have had a couple more back there. Long ball being kicked into him would have missed its target more times than it would have hit. So by bringing him out the field at least he is getting on the ball and having an impact. This ploy has worked on occasions this year, other times it hasn’t - unfortunately yesterday was the latter.
McFadden had the lonely role of Donegal’s sole forward yesterday and for the most part did very well, a few spilt balls apart. Without having direct experience of it it is hard to imagine how someone can play football and win the ball when there are three opposition defenders around you at all times. He coped well though and could have won the game had his shot after half time gone under rather than over the bar. Paddy McGrath, Ryan Bradley and Neil McGee were the other standouts yesterday - all have had fine seasons.
One major disappointment yesterday was that none of our substitutions had much of an impact. We have a strong squad with genuine depth and quality, which we didn’t have in recent years but it didn’t show yesterday. It was strange that neither Dermot Molloy nor Leo McLoone saw any action. Christy Toye’s replacement was no surprise – it’s just so difficult for a ball player like him to thread passes through to the scoring zone when there are so many bodies in the way and maybe starting him wasn’t the right call.
Our two most defensive orientated performances in this year's championship, and probably our two poorest, have been against Tyrone and Dublin. In between these were the excellent displays against Derry and Kildare, the common denominator – Murphy played at full forward. Had he been 100% fit against Kildare he may well have played a deeper role but with his hamstring trouble he had to stay close to goal. The challenge now for McGuinness is developing what is a sound defensive system into a more all round game plan and trying to extract even more from our talisman.
We have all the individual pieces of the jigsaw – putting them all together on the one day is the tricky bit. We have shown superb defensive displays, most notably against Tyrone (both league and championship) and Dublin. We’ve produced brilliant attacking play against Derry (again both league and championship) and Meath. We’ve ground out wins and draws when we had no right to against Kildare and Sligo. Our fitness is exceptional, work ethic and commitment as good as it’s ever been. Playing in Division One next year will help the team enormously in developing their play and trying to make it work against the likes of Dublin and Kerry.
The ultimate aim for any manager is to strike the perfect balance between defence and attack. Jim’s approach to this has been to set up a defensive system and try to blend in the natural ability Donegal has possessed for years rather than blending in defence to the ability. Without any doubt Donegal are a better team with The Messiah at the helm and each and every player in the squad has improved numerous aspects of their game – most notably fitness, attitude and honesty of effort. With the rugby world cup on the horizon, lyrics from one of the sport’s most famous anthems captures what the players have achieved this year….
Just to be the best I can, that’s the goal of every man
If I win, lose or draw, it’s a victory for all
Every member of the panel to a man has definitely reached this goal; indeed when the All Star awards are handed out in November there’ll be a number of Donegal players in the running. Add to that a Division Two title, the famine-ending Anglo Celt triumph and the never to be forgotten epic with Kildare - we’ve had a great season. One trophy eluded us but we are now firmly in the top four or five teams in the country and bringing Sam back to the hills under The Messiah’s tenure is a realistic ambition - don’t stop believin.
Before all that gets going again though it’ll be back to Ballybofey on freezing winter nights in January for the McKenna Cup – can’t wait!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Ar aghaidh linn!
How the hell did we pull that one out of the fire?!
An incredible finish, a thrilling climax at Croke Park and Dún na nGall have a semi final to get ready for, a first for eight years. To win a game like that in those circumstances is amazing, to put the emotions into words near impossible.
The big news all week was the state of talisman Michael Murphy’s hamstring and rumours that he wouldn’t make the starting fifteen proved to be true. We didn’t know for sure until after the national anthem and as the team got together for their final huddle, Murphy jogged away quietly and took his seat in the Hogan stand, with David Walsh coming onto the field. It was an interesting piece of psychology by the management team and set the tone for a battle of minds with Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney.
Michael presumably sat out training during the week and even though he wasn’t moving as freely as usual when he came on he still produced a fantastic display. His dink pick up along the sideline in the build up to the winning point had the usual mark of Murphy class stamped all over it. Just a few minutes before that his 50-yard free was remarkable. It was a long way out in any case but to get the distance, and of course the accuracy, was outstanding considering his injured hamstring. He now has four weeks to get right for the semi and hopefully the seventy minutes he ended up playing didn’t do any further damage.
Murphy’s partner in crime, Colm McFadden, had his worst day of the year. He didn’t really get into the game, and indeed there were rumours of an injury to him during the week’s build up as well. To have your two best attackers nowhere near their best and to still win was quite an achievement. It was up to other men to step up to the plate and be counted and that’s exactly what happened.
Christy Toye, who hadn’t donned a Donegal jersey in two years, slotted seamlessly back into inter county action, taking his goal wonderfully and a fine equaliser in extra time. He’s been here before of course, scoring great Croke Park goals against Meath and Armagh and he hasn’t lost any of his finishing ability.
Another man back from the wilderness was Eamonn McGee, replacing Paddy McGrath, another hamstring victim in the lead up to the game. Again he fitted in as if he was never gone and it gives an indication as to how well conditioned the entire squad is. Playing to such a specified system also makes it easier for a player to step in because he knows his job and these boys will do whatever they can for their leader Jim.
Eamonn’s younger brother Neil put in another imperious display, as he has been doing all year. Indeed since his joust with Paddy Bradley in 2008, where the Derry sharp shooter scored 0-10 points, McGee seems a different player. He was taught a harsh lesson that day and has improved immeasurably since and it could all culminate in an All Star award this year.
Even McGee though was outshone on the day by the great Karl Lacey. A double All Star, soon to be triple, and the way he’s played all year could see him in the shake up for the Player of the Year gong. The amount of turnovers he wins, his composure on the ball, his fitness all add up to make him a top class player. Donegal had gone three points down approaching half time in extra time and it was Lacey who scored the point just before the whistle that kept us in the game.
Geezer had his Kildare side set up well and had countered a lot of Donegal’s threats. We were wiped out in midfield, Paul Durcan’s kick outs were largely straight up the middle as his normal arrowed kicks, which have worked so well in games up to now, weren’t working as the white jerseys had the options covered.
But for all the talk of tactics, blankets and systems the last ten minutes was all about heart and belief. Four fantastic scores in ten minutes from Murphy, Toye and then the winner from the hero Kevin Cassidy. He showed great leadership and guts to even take it on, having missed an easier one off his left moments earlier. It was a monster of a point and it was a fitting score to win what was an almighty battle.
Saturday nights sitting in the wind and rain of MacCumhaill Park makes these days in Croke Park all the sweeter. Headquarters will be thronged with Donegal people for the semi final; others will watch from all parts of the world, as they did on Saturday. From Termon to Thailand, Dungloe to Dubai, Donegal people are starting to get that feeling - it’s been building steadily, The Messiah has led us to the last four and the bid for Sam is on.
So many things have changed in Donegal football since Crossmaglen last year but perhaps the biggest difference is the mental attitude of the players. All-Ireland champions Cork lost their heads yesterday when chasing the game against Mayo.
Donegal on the other hand kept theirs, kept playing football……kept believing.
Sure isn’t that what its all about.
An incredible finish, a thrilling climax at Croke Park and Dún na nGall have a semi final to get ready for, a first for eight years. To win a game like that in those circumstances is amazing, to put the emotions into words near impossible.
The big news all week was the state of talisman Michael Murphy’s hamstring and rumours that he wouldn’t make the starting fifteen proved to be true. We didn’t know for sure until after the national anthem and as the team got together for their final huddle, Murphy jogged away quietly and took his seat in the Hogan stand, with David Walsh coming onto the field. It was an interesting piece of psychology by the management team and set the tone for a battle of minds with Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney.
Michael presumably sat out training during the week and even though he wasn’t moving as freely as usual when he came on he still produced a fantastic display. His dink pick up along the sideline in the build up to the winning point had the usual mark of Murphy class stamped all over it. Just a few minutes before that his 50-yard free was remarkable. It was a long way out in any case but to get the distance, and of course the accuracy, was outstanding considering his injured hamstring. He now has four weeks to get right for the semi and hopefully the seventy minutes he ended up playing didn’t do any further damage.
Murphy’s partner in crime, Colm McFadden, had his worst day of the year. He didn’t really get into the game, and indeed there were rumours of an injury to him during the week’s build up as well. To have your two best attackers nowhere near their best and to still win was quite an achievement. It was up to other men to step up to the plate and be counted and that’s exactly what happened.
Christy Toye, who hadn’t donned a Donegal jersey in two years, slotted seamlessly back into inter county action, taking his goal wonderfully and a fine equaliser in extra time. He’s been here before of course, scoring great Croke Park goals against Meath and Armagh and he hasn’t lost any of his finishing ability.
Another man back from the wilderness was Eamonn McGee, replacing Paddy McGrath, another hamstring victim in the lead up to the game. Again he fitted in as if he was never gone and it gives an indication as to how well conditioned the entire squad is. Playing to such a specified system also makes it easier for a player to step in because he knows his job and these boys will do whatever they can for their leader Jim.
Eamonn’s younger brother Neil put in another imperious display, as he has been doing all year. Indeed since his joust with Paddy Bradley in 2008, where the Derry sharp shooter scored 0-10 points, McGee seems a different player. He was taught a harsh lesson that day and has improved immeasurably since and it could all culminate in an All Star award this year.
Even McGee though was outshone on the day by the great Karl Lacey. A double All Star, soon to be triple, and the way he’s played all year could see him in the shake up for the Player of the Year gong. The amount of turnovers he wins, his composure on the ball, his fitness all add up to make him a top class player. Donegal had gone three points down approaching half time in extra time and it was Lacey who scored the point just before the whistle that kept us in the game.
Geezer had his Kildare side set up well and had countered a lot of Donegal’s threats. We were wiped out in midfield, Paul Durcan’s kick outs were largely straight up the middle as his normal arrowed kicks, which have worked so well in games up to now, weren’t working as the white jerseys had the options covered.
But for all the talk of tactics, blankets and systems the last ten minutes was all about heart and belief. Four fantastic scores in ten minutes from Murphy, Toye and then the winner from the hero Kevin Cassidy. He showed great leadership and guts to even take it on, having missed an easier one off his left moments earlier. It was a monster of a point and it was a fitting score to win what was an almighty battle.
Saturday nights sitting in the wind and rain of MacCumhaill Park makes these days in Croke Park all the sweeter. Headquarters will be thronged with Donegal people for the semi final; others will watch from all parts of the world, as they did on Saturday. From Termon to Thailand, Dungloe to Dubai, Donegal people are starting to get that feeling - it’s been building steadily, The Messiah has led us to the last four and the bid for Sam is on.
So many things have changed in Donegal football since Crossmaglen last year but perhaps the biggest difference is the mental attitude of the players. All-Ireland champions Cork lost their heads yesterday when chasing the game against Mayo.
Donegal on the other hand kept theirs, kept playing football……kept believing.
Sure isn’t that what its all about.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Dún na nGall return to Ulster's summit
This is what it feels like - sheer elation, pride and satisfaction at a job well done. Nineteen long years were quickly forgotten about yesterday in a wave of emotion on the St Tiernach’s Park turf in Clones.
Being amongst thousands of Donegal fans pouring onto the pitch to greet our heroes and seeing the joyous expressions on every face was very special. Great to see a good old fashioned GAA pitch invasion - who says provincial championships don’t matter.
Let there be no doubt, Donegal played a terrific game yesterday and were well worth their six-point winning margin. Every man played with passion and heart not seen from Donegal jerseys in a number of years.
And its all down to one man, The Messiah himself, Jim McGuinness.
He has taken largely the same group of players who looked like an underage team of misfits in Crossmaglen last year and transformed them into one of the fittest teams in the country. And this team can play football.
Their bottle had been called into question numerous times and even leading up to the game some felt that it would be the same old story and the expectation would be too much. This was must win, simple as.
Even amidst the enormity of the occasion Jim seemed relaxed - determined that his boys would do the job. An insight into his state of mind was seen early on; as he patrolled the sideline a few minutes after throw in, despite all the pressure, he still had the grace and poise to shake hands to some members of the Cavan minor team as they made their way into the stand following their victory in the minor final.
Back to matters on the field and the midfield battle was going to be key; if Donegal could hold parity they had a great chance. Kevin Rafferty’s injury meant a first start of the year for Neil Gallagher and a chance to regain the midfield berth that he has held for the last few years - and boy did he take it. The big Glenswilly man was immense. He caught some wonderful ball, winning crucial primary possession and setting up a number of attacks with that nonchalant foot pass style he employs. Joe Diver was fantastic for Derry but Gallagher held his own in a confident performance.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Donegal winning display without the efforts of Neil’s clubmate - the inspiration, the leader, the virtuoso that is Michael Murphy. Much of the pre-match previews in the press centred on the defensive style the team play, and one particular gripe was the fact that one of the game’s foremost talents is asked to play in a deep lying role. Jimmy trumped most commentators and indeed his opposite number John Brennan by stationing Michael on the edge of the square for almost the entire 70 minutes. He came deep for two or three kick outs but by and large he stayed in the No 14 spot and Derry had no answer. As had happened in the league game at Celtic Park different markers were used to try and negate Murphy but to no avail; he was outstanding. On almost every occasion he was well out in front and whether he shot himself or laid off ball to Colm McFadden or Michael Hegarty he had a hand in 1-6 of Donegal’s 1-11 total.
The rapport he has built up with McFadden is a joy to behold. Whichever of the pair receives the ball the other knows instinctively where to be to collect a tap down or a hand pass. Similar to McDonnell and Clarke in their pomp, or Canavan and Mulligan, they’re a devastating double act for any defence to deal with and indeed no-one has yet deciphered a way of dealing with them.
McFadden spoke during the week of his new found love of turnovers; always noted for his gracious style and classy point taking he was never known for what we saw yesterday. In the second half he ran 100 yards down the field to win back the ball and that type of endeavour was on show all day long. To see a man in your county colours bursting a gut in order to win back possession, block a ball or make a tackle fills you with huge pride; the purists may baulk at it but these same people would be the first to give out if a forward, or anyone for that matter, was idling about lazily and not trying.
Murphy was involved in the game’s key score early in the second half and once again the character of the man was there for all to see. As I’ve harped on about numerous times before, that fateful night last May in Breffni Park - that penalty, that crossbar - was a defining moment for Donegal football. Despite the anguish and pain felt by fans that night it has led to a bond between captain and manager; they have unfinished business to atone for that ball cannoning off the crossbar.
And yesterday was another chance to do it. Michael Murphy - Donegal - Final - Penalty. It was never going anywhere but the back of the net.
He had to wait about two and a half minutes between the award and actually striking the ball but he showed great composure in first stepping away from it all and then waiting for the referee to tell the Derry net minder to retreat before placing the ball. And then, Bang. Donegal a goal to the good and in Murphy’s reaction afterwards, in burying the ghost of Breffni, you can see that it was our day.
The maestro now has won minor, U21 and senior provincial titles, the latter two as captain. After that it was a procession, scores came thick and fast and some of them put paid to any suggestion that this team are robotic defensive incarnations.
Hegarty battled with Anthony Thompson for the man of the match gong, who put in an all action display. After a couple of early wides, Thompson steadied the ship with a burst forward and neat finish and he repeated the trick soon after for his second. At the other end of the pitch he threw himself into tackles, won the dirty ball and along with the other defenders put Derry under huge pressure.
Everyone was hungry for the ball, the afore mentioned Kilcar man in particular winning ball he had no right to as Derry tried in vain to launch attacks. He also scored two fine points, the second of which led to Jimmy finally releasing the emotion of the day, letting out a huge roar on the sideline and looking towards the Donegal faithful in the Gerry Arthur stand. He thumped the chest of his number two Rory Gallagher and they knew it was job done. Gallagher has been a crucial part of the setup this year and his reputation as one the game's leading young coaches has been displayed for all to see.
To see Hegarty and others who have soldiered in the jersey for many years with no provincial honours finally getting their hands on the Anglo-Celt warmed the heart. Of course plenty others have come and gone to no avail and victories like yesterday are also for the Sweeneys, Devenneys, Gildeas, Divers, Monaghans, Ropers (and indeed McGuinness himself) who never got their just rewards.
With the contest settled we were able to savour the last few minutes and you could sense the delight of the players as they passed the ball around to each other. The hard slog of winter is worth it for days like this. And it was a hard slog. Donegal simply did not have the fitness levels required to compete at this level in years gone by. After twenty minutes in Crossmaglen last year they were out on their feet. In extra time against Down in Ballybofey it was the visitors who kicked on and drove home for the win with nothing left in the Donegal tank.
The footballing ability in Donegal has never been in question, a steady conveyor belt of talented players has developed good teams but we needed someone to get more out of them. That someone arrived in the shape of The Messiah last year, after the U21 success it had to be him for the senior job. That he has delivered a long awaited Ulster title in his first year is nothing short of remarkable. Watching the first league game of the year against Sligo, fans felt that mid table in Division Two wouldn’t be a bad return but after the Tyrone victory in Omagh we felt maybe our targets could be set a little higher.
There’s more to come though, be it this year or not. Joe Kernan and Mickey Harte won Ulster titles in their maiden years at the helm, they also went on to meet a certain Corkman in September of those years of 2002 and 2003. Whether Donegal are at that level yet remains to be seen; for now we’ll savour the moment and rejoice at what The Messiah has done for the county. Thank you Jim.
Being amongst thousands of Donegal fans pouring onto the pitch to greet our heroes and seeing the joyous expressions on every face was very special. Great to see a good old fashioned GAA pitch invasion - who says provincial championships don’t matter.
Let there be no doubt, Donegal played a terrific game yesterday and were well worth their six-point winning margin. Every man played with passion and heart not seen from Donegal jerseys in a number of years.
And its all down to one man, The Messiah himself, Jim McGuinness.
He has taken largely the same group of players who looked like an underage team of misfits in Crossmaglen last year and transformed them into one of the fittest teams in the country. And this team can play football.
Their bottle had been called into question numerous times and even leading up to the game some felt that it would be the same old story and the expectation would be too much. This was must win, simple as.
Even amidst the enormity of the occasion Jim seemed relaxed - determined that his boys would do the job. An insight into his state of mind was seen early on; as he patrolled the sideline a few minutes after throw in, despite all the pressure, he still had the grace and poise to shake hands to some members of the Cavan minor team as they made their way into the stand following their victory in the minor final.
Back to matters on the field and the midfield battle was going to be key; if Donegal could hold parity they had a great chance. Kevin Rafferty’s injury meant a first start of the year for Neil Gallagher and a chance to regain the midfield berth that he has held for the last few years - and boy did he take it. The big Glenswilly man was immense. He caught some wonderful ball, winning crucial primary possession and setting up a number of attacks with that nonchalant foot pass style he employs. Joe Diver was fantastic for Derry but Gallagher held his own in a confident performance.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Donegal winning display without the efforts of Neil’s clubmate - the inspiration, the leader, the virtuoso that is Michael Murphy. Much of the pre-match previews in the press centred on the defensive style the team play, and one particular gripe was the fact that one of the game’s foremost talents is asked to play in a deep lying role. Jimmy trumped most commentators and indeed his opposite number John Brennan by stationing Michael on the edge of the square for almost the entire 70 minutes. He came deep for two or three kick outs but by and large he stayed in the No 14 spot and Derry had no answer. As had happened in the league game at Celtic Park different markers were used to try and negate Murphy but to no avail; he was outstanding. On almost every occasion he was well out in front and whether he shot himself or laid off ball to Colm McFadden or Michael Hegarty he had a hand in 1-6 of Donegal’s 1-11 total.
The rapport he has built up with McFadden is a joy to behold. Whichever of the pair receives the ball the other knows instinctively where to be to collect a tap down or a hand pass. Similar to McDonnell and Clarke in their pomp, or Canavan and Mulligan, they’re a devastating double act for any defence to deal with and indeed no-one has yet deciphered a way of dealing with them.
McFadden spoke during the week of his new found love of turnovers; always noted for his gracious style and classy point taking he was never known for what we saw yesterday. In the second half he ran 100 yards down the field to win back the ball and that type of endeavour was on show all day long. To see a man in your county colours bursting a gut in order to win back possession, block a ball or make a tackle fills you with huge pride; the purists may baulk at it but these same people would be the first to give out if a forward, or anyone for that matter, was idling about lazily and not trying.
Murphy was involved in the game’s key score early in the second half and once again the character of the man was there for all to see. As I’ve harped on about numerous times before, that fateful night last May in Breffni Park - that penalty, that crossbar - was a defining moment for Donegal football. Despite the anguish and pain felt by fans that night it has led to a bond between captain and manager; they have unfinished business to atone for that ball cannoning off the crossbar.
And yesterday was another chance to do it. Michael Murphy - Donegal - Final - Penalty. It was never going anywhere but the back of the net.
He had to wait about two and a half minutes between the award and actually striking the ball but he showed great composure in first stepping away from it all and then waiting for the referee to tell the Derry net minder to retreat before placing the ball. And then, Bang. Donegal a goal to the good and in Murphy’s reaction afterwards, in burying the ghost of Breffni, you can see that it was our day.
The maestro now has won minor, U21 and senior provincial titles, the latter two as captain. After that it was a procession, scores came thick and fast and some of them put paid to any suggestion that this team are robotic defensive incarnations.
Hegarty battled with Anthony Thompson for the man of the match gong, who put in an all action display. After a couple of early wides, Thompson steadied the ship with a burst forward and neat finish and he repeated the trick soon after for his second. At the other end of the pitch he threw himself into tackles, won the dirty ball and along with the other defenders put Derry under huge pressure.
Everyone was hungry for the ball, the afore mentioned Kilcar man in particular winning ball he had no right to as Derry tried in vain to launch attacks. He also scored two fine points, the second of which led to Jimmy finally releasing the emotion of the day, letting out a huge roar on the sideline and looking towards the Donegal faithful in the Gerry Arthur stand. He thumped the chest of his number two Rory Gallagher and they knew it was job done. Gallagher has been a crucial part of the setup this year and his reputation as one the game's leading young coaches has been displayed for all to see.
To see Hegarty and others who have soldiered in the jersey for many years with no provincial honours finally getting their hands on the Anglo-Celt warmed the heart. Of course plenty others have come and gone to no avail and victories like yesterday are also for the Sweeneys, Devenneys, Gildeas, Divers, Monaghans, Ropers (and indeed McGuinness himself) who never got their just rewards.
With the contest settled we were able to savour the last few minutes and you could sense the delight of the players as they passed the ball around to each other. The hard slog of winter is worth it for days like this. And it was a hard slog. Donegal simply did not have the fitness levels required to compete at this level in years gone by. After twenty minutes in Crossmaglen last year they were out on their feet. In extra time against Down in Ballybofey it was the visitors who kicked on and drove home for the win with nothing left in the Donegal tank.
The footballing ability in Donegal has never been in question, a steady conveyor belt of talented players has developed good teams but we needed someone to get more out of them. That someone arrived in the shape of The Messiah last year, after the U21 success it had to be him for the senior job. That he has delivered a long awaited Ulster title in his first year is nothing short of remarkable. Watching the first league game of the year against Sligo, fans felt that mid table in Division Two wouldn’t be a bad return but after the Tyrone victory in Omagh we felt maybe our targets could be set a little higher.
There’s more to come though, be it this year or not. Joe Kernan and Mickey Harte won Ulster titles in their maiden years at the helm, they also went on to meet a certain Corkman in September of those years of 2002 and 2003. Whether Donegal are at that level yet remains to be seen; for now we’ll savour the moment and rejoice at what The Messiah has done for the county. Thank you Jim.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Believe
Believe. Believe. Believe. That’s the key word from proceedings in Clones today.
We’re into a first Ulster Final for five years, a huge achievement for The Messiah in his debut season.
His management has come in for sharp criticism due to the style of play he has the lads playing but today should be a day to marvel at what he has done to the mindset and attitude of Donegal football.
The boys looked very nervous to begin with and didn’t burst out of the blocks as they would have liked. Tyrone did however and looked like they were going to put on a master class as they did in the 2007 contest. They were powering through Donegal, Sean Cavanagh and Philip Jordan particularly impressive.
They raced into a 0-6 0-1 lead and it could have been an awful lot more.
One critical sequence of play in the first half proved to be hugely decisive….
With Donegal desperate to peg back some of the lead before half time they made a great attack up field, and Anthony Thompson was in possession. With options left and right he hesitated and kicked the ball straight to a Red Hand. Tyrone quickly broke, the ball made its way to Stephen O’Neill who sidestepped inside onto his trusty left boot. Just as he was about to pull the trigger who else but Thompson, after making up 100 yards following his mistake, threw himself at the shot and got in a wonderful block. The ball was worked up the other end of the field where Kevin Cassidy hit a monster of a score from near the touchline.
A goal concession at that stage would have made the gap that bit too much but having being totally outplayed it was just a two point deficit at the break. Tyrone had kicked some bad wides and Donegal knew as they listened to the words of Jim and Rory at half time that they had been given a lifeline and they had to make the most of it - now or never.
Jimmy needed his big players to step up and his commander in chief, despite a frustrating display, did just that. Michael Murphy was well marshalled by Joe McMahon throughout and he was finding it difficult to get on the ball even though he roamed between full and half forward. It just seemed to be one of those days for him - losing his footing, handling a bit off, wasn’t winning frees - nothing was going right for him. The mark of a great footballer though is how they react when these type of things are happening - this boy is a great footballer. He scored the first point after the restart, a beautiful effort after a neat pick up, turn and finish. Murphy was also instrumental in both goals.
The handpass is a much maligned part of our game and it has been used as a stick with which to beat Donegal over the years; but I would urge everyone to look at the pass the Glenswilly maestro played into the path of Karl Lacey in the build up to Colm McFadden’s goal. A perfectly weighted fist pass into the on running Lacey took two defenders out of the game, he fed it inside and Colm rounded the keeper and slammed it home.
Into injury time we went and Donegal on the attack. A loose ball goes straight to Conor Gormley with Dermot Molloy waiting ominously behind him for the ball that never came. Murphy though hits Gormley with a great shoulder, the ball breaks, he slips it to Brick and that was that.
Lacey was again magnificent. It seemed somewhat risky by Jim not to play one of the game’s finest man-markers on Stephen O’Neill; instead that task was given to Neil McGee, who had a super game. Lacey was at centre back, keeping tabs on Brian McGuigan, but he also made many of his customary bursts forward while also winning back possession time and again. It is a dilemma approaching every game as to where to play the Four Masters man, he's as good a marker as there is in the country but his attacking instincts are crucial to this team. With Eoin Bradley lying in wait on July 17th, it's going to be an interesting call.
Mark McHugh would have been well clear in any opta stat index today; he covered every part of the Clones sod in a tireless performance. He‘s the man used as Donegal‘s sweeper when one is needed but he can also score, he can pass and he can carry.
Aside from the heart and desire evident today there were also some of the dark arts were on show - cynicism, time wasting etc. They may be infuriating at times but these little incidents are clues as to how much more streetwise Donegal have become. They are learning how to win and in years gone by a Donegal side would not have come out on top, especially after falling behind early on.
All of these improvements are of course down to one man, Jim McGuinness. He has gotten inside the minds of the players, changed longstanding attitudes and developed a new, different, winning mentality.
In 2007, Donegal were hammered by Tyrone and lost their discipline culminating in a red card for Colm McFadden. Now things are different, today we kept the heads - a mark of what Jimmy has done with the boys. He may be getting criticism but they trust him, they believe in him and thats all that matters.
We’re into a first Ulster Final for five years, a huge achievement for The Messiah in his debut season.
His management has come in for sharp criticism due to the style of play he has the lads playing but today should be a day to marvel at what he has done to the mindset and attitude of Donegal football.
The boys looked very nervous to begin with and didn’t burst out of the blocks as they would have liked. Tyrone did however and looked like they were going to put on a master class as they did in the 2007 contest. They were powering through Donegal, Sean Cavanagh and Philip Jordan particularly impressive.
They raced into a 0-6 0-1 lead and it could have been an awful lot more.
One critical sequence of play in the first half proved to be hugely decisive….
With Donegal desperate to peg back some of the lead before half time they made a great attack up field, and Anthony Thompson was in possession. With options left and right he hesitated and kicked the ball straight to a Red Hand. Tyrone quickly broke, the ball made its way to Stephen O’Neill who sidestepped inside onto his trusty left boot. Just as he was about to pull the trigger who else but Thompson, after making up 100 yards following his mistake, threw himself at the shot and got in a wonderful block. The ball was worked up the other end of the field where Kevin Cassidy hit a monster of a score from near the touchline.
A goal concession at that stage would have made the gap that bit too much but having being totally outplayed it was just a two point deficit at the break. Tyrone had kicked some bad wides and Donegal knew as they listened to the words of Jim and Rory at half time that they had been given a lifeline and they had to make the most of it - now or never.
Jimmy needed his big players to step up and his commander in chief, despite a frustrating display, did just that. Michael Murphy was well marshalled by Joe McMahon throughout and he was finding it difficult to get on the ball even though he roamed between full and half forward. It just seemed to be one of those days for him - losing his footing, handling a bit off, wasn’t winning frees - nothing was going right for him. The mark of a great footballer though is how they react when these type of things are happening - this boy is a great footballer. He scored the first point after the restart, a beautiful effort after a neat pick up, turn and finish. Murphy was also instrumental in both goals.
The handpass is a much maligned part of our game and it has been used as a stick with which to beat Donegal over the years; but I would urge everyone to look at the pass the Glenswilly maestro played into the path of Karl Lacey in the build up to Colm McFadden’s goal. A perfectly weighted fist pass into the on running Lacey took two defenders out of the game, he fed it inside and Colm rounded the keeper and slammed it home.
Into injury time we went and Donegal on the attack. A loose ball goes straight to Conor Gormley with Dermot Molloy waiting ominously behind him for the ball that never came. Murphy though hits Gormley with a great shoulder, the ball breaks, he slips it to Brick and that was that.
Lacey was again magnificent. It seemed somewhat risky by Jim not to play one of the game’s finest man-markers on Stephen O’Neill; instead that task was given to Neil McGee, who had a super game. Lacey was at centre back, keeping tabs on Brian McGuigan, but he also made many of his customary bursts forward while also winning back possession time and again. It is a dilemma approaching every game as to where to play the Four Masters man, he's as good a marker as there is in the country but his attacking instincts are crucial to this team. With Eoin Bradley lying in wait on July 17th, it's going to be an interesting call.
Mark McHugh would have been well clear in any opta stat index today; he covered every part of the Clones sod in a tireless performance. He‘s the man used as Donegal‘s sweeper when one is needed but he can also score, he can pass and he can carry.
Aside from the heart and desire evident today there were also some of the dark arts were on show - cynicism, time wasting etc. They may be infuriating at times but these little incidents are clues as to how much more streetwise Donegal have become. They are learning how to win and in years gone by a Donegal side would not have come out on top, especially after falling behind early on.
All of these improvements are of course down to one man, Jim McGuinness. He has gotten inside the minds of the players, changed longstanding attitudes and developed a new, different, winning mentality.
In 2007, Donegal were hammered by Tyrone and lost their discipline culminating in a red card for Colm McFadden. Now things are different, today we kept the heads - a mark of what Jimmy has done with the boys. He may be getting criticism but they trust him, they believe in him and thats all that matters.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Another Job Well Done
Another championship Summer Sunday and another washout. Conditions against Antrim were abysmal last month and, if possible, today at Breffni Park conditions were even worse. Not what we expect when making the journeys across Ulster at this time of year but we’ll take what we’ve got so far - two games, two wins.
It was somewhat bittersweet being back in this setting for Donegal fans; looking forward to the game with confidence but also looking back on our last visit here for the All-Ireland U21 Final 13 months ago. Little did we know that the curse of Breffni would again strike our most prized possession.
As seems to happen in many games where everyone’s favourite Sligo man is in charge, there was an undercurrent of needle amongst the players. Hits were flying in, many of which were mistimed although this was completely understandable given the conditions. Marty Duffy though let a couple of incidents go on longer than they needed to and there was a sense of a lack of control on his part. For a technical foul he’s the quickest man in Ireland to put a whistle to his mouth but when there are lads on the ground, instead of throwing the ball up immediately he lets things go and needlessly gets players hot under the collar.
Two men saw red within minutes of each other - Ray Cullivan from Cavan and then soon after Michael Murphy. The crossbar broke Murphy's heart in the final last year, this time with what he, and everyone else, thought was an innocuous shoulder led to him being sent to the line. Michael was a silly boy to a degree but GAA matches would end up as five-a-side if incidents like this ended up in red cards every weekend. The old adage of the trying to even things up was certainly prevelant in the ground. Jimmy McGuinness had no words or even eye contact for his captain as he made his way off, obviously disappointed with his star man; the incident though took place on the other side of the field so on seeing it again McGuinness will be as taken aback with it as the rest of us. The new ruling this year where incidents where a referee has taken action cannot be revisited means Murphy will miss the battle with Tyrone.
When both red cards are compared its frustrating to see the same punishment handed out for crimes that are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The kung-fu challenge on Cassidy was as bad as I’ve ever seen on a GAA field; Jason McAteer against Macedonia in 1997 sprung to mind.
Cassidy recovered from the decapitation attempt and had a fine game, particularly in the period after Murphy’s dismissal; he was the wise old head that was needed and drove the team forward, even popping up with a fine score of his own off his left. Kevin Rafferty was another who had an excellent afternoon, registering on the score sheet and getting through a huge amount of work. Donegal put some wonderful passages of play together at times, and much of it came from the big Letterkenny man winning primary possession and initiating the moves.
Karl Lacey was given orders to keep the opposition danger man Seanie Johnston under tabs for the opening exchanges; it was a tough day though for Johnston though and the more his influence waned the more time Lacey spent bombing forward. Karl was often the outlet when Donegal turned over Cavan possession and it will be interesting to see how The Messiah deploys him against Tyrone. For most of the league the Four Masters man was an attacking half back but in big Championship games he is usually given man-marking duties and Tyrone obviously have plenty of threats, none more so than Stephen O’Neill. The task of minding O’Neill though may be given to Neil McGee, who had another brilliant game today, and that would leave Lacey to do his damage further up the field.
Today marked the welcome return to the Donegal jersey for Leo McLoone having spent the last number of months recovering from that horrific ankle break and dislocation. His return could not have come at a more timely juncture. It was Leo who earned the man of the match gong in the league game at Omagh, marshalling his troops from centre back and nullifying the threat of Sean Cavanagh. It’s a big ask to step up for a joust with the O’Neill county having only just returned but there’s a good chance he’ll get the nod, possibly with No 14 on his back - even though Murphy will be missing from the full forward line it’ll likely be a deeper lying player to replace him at Clones in two weeks.
Today Donegal set up with three giants up front - Colm McFadden, Patrick McBrearty and Murphy were the targets and early on every ball was pumped in high on top of them. After the departure of the latter, the style changed and aided with the introduction of Michael Hegarty the ball was played in front of the remaining duo and between them they notched an impressive 1-8.
Sitting directly behind the Donegal bench at Breffni today, it was fascinating to listen to the conversations between Jim and his sidekick Rory Gallagher; they are constantly thinking about switches, positioning, covering, breaking forward, holding back and everything in between. At one point seven Donegal players broke forward from the back and runner Maxi Curran was immediately dispatched to ensure that if lads went forward others had to take responsibility and cover behind them. A big test awaits them as they take on the tactical master that is Mickey Harte.
Dermot Molloy will be disappointed he didn’t start today but with Murphy missing he’ll fancy his chances of more game time the next day out; and with two lovely points after he came on he didn’t do his prospects any harm.
McBreaty looks like he’s secured a place in the line up for the semi final and it will be a huge test for the youngster coming up against the brawn and brute of lads like Conor Gormley and Ryan McMenamin. Previous Donegal stalwarts like McFadden, Brendan Devenney and Adrian Sweeney have struggled against Tyrone - their defenders are outstanding players but can also do the dirty, cynical stuff as well as anyone. Remember McFadden’s southpaw on Brian Dooher in 2007? That was a reaction to Gormley laughing in his face and McFadden lost it. Throwing a seventeen year old into that kind of cauldron will be a brave move but if The Messiah feels he’s ready though that’s what he’ll do.
In 2004 Donegal faced Tyrone in an Ulster semi-final and played the All-Ireland Champions off the pitch despite going into the game as severe underdogs. Three years later we went in full of confidence; we were league champions and had beaten Armagh in the opening round - then we were taught a footballing lesson.
Now, in 2011, we approach the game somewhere in between, not the world beaters of 2007 and not the underdogs of 2004.
We find ourselves where we felt we would be - we’ve played two poor teams, taken care of them without much fuss. This is where we want to be; amongst the big boys, against the team that have set the benchmark over the last number of years. Donegal have sights on higher plateaus than what we’ve reached over the past number of championship seasons. In two weeks time we will find out exactly where we are. This is the ultimate test.
It was somewhat bittersweet being back in this setting for Donegal fans; looking forward to the game with confidence but also looking back on our last visit here for the All-Ireland U21 Final 13 months ago. Little did we know that the curse of Breffni would again strike our most prized possession.
As seems to happen in many games where everyone’s favourite Sligo man is in charge, there was an undercurrent of needle amongst the players. Hits were flying in, many of which were mistimed although this was completely understandable given the conditions. Marty Duffy though let a couple of incidents go on longer than they needed to and there was a sense of a lack of control on his part. For a technical foul he’s the quickest man in Ireland to put a whistle to his mouth but when there are lads on the ground, instead of throwing the ball up immediately he lets things go and needlessly gets players hot under the collar.
Two men saw red within minutes of each other - Ray Cullivan from Cavan and then soon after Michael Murphy. The crossbar broke Murphy's heart in the final last year, this time with what he, and everyone else, thought was an innocuous shoulder led to him being sent to the line. Michael was a silly boy to a degree but GAA matches would end up as five-a-side if incidents like this ended up in red cards every weekend. The old adage of the trying to even things up was certainly prevelant in the ground. Jimmy McGuinness had no words or even eye contact for his captain as he made his way off, obviously disappointed with his star man; the incident though took place on the other side of the field so on seeing it again McGuinness will be as taken aback with it as the rest of us. The new ruling this year where incidents where a referee has taken action cannot be revisited means Murphy will miss the battle with Tyrone.
When both red cards are compared its frustrating to see the same punishment handed out for crimes that are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The kung-fu challenge on Cassidy was as bad as I’ve ever seen on a GAA field; Jason McAteer against Macedonia in 1997 sprung to mind.
Cassidy recovered from the decapitation attempt and had a fine game, particularly in the period after Murphy’s dismissal; he was the wise old head that was needed and drove the team forward, even popping up with a fine score of his own off his left. Kevin Rafferty was another who had an excellent afternoon, registering on the score sheet and getting through a huge amount of work. Donegal put some wonderful passages of play together at times, and much of it came from the big Letterkenny man winning primary possession and initiating the moves.
Karl Lacey was given orders to keep the opposition danger man Seanie Johnston under tabs for the opening exchanges; it was a tough day though for Johnston though and the more his influence waned the more time Lacey spent bombing forward. Karl was often the outlet when Donegal turned over Cavan possession and it will be interesting to see how The Messiah deploys him against Tyrone. For most of the league the Four Masters man was an attacking half back but in big Championship games he is usually given man-marking duties and Tyrone obviously have plenty of threats, none more so than Stephen O’Neill. The task of minding O’Neill though may be given to Neil McGee, who had another brilliant game today, and that would leave Lacey to do his damage further up the field.
Today marked the welcome return to the Donegal jersey for Leo McLoone having spent the last number of months recovering from that horrific ankle break and dislocation. His return could not have come at a more timely juncture. It was Leo who earned the man of the match gong in the league game at Omagh, marshalling his troops from centre back and nullifying the threat of Sean Cavanagh. It’s a big ask to step up for a joust with the O’Neill county having only just returned but there’s a good chance he’ll get the nod, possibly with No 14 on his back - even though Murphy will be missing from the full forward line it’ll likely be a deeper lying player to replace him at Clones in two weeks.
Today Donegal set up with three giants up front - Colm McFadden, Patrick McBrearty and Murphy were the targets and early on every ball was pumped in high on top of them. After the departure of the latter, the style changed and aided with the introduction of Michael Hegarty the ball was played in front of the remaining duo and between them they notched an impressive 1-8.
Sitting directly behind the Donegal bench at Breffni today, it was fascinating to listen to the conversations between Jim and his sidekick Rory Gallagher; they are constantly thinking about switches, positioning, covering, breaking forward, holding back and everything in between. At one point seven Donegal players broke forward from the back and runner Maxi Curran was immediately dispatched to ensure that if lads went forward others had to take responsibility and cover behind them. A big test awaits them as they take on the tactical master that is Mickey Harte.
Dermot Molloy will be disappointed he didn’t start today but with Murphy missing he’ll fancy his chances of more game time the next day out; and with two lovely points after he came on he didn’t do his prospects any harm.
McBreaty looks like he’s secured a place in the line up for the semi final and it will be a huge test for the youngster coming up against the brawn and brute of lads like Conor Gormley and Ryan McMenamin. Previous Donegal stalwarts like McFadden, Brendan Devenney and Adrian Sweeney have struggled against Tyrone - their defenders are outstanding players but can also do the dirty, cynical stuff as well as anyone. Remember McFadden’s southpaw on Brian Dooher in 2007? That was a reaction to Gormley laughing in his face and McFadden lost it. Throwing a seventeen year old into that kind of cauldron will be a brave move but if The Messiah feels he’s ready though that’s what he’ll do.
In 2004 Donegal faced Tyrone in an Ulster semi-final and played the All-Ireland Champions off the pitch despite going into the game as severe underdogs. Three years later we went in full of confidence; we were league champions and had beaten Armagh in the opening round - then we were taught a footballing lesson.
Now, in 2011, we approach the game somewhere in between, not the world beaters of 2007 and not the underdogs of 2004.
We find ourselves where we felt we would be - we’ve played two poor teams, taken care of them without much fuss. This is where we want to be; amongst the big boys, against the team that have set the benchmark over the last number of years. Donegal have sights on higher plateaus than what we’ve reached over the past number of championship seasons. In two weeks time we will find out exactly where we are. This is the ultimate test.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Dún na nGall vs Antrim
Championship! The most revered word in this great sport of ours; the word that gets the adrenalin going, the tingle in the spine and the mind racing. Tae and ham sangiches, sun shining and dreams of Croke Park.
That’s what its supposed to be like anyway; Donegal is generally regarded as a different world to the rest of Ireland and we certainly got this year’s championship off to a different start than many would have anticipated.
Raining since early morning, bit of a breeze, poor football, lots of mistakes - that’s what we were treated to at MacCumhaill Park today. However it still was a treat, a first win in the Ulster Championship since 2007 and regardless of the forensic examinations that will take place in tomorrow’s press of how bad Donegal are and how negatively we play, we got what we came for - a win.
The ‘purists’ wont have enjoyed today at all, and you cant blame them; it was dire stuff. Setting off at midday for Ballybofey that was what I expected with the rain coming down as it was. The minor match gave us an insight of what was to come - poor handling, misplaced passes, greasy ball all leading to a bad game and the senior followed suit. The tactics employed by Donegal obviously also contributed but this was simply a game that we had to win. It was a potential banana skin, as we found out in 2009, and there was a sense of that amongst the players. They just desperately wanted to get today over with, get the win and move on.
Today isn’t a game to be analysed too much. Donegal will play much better and anyone who has seen them this year, especially against Tyrone, Derry and Meath, will know that this is a very talented bunch of players who can score heavily, defend well and beat most teams.
The national media will over-react and read too much into this display. If they had bothered to watch Donegal in the games above rather than focusing on Dublin, Cork and Kerry for the vast majority of their coverage they would know what we’re made of.
In a way it is encouraging to be able to win a game in a comfortable fashion without having our two marquee forwards firing. Michael Murphy was played around the middle for most of the game with Colm McFadden inside. They got their usual few scores but it was lads like Mark McHugh and Ryan Bradley who caught the eye most. The full back line was solid and Karl Lacey and Kevin Cassidy did well driving from the half back line. Martin McElhinney put in a great shift at midfield and even with Neil Gallagher approaching full match sharpness, the Creeslough man is a certain starter at present.
Antrim are playing the victim quite well post-match, claiming the home side’s tactics forced them into pulling men back behind the ball - in truth they were never really in the game and looked a poor outfit.
They’ve a long wait until they are in qualifier action and its hard to see them making much headway through the back door.
One man who will be delighted with negative football making all the headlines is Martin Sludden. Today marked his return to championship officiating and he made a largely un-noticed return manning the line.
A new star made his senior bow today and while he didn’t have the best of days at the office it was still great to see seventeen year old Patrick McBrearty coming on for his senior debut after earlier playing in the minor game, which the visitors won. He has been earmarked as one for the future for a while now but his progress onto the senior stage has been quite remarkable. We’ll be seeing more of him this Summer.
So next stop is Breffni Park in four weeks; the place doesn’t hold good memories for The Messiah, Michael Murphy et al but we are likely to see a much different Donegal to the one we saw today. Hopefully the weather will be better - a dry ball and hard ground will suit our running game much better and we should be able to hit the higher gears that weren’t needed today. The boys have plenty to work on over the next few weeks but they’ll be happy knowing that expectations are firmly in check after today’s display and they can go out and show everyone what they’re made of against Cavan.
That’s what its supposed to be like anyway; Donegal is generally regarded as a different world to the rest of Ireland and we certainly got this year’s championship off to a different start than many would have anticipated.
Raining since early morning, bit of a breeze, poor football, lots of mistakes - that’s what we were treated to at MacCumhaill Park today. However it still was a treat, a first win in the Ulster Championship since 2007 and regardless of the forensic examinations that will take place in tomorrow’s press of how bad Donegal are and how negatively we play, we got what we came for - a win.
The ‘purists’ wont have enjoyed today at all, and you cant blame them; it was dire stuff. Setting off at midday for Ballybofey that was what I expected with the rain coming down as it was. The minor match gave us an insight of what was to come - poor handling, misplaced passes, greasy ball all leading to a bad game and the senior followed suit. The tactics employed by Donegal obviously also contributed but this was simply a game that we had to win. It was a potential banana skin, as we found out in 2009, and there was a sense of that amongst the players. They just desperately wanted to get today over with, get the win and move on.
Today isn’t a game to be analysed too much. Donegal will play much better and anyone who has seen them this year, especially against Tyrone, Derry and Meath, will know that this is a very talented bunch of players who can score heavily, defend well and beat most teams.
The national media will over-react and read too much into this display. If they had bothered to watch Donegal in the games above rather than focusing on Dublin, Cork and Kerry for the vast majority of their coverage they would know what we’re made of.
In a way it is encouraging to be able to win a game in a comfortable fashion without having our two marquee forwards firing. Michael Murphy was played around the middle for most of the game with Colm McFadden inside. They got their usual few scores but it was lads like Mark McHugh and Ryan Bradley who caught the eye most. The full back line was solid and Karl Lacey and Kevin Cassidy did well driving from the half back line. Martin McElhinney put in a great shift at midfield and even with Neil Gallagher approaching full match sharpness, the Creeslough man is a certain starter at present.
Antrim are playing the victim quite well post-match, claiming the home side’s tactics forced them into pulling men back behind the ball - in truth they were never really in the game and looked a poor outfit.
They’ve a long wait until they are in qualifier action and its hard to see them making much headway through the back door.
One man who will be delighted with negative football making all the headlines is Martin Sludden. Today marked his return to championship officiating and he made a largely un-noticed return manning the line.
A new star made his senior bow today and while he didn’t have the best of days at the office it was still great to see seventeen year old Patrick McBrearty coming on for his senior debut after earlier playing in the minor game, which the visitors won. He has been earmarked as one for the future for a while now but his progress onto the senior stage has been quite remarkable. We’ll be seeing more of him this Summer.
So next stop is Breffni Park in four weeks; the place doesn’t hold good memories for The Messiah, Michael Murphy et al but we are likely to see a much different Donegal to the one we saw today. Hopefully the weather will be better - a dry ball and hard ground will suit our running game much better and we should be able to hit the higher gears that weren’t needed today. The boys have plenty to work on over the next few weeks but they’ll be happy knowing that expectations are firmly in check after today’s display and they can go out and show everyone what they’re made of against Cavan.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Dun na nGall Deliver
Croke Park - a win for Donegal and a trophy to boot. A good day’s work all round. The Messiah has delivered what we hope will the first of manys a gift to his people. A vastly improved display from the game against the same opposition just three weeks ago and despite a nervy finish a deserved league title.
The captain as per usual was brilliant. Michael Murphy was unlikely to have trained much at all this week since he picked up his knock while on club duty but still performed like a man born to play on the Croke Park stage. He was given added responsibility in the game, drifting between midfield and his natural full forward position. Donegal were over-run in the middle last time out in Portlaoise, with Brendan Quigley and Padraig Clancy dominant throughout. To stifle this Murphy played the opening few minutes at midfield so that his side could gain some parity; this we did and had registered a couple of scores before the game’s first pivotal moment. The big man was put to the edge of the square and soon after Donegal had a penalty after Murphy went to ground under a challenge from Darren Strong.
Michael Murphy - Donegal - a final - a penalty…….Breffni Park revisited; almost a year on from that fateful day, Murphy was again faced with a vital kick from eleven metres. His first penalty for Donegal was against Derry in 2008 where he rifled the ball home past Barry Gillis and his technique hasn’t changed much since, even after the miss in the U21 decider. Murphy hammered the ball towards the top corner yesterday, as good a penalty as you’ll ever see. The difference this time - instead of a flat timber crossbar you’d see in some older county grounds, a la Breffni, the ball clipped the underside of the metal bar of the Canal goal in Croke Park and nestled in the net.
For a player so talented and with youth on his side, everyone hopes that there are many great days ahead in Croke Park for Michael Murphy. His leadership for a 21-year old has been a feature of his form this year. Just a few minutes into the second half Donegal won a free tight on the Hogan Stand sideline. After a delay of several minutes, as our old friend Marty Duffy consulted with his umpires at the other end of the pitch before sending off Adrian Hanlon, the big man slotted over the free from a near impossible angle; a crucial score as the team had just gone down to 14 men. Duffy (in charge oh his third Donegal game in this campaign, surely that shouldnt happen?) also booked Kevin Cassidy and turned a blind eye to the antics of Billy Sheehan, who took over where he left off in O’Moore Park.
Murphy was an injury doubt coming into the game, along with six of his team-mates; half made it, half didn’t. Karl Lacey was one who did take his place and he was immense throughout. He was unable to play against Laois in the group game a few weeks ago and hadn’t played since. Maybe the break served him well as he was full of energy and was still charging up the field in the dying minutes. He, along with Frank McGlynn, made some vital dispossessions in the second half, turning over Laois ball and driving out of defence.
Colm McFadden secured a second league medal for himself as he continued his great 2011 form. He scored the crucial second goal after being setup by his partner in crime Murphy. He scored two delicious points off his trusty left peg in the first half and worked hard on the occasions when he was the only player inside as Murphy drifted out to midfield.
How a team plays when a man has been sent off is a good indicator of how things are in the camp, how much they’re prepared to work for each other and for the jersey. Each and every one of the players on the pitch yesterday emptied the tank to bring about a victory for Donegal. Paul Durcan produced a fabulous reflex tip over as Laois pushed for an all important goal in the dying minutes.
Marty Boyle had made his first start in Portlaoise a few weeks ago and didn’t really get into the game. His performance this time around was greatly improved and he’s yet another of the Naomh Conaill contingent playing a key role for the county side follwoing their run to the Ulster Club Final last year. Indeed as Dublin and Cork were going through their warm up for the Division One final, the last of the Donegal players were making their way to the winning dressing room; the six Glenties players, including injured compatriot Leo McLoone made their way off together; a lovely moment for the club and they got a great response from the Tir Conaill faithful.
Unfortunately there weren’t too many faithfuls in attendance. Whether it was the long weekend that kept the fans at home or more likely the faithfuls are fairly thin on the ground, there was a paltry scattering of Donegal fans at Headquarters yesterday. Those that did make the journey seem to have inherited the negativity that many of our fans seem to have in relation to the county team.
We have an extremely talented manager at the minute, while also having a very talented team. Allied to that we have some exceptional individual footballers, with Murphy and Lacey in particular being good enough for any team in the country. Yet the team still seems to be criticised from pillar to post for their style of play. The modern game demands a defensive orientated system. There is no team in Ireland achieving success without being able to defend and if that means defending in numbers then so be it.
The Division One final yesterday was an excellent contest between two of the best teams in the country. Yet both were under orders to retreat bodies behind the ball and the break with pace. This is the template for successful teams operating at the higher level of Gaelic Football. Dublin’s metamorphosis under Pat Gilroy has seen them adopt a much criticised defensive make-up yet they still conceded twenty-one points yesterday in their one defeat to Cork. Everyone would like to see their team playing all out attacking football but it just doesn’t work like that anymore. Even Kerry have had to adapt their play to allow half forwards track back to let the start like Copper, O’Sullivan, Donaghy etc shine.
With Donegal reduced to fourteen men, Jim McGuinness felt their best option was to defend the lead they had built up and this they did. It was tight at the end and in truth with a few more minutes Laois would probably have snatched it. The injuries that depleted the team's preperations didnt help matters; this was conveyed by Kevin Rafferty making his first appearance of the year, starting at midfield as Martin McElhinney was moved to half back.
People also criticise when Michael Murphy is taken out from full forward and away from the scoring zone. His deployment is similar to that of Kieran Donaghy; big full forwards often make good midfielders (anyway, good players can play anywhere), at least for certain parts of a game. Their athleticism in the air, ability to pick a pass make them vital to any team. Murphy was excellent on the edge of the square yesterday but he also setup many scores when stationed at midfield. On one occasion he caught a Laois kick out, carried the ball forward, dished it off to McFadden who slotted it over the bar. Murphy is the biggest and strongest player Donegal has so to deploy him at midfield at regular intervals makes sense, especially against a midfield pairing as good as the Quigley/Clancy double act.
So basically I find it astonishing to hear voices around me in the stands giving out about how the team are playing, even though we've just become Division Two winners - but in some ways I’m not surprised either. Donegal fans are a fickle bunch.
We‘ve played with little or no game plan in recent years, even former captain Cassidy alluded to this before. He said it was a case of go out and play your game boys and see what happens. This just doesn’t wash anymore if we have real ambitions of mixing it with the big boys. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing next year in Division One of the league. Hopefully we’ll also be mixing it with them before 2011 is out as well. Onwards to May 15th and the Championship kicks off at MacCumhaill Park against Antrim.
In Jim We Trust!
The captain as per usual was brilliant. Michael Murphy was unlikely to have trained much at all this week since he picked up his knock while on club duty but still performed like a man born to play on the Croke Park stage. He was given added responsibility in the game, drifting between midfield and his natural full forward position. Donegal were over-run in the middle last time out in Portlaoise, with Brendan Quigley and Padraig Clancy dominant throughout. To stifle this Murphy played the opening few minutes at midfield so that his side could gain some parity; this we did and had registered a couple of scores before the game’s first pivotal moment. The big man was put to the edge of the square and soon after Donegal had a penalty after Murphy went to ground under a challenge from Darren Strong.
Michael Murphy - Donegal - a final - a penalty…….Breffni Park revisited; almost a year on from that fateful day, Murphy was again faced with a vital kick from eleven metres. His first penalty for Donegal was against Derry in 2008 where he rifled the ball home past Barry Gillis and his technique hasn’t changed much since, even after the miss in the U21 decider. Murphy hammered the ball towards the top corner yesterday, as good a penalty as you’ll ever see. The difference this time - instead of a flat timber crossbar you’d see in some older county grounds, a la Breffni, the ball clipped the underside of the metal bar of the Canal goal in Croke Park and nestled in the net.
For a player so talented and with youth on his side, everyone hopes that there are many great days ahead in Croke Park for Michael Murphy. His leadership for a 21-year old has been a feature of his form this year. Just a few minutes into the second half Donegal won a free tight on the Hogan Stand sideline. After a delay of several minutes, as our old friend Marty Duffy consulted with his umpires at the other end of the pitch before sending off Adrian Hanlon, the big man slotted over the free from a near impossible angle; a crucial score as the team had just gone down to 14 men. Duffy (in charge oh his third Donegal game in this campaign, surely that shouldnt happen?) also booked Kevin Cassidy and turned a blind eye to the antics of Billy Sheehan, who took over where he left off in O’Moore Park.
Murphy was an injury doubt coming into the game, along with six of his team-mates; half made it, half didn’t. Karl Lacey was one who did take his place and he was immense throughout. He was unable to play against Laois in the group game a few weeks ago and hadn’t played since. Maybe the break served him well as he was full of energy and was still charging up the field in the dying minutes. He, along with Frank McGlynn, made some vital dispossessions in the second half, turning over Laois ball and driving out of defence.
Colm McFadden secured a second league medal for himself as he continued his great 2011 form. He scored the crucial second goal after being setup by his partner in crime Murphy. He scored two delicious points off his trusty left peg in the first half and worked hard on the occasions when he was the only player inside as Murphy drifted out to midfield.
How a team plays when a man has been sent off is a good indicator of how things are in the camp, how much they’re prepared to work for each other and for the jersey. Each and every one of the players on the pitch yesterday emptied the tank to bring about a victory for Donegal. Paul Durcan produced a fabulous reflex tip over as Laois pushed for an all important goal in the dying minutes.
Marty Boyle had made his first start in Portlaoise a few weeks ago and didn’t really get into the game. His performance this time around was greatly improved and he’s yet another of the Naomh Conaill contingent playing a key role for the county side follwoing their run to the Ulster Club Final last year. Indeed as Dublin and Cork were going through their warm up for the Division One final, the last of the Donegal players were making their way to the winning dressing room; the six Glenties players, including injured compatriot Leo McLoone made their way off together; a lovely moment for the club and they got a great response from the Tir Conaill faithful.
Unfortunately there weren’t too many faithfuls in attendance. Whether it was the long weekend that kept the fans at home or more likely the faithfuls are fairly thin on the ground, there was a paltry scattering of Donegal fans at Headquarters yesterday. Those that did make the journey seem to have inherited the negativity that many of our fans seem to have in relation to the county team.
We have an extremely talented manager at the minute, while also having a very talented team. Allied to that we have some exceptional individual footballers, with Murphy and Lacey in particular being good enough for any team in the country. Yet the team still seems to be criticised from pillar to post for their style of play. The modern game demands a defensive orientated system. There is no team in Ireland achieving success without being able to defend and if that means defending in numbers then so be it.
The Division One final yesterday was an excellent contest between two of the best teams in the country. Yet both were under orders to retreat bodies behind the ball and the break with pace. This is the template for successful teams operating at the higher level of Gaelic Football. Dublin’s metamorphosis under Pat Gilroy has seen them adopt a much criticised defensive make-up yet they still conceded twenty-one points yesterday in their one defeat to Cork. Everyone would like to see their team playing all out attacking football but it just doesn’t work like that anymore. Even Kerry have had to adapt their play to allow half forwards track back to let the start like Copper, O’Sullivan, Donaghy etc shine.
With Donegal reduced to fourteen men, Jim McGuinness felt their best option was to defend the lead they had built up and this they did. It was tight at the end and in truth with a few more minutes Laois would probably have snatched it. The injuries that depleted the team's preperations didnt help matters; this was conveyed by Kevin Rafferty making his first appearance of the year, starting at midfield as Martin McElhinney was moved to half back.
People also criticise when Michael Murphy is taken out from full forward and away from the scoring zone. His deployment is similar to that of Kieran Donaghy; big full forwards often make good midfielders (anyway, good players can play anywhere), at least for certain parts of a game. Their athleticism in the air, ability to pick a pass make them vital to any team. Murphy was excellent on the edge of the square yesterday but he also setup many scores when stationed at midfield. On one occasion he caught a Laois kick out, carried the ball forward, dished it off to McFadden who slotted it over the bar. Murphy is the biggest and strongest player Donegal has so to deploy him at midfield at regular intervals makes sense, especially against a midfield pairing as good as the Quigley/Clancy double act.
So basically I find it astonishing to hear voices around me in the stands giving out about how the team are playing, even though we've just become Division Two winners - but in some ways I’m not surprised either. Donegal fans are a fickle bunch.
We‘ve played with little or no game plan in recent years, even former captain Cassidy alluded to this before. He said it was a case of go out and play your game boys and see what happens. This just doesn’t wash anymore if we have real ambitions of mixing it with the big boys. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing next year in Division One of the league. Hopefully we’ll also be mixing it with them before 2011 is out as well. Onwards to May 15th and the Championship kicks off at MacCumhaill Park against Antrim.
In Jim We Trust!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Donegal Kept On A Laois
Tir Conaill came away from Portlaoise yesterday with what they came for – promotion. Despite suffering their first league defeat of the year, their earlier stellar performances, most notably against Meath and Derry , ensured we’ll be back amongst the big guns of Division One next season. Opponents Laois will also be there; and they will also be in Croke Park
This certainly wasn’t one of our better outings under Jim McGuinness, in particular the first half display was completely at odds with what we’ve been doing up until now. The full back line was all at sea, loose marking and plenty of space in front of our goal for Laois to attack. Karl Lacey had withdrawn before throw in resulting in Frank McGlynn moving from centre back to corner; Kevin Cassidy manned the middle with Marty Boyle coming in at wing back. Lacey is of course a huge loss to any team but whether or not these changes caused the problems at the back is up for debate; maybe it was just one of those days but the space afforded to the home side’s forwards was worrying.
Paddy McGrath looked a little off colour, allowing his man to get away from him on a few occasions. In fairness, McGrath has had an excellent campaign to date, as has Neil McGee but he struggled too on full forward Billy Sheehan who was a real handful; admittedly McGee was not helped by the big Kerry man giving him a few sly kicks whenever he got the chance. Laois have an especially pacey and mobile forward unit – Ross Munnelly, MJ Tierney and Colm Begley are experienced players at this level while some of the newcomers Justin McNulty has introduced acquitted themselves very well.
The teams are quite similar in many ways; both have young managers who employ a similar style of play, and both have put a specific emphasis on fitness. Generally when two teams with similar defensive templates come together, the result can be an attritional affair but yesterday’s match up showed that work rate and tracking back doesn’t necessarily lead to poor football. It was a pulsating encounter from start to finish with both teams soaking up pressure before breaking at speed. The result was an end to end encounter, with Tierney the difference thanks to his wonderful array of free taking skills. Regardless of distance or angle his technique is spot on and a huge asset to Laois as they enter the Leinster Championship in May.
As well as speed and athleticism, both sides brought physicality to the table but unfortunately there wasn’t much of it seen due to the over-fussiness of referee, Martin Higgins. A flurry of yellow cards was produced in the first half - nine in total over the 70 minutes - along with fifty-five frees over the course of the game and it wasn’t a surprise to see someone get sent to the line for a second yellow and the unfortunate one was Kilcar’s Michael Hegarty. He was dismissed with about twenty minutes remaining and it was always going to be an uphill struggle from there on in.
It was a shame because through the efforts of Dermot Molloy and the hard-working duo of Martin McElhinney and Ryan Bradley they had dragged themselves back into the game, cutting the deficit from eight points to two at one stage. The afore-mentioned Brick Molloy had got the all important goal, and he may even have had another only for a save by the Laois netminder; seconds later the ball was in the net at the other end, who else but Tierney with the neat finish.
A four-point defeat in the end for Donegal and McGuinness then kept his crew in the O’Moore Park dressing room for almost an hour after the game – and it obviously wasn’t to congratulate them on gaining promotion. The Messiah hasn’t come in this year with specific targets to be reached like promotion or Ulster
Monday, April 4, 2011
Dún na nGall vs Antrim - we're nearly there
One game to go now and Dun na nGall look all but assured of being promoted to Division One and contesting a League Final at Headquarters. Not a bad return at all considering how we finished up in Crossmaglen last June. This wasn’t one of our better performances but in a way it was as satisfying as the wins over Meath and Derry .
The win was built on hard work and the brilliance up front of a forward in form…….no not that man Michael Murphy but Creeslough’s Colm McFadden. He was on fire from the start, scoring three points from play and setting up a couple of others. Colm looks sharp, has obviously worked hard on his fitness this year and his brother in law Jim McGuinness is really getting the best out of him. The ability has always been there but in recent years it was overshadowed by frustration and lethargy. Now he’s looking like the youngster who burst onto the national scene with a man of the match display in 2004 in dethroning the Ulster
It was another of the old guard who helped out McFadden in the scoring stakes; Michael Hegarty contributed two points and had a very effective game doing what he does best - whoever is on the ball, Hegarty is there as an option, keeping the ball moving and placing those inviting probing kicks into the corners for his forwards to run on to.
Frank McGlynn also had a hugely influential game, particularly in the second half. He won back possession on numerous occasions, tackling and harrying well against the Antrim half forwards. He took up station in front of his full back line, allowing Kilybegs man Jason Noctor and Karl Lacey to burst forward; the latter registering a fine point near the end of the proceedings. His strike rate surely must make him one of the highest scoring defenders around – a fantasy football managers dream!
Otherwise it was essentially a complete team effort with few standout performers - good in a way because it showed that it doesn’t always have to be The Murphy Show with Donegal. The team is prepared to work hard as a unit to get results and despite not performing anywhere near their usual standard yesterday they still managed to post a score of 1-17 while still having plenty of things to work on.
Donegal raced into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead inside ten minutes but Antrim started to get to grips around the middle and began using the stiff Ballyshannon breeze to their advantage. In Thomas McCann they have a deadly accurate forward and he was instrumental in dragging them back into the game, aided and abetted by Terry O’Neill. That duo wreaked havoc on Donegal two years ago when Antrim staged their smash and grab championship raid in MacCumhaill Park
As Antrim got on top in midfield Michael Murphy was brought out from the square to help out and he stayed there for a lot of the game, hence is lower than usual return of 0-3. Antrim were obviously delighted at his limited contribution and no doubt they will be plotting a specific gameplan to keep it that way in the Ulster opener on May 15th.
A key target for Donegal before that game is to get Neil Gallagher match fit; he’s made a few substitute appearances in the league of late and so is only finding his feet after an injury lay-off. He’s been an excellent performer for the side over the past few years and will be needed if we’re to make an impression come the summer. He may be given a starting berth against Laois next week to help the process along.
Donegal pegged back a couple of scores before the break and were rarely troubled in the second half with the wind at their backs. Liam Bradley on the sideline cut a very frustrated figure, constantly shouting and moaning at the referee looking for decisions to go his team’s way. Granted the man in the middle was Marty Duffy, who has a unique ability to infuriate management, players and fans alike. The Sligo man also felt the wrath of Donegal’s number two, Rory Gallagher, when he changed his mind on a call after the shouts of Bradley were directed his way.
Rory Gallagher is a famous man around these Ballyshannon parts and the Fermanagh version has been a good addition to the backroom team, forging a highly intelligent tactical partnership with The Messiah. They’re quick thinkers on the line, not wasting time to send out instructions to the team via runner Maxi Curran. And most importantly the players believe in what they’re being told.
Rory Kavanagh in his post match interview felt the team lost their way in the first half because they didn’t do what they were told. They know and trust that what they are being told is the right way to do things and when they don’t, the performance suffers - the side went 17 minutes yesterday without scoring. The second half was much improved though, the side racking up 1-9 against Antrim’s 1-2.
So all that means that barring a miracle next Sunday Donegal will be promoted. Mathematically they could still miss out and there’s many a permutation floating around as to what could happen in the final shake-up. The most straight-forward of these is for Donegal to go Portlaoise and win - if that were to happen its job done.
Nobody will be getting too carried away though – it’s always been about May 15th since the panel got together. The Messiah added some more followers to his flock this week – Michael Boyle, Eoin Wade, Kevin Rafferty and Dara Gallagher all coming onto the panel to provide options and increased competition. It shows no-one is resting on their laurels, no-one is standing still. Its all about moving forward and Portlaoise on Sunday is the next step on the journey.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Dun na nGall vs Derry
Its pretty hard to write this piece without being positive, enthused and excited about the Donegal football team right now. Playing as good as we have for manys a year, implementing an all action type of game plan and we have an intense competition for places with quality on the pitch being backed up with quality on the bench. Then there’s the small matter of having a player who is as good as anyone in the country at this moment - I hope I don’t need to tell you who that is!
But this optimism has to be sounded with a little dose of cautiousness and realism. I’ll come back to that later but for now lets get to the action….
A short trip for the fans last night to Celtic Park to face a Derry side who are enjoying just as promising a start to their new manager’s regime as we are with The Messiah. Both teams came into the match on six points so a result for either would put them in pole position for a league final spot. Many, myself included I must admit, anticipated a typically scrappy Ulster derby - more akin to fare served up next door at the Brandywell but it certainly didn’t pan out that way.
Very blustery conditions to start with suggested the advantage of the breeze would be a big factor in the early scoring. The hosts clocked 1-1 inside two minutes, both coming from long punts carried into Donegal’s goalmouth thanks to the elements. It was a shock to the system but Jim was urging his charges on from the sideline and the scores soon arrived. A double from the St Michaels boys began the comeback; a fine individual effort from Martin McElhinney followed by a smart score by Colm McFadden, who is enjoying somewhat of a new lease of life under his brother in law’s tutelage.
In having such a special talent like Michael Murphy it is crucial that the supporting cast can step up to the plate to take the burden off him should he have an off day. McFadden is playing this role brilliantly thus far (not that Murphy is doing too bad!) and he notched 1-2 from play last night, including a classy finish for a goal in the second quarter.
Such was the strong breeze in the first half both Murphy and Dermot Molloy elected to take their frees from the ground rather then leaving them to chance by going from the hand. It was a wise ploy as they converted all their opportunities and it’s a huge plus for any team to have kickers of their class being able to alternate between kicking out of hand and off the deck.
Their frees and the goal coincided with the wind dying down somewhat, allowing Donegal to take over at midfield and showing Derry to be a pretty average side, showing little improvement from the Crozier and Cassidy eras. Up until then referee Padraig Hughes had done his best to keep Derry in the game, giving the accurate Conleth Gilligan five free taking opportunities and he took all of them. Hughes was blowing for a lot of debatable technical fouls against Donegal and in the second half he seemed to do the exact same only then he called most fouls against the home side. Some may call that consistency but it seemed needless and both sets of supporters were hoping he would let the teams get on with what was turning into a real cracker.
The more control Donegal gained around the middle third, the more forwards Derry retreated back into that area but to no avail, largely due to the amount of breaks that Jim’s lads can win. One of these break-winners is Mark McHugh who employs a particular interesting role on the opposition kick outs. He marks his man as usual, not marking your man wouldn’t be tolerated under the McGuinness work ethic, but if he sees that the ball is not coming his way he immediately leaves his man and sprints back to take up post in front of his full-back line. Time after time he did this and any loose ball that went into the Derry forward line was hovered up by the Kilcar man. He’s not quite the ‘Conductor of the Orchestra’ his father was but he is yet another key component of The Messiah’s master plan. McGuinness is one of the new breed of deep thinking coaches and he has obviously thought a lot about the importance of winning primary possession. He’s not one for leaving things to chance, not a man for hoping that his players win the 50-50 stuff; at present his team don’t give the ball away cheaply so if they can win enough of it from the kick outs it increases their chances of working good scoring positions.
As happened in Navan last week, Donegal did not sit on their half time instead trying to build on their lead. Even after the concession of a penalty, converted by Caolan O‘Boyle, the team looked composed and happy to stick to their game plan and it wasn’t long before we saw the rewards. If McFadden’s goal in the first half was good, his partner in crime managed an even better one to put the game beyond doubt. Michael Murphy was being double teamed, one defender at his back and one standing in front, when a high ball was floated in his direction. Two against one, he still towered in the air above his markers to fetch the ball and before the backs could react he was on the ground, had turned and was heading for goal; a hop and a solo and he unleashed a bullet into the corner of the net. Almost all of the crowd thought the ball had hit the post and cannoned out but in fact Murphy had hit his shot perfectly against the stanchion and with the green flag in the air Donegal knew the game was theirs.
Things didn’t get any better for Murphy’s marker Kevin McCloy; the next time the ball came their way he inadvertently clipped his the Glenswilly maestro’s heels while trying to keep up with him and collected a second yellow card. Murphy added a couple of fabulous frees in the closing minutes and Karl Lacey even had time to leave his man Paddy Bradley to round off the night’s scoring.
So going back to the start, here’s where we are…five games played, unbeaten, top of the table and another win should see us take our place in a Division Two league final on Easter weekend.
Rewind four years, and Donegal have just beaten Kerry in a stunning display at O’Donnell Park and sit pretty at the top of Division One and looking like one of the best teams in the country. A League title follows on a historic day at Headquarters but what also followed that summer was a hammering at Clones by Tyrone and a humiliating qualifier exit to Monaghan at Healy Park.
Donegal teams of the recent past are characterised by brittleness, fragility and indiscipline. There is a real belief that things are different now thanks to our U-21 success last year and the belief that Jim McGuinness is different to what we‘ve had before. Nothing but the best preparation will do, nothing but 100% commitment will suffice.
But even he may be surprised at how quickly the players have adapted and bought into what he wants to do. Without sounding like too much like Enda Kenny, the county board gave him a four-year plan and success in his maiden year is irrelevant. For the time being we can enjoy what we are seeing from our players, try not to look too far ahead and take pleasure in the fact that it’s a great time to be a Donegal football fan, a great time to be a believer, a great time to follow The Messiah!
But this optimism has to be sounded with a little dose of cautiousness and realism. I’ll come back to that later but for now lets get to the action….
A short trip for the fans last night to Celtic Park to face a Derry side who are enjoying just as promising a start to their new manager’s regime as we are with The Messiah. Both teams came into the match on six points so a result for either would put them in pole position for a league final spot. Many, myself included I must admit, anticipated a typically scrappy Ulster derby - more akin to fare served up next door at the Brandywell but it certainly didn’t pan out that way.
Very blustery conditions to start with suggested the advantage of the breeze would be a big factor in the early scoring. The hosts clocked 1-1 inside two minutes, both coming from long punts carried into Donegal’s goalmouth thanks to the elements. It was a shock to the system but Jim was urging his charges on from the sideline and the scores soon arrived. A double from the St Michaels boys began the comeback; a fine individual effort from Martin McElhinney followed by a smart score by Colm McFadden, who is enjoying somewhat of a new lease of life under his brother in law’s tutelage.
In having such a special talent like Michael Murphy it is crucial that the supporting cast can step up to the plate to take the burden off him should he have an off day. McFadden is playing this role brilliantly thus far (not that Murphy is doing too bad!) and he notched 1-2 from play last night, including a classy finish for a goal in the second quarter.
Such was the strong breeze in the first half both Murphy and Dermot Molloy elected to take their frees from the ground rather then leaving them to chance by going from the hand. It was a wise ploy as they converted all their opportunities and it’s a huge plus for any team to have kickers of their class being able to alternate between kicking out of hand and off the deck.
Their frees and the goal coincided with the wind dying down somewhat, allowing Donegal to take over at midfield and showing Derry to be a pretty average side, showing little improvement from the Crozier and Cassidy eras. Up until then referee Padraig Hughes had done his best to keep Derry in the game, giving the accurate Conleth Gilligan five free taking opportunities and he took all of them. Hughes was blowing for a lot of debatable technical fouls against Donegal and in the second half he seemed to do the exact same only then he called most fouls against the home side. Some may call that consistency but it seemed needless and both sets of supporters were hoping he would let the teams get on with what was turning into a real cracker.
The more control Donegal gained around the middle third, the more forwards Derry retreated back into that area but to no avail, largely due to the amount of breaks that Jim’s lads can win. One of these break-winners is Mark McHugh who employs a particular interesting role on the opposition kick outs. He marks his man as usual, not marking your man wouldn’t be tolerated under the McGuinness work ethic, but if he sees that the ball is not coming his way he immediately leaves his man and sprints back to take up post in front of his full-back line. Time after time he did this and any loose ball that went into the Derry forward line was hovered up by the Kilcar man. He’s not quite the ‘Conductor of the Orchestra’ his father was but he is yet another key component of The Messiah’s master plan. McGuinness is one of the new breed of deep thinking coaches and he has obviously thought a lot about the importance of winning primary possession. He’s not one for leaving things to chance, not a man for hoping that his players win the 50-50 stuff; at present his team don’t give the ball away cheaply so if they can win enough of it from the kick outs it increases their chances of working good scoring positions.
As happened in Navan last week, Donegal did not sit on their half time instead trying to build on their lead. Even after the concession of a penalty, converted by Caolan O‘Boyle, the team looked composed and happy to stick to their game plan and it wasn’t long before we saw the rewards. If McFadden’s goal in the first half was good, his partner in crime managed an even better one to put the game beyond doubt. Michael Murphy was being double teamed, one defender at his back and one standing in front, when a high ball was floated in his direction. Two against one, he still towered in the air above his markers to fetch the ball and before the backs could react he was on the ground, had turned and was heading for goal; a hop and a solo and he unleashed a bullet into the corner of the net. Almost all of the crowd thought the ball had hit the post and cannoned out but in fact Murphy had hit his shot perfectly against the stanchion and with the green flag in the air Donegal knew the game was theirs.
Things didn’t get any better for Murphy’s marker Kevin McCloy; the next time the ball came their way he inadvertently clipped his the Glenswilly maestro’s heels while trying to keep up with him and collected a second yellow card. Murphy added a couple of fabulous frees in the closing minutes and Karl Lacey even had time to leave his man Paddy Bradley to round off the night’s scoring.
So going back to the start, here’s where we are…five games played, unbeaten, top of the table and another win should see us take our place in a Division Two league final on Easter weekend.
Rewind four years, and Donegal have just beaten Kerry in a stunning display at O’Donnell Park and sit pretty at the top of Division One and looking like one of the best teams in the country. A League title follows on a historic day at Headquarters but what also followed that summer was a hammering at Clones by Tyrone and a humiliating qualifier exit to Monaghan at Healy Park.
Donegal teams of the recent past are characterised by brittleness, fragility and indiscipline. There is a real belief that things are different now thanks to our U-21 success last year and the belief that Jim McGuinness is different to what we‘ve had before. Nothing but the best preparation will do, nothing but 100% commitment will suffice.
But even he may be surprised at how quickly the players have adapted and bought into what he wants to do. Without sounding like too much like Enda Kenny, the county board gave him a four-year plan and success in his maiden year is irrelevant. For the time being we can enjoy what we are seeing from our players, try not to look too far ahead and take pleasure in the fact that it’s a great time to be a Donegal football fan, a great time to be a believer, a great time to follow The Messiah!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Dun na nGall vs Meath
Another league outing and another good day for Donegal. An unfamiliar trip to Navan was on the menu today and after a six point win the lads would be more than happy to come back to Pairc Tailteann again.
The team now lie second in the Division 2 table, well in the hunt for promotion and a shot at a second league title in four years.
The Jim McGuiness project is coming along nicely, maybe even ahead of schedule. He was of course given a four year term with a view to bringing the team back to the top table of football but even in the short time he’s had at the helm his ideas are very evident in the team’s style of play. And crucially the players are buying into it. Today saw another total football type display with every defender spending time attacking as well as doing their marking duties. Sub consciously a defender is always thinking about their man and if they maraud forward someone else has to cover back. Tyrone are of course the masters at this but Donegal provided numerous examples against Meath of how to make this work effectively. It also portrays a trust between the players and belief in what their manager is trying to do.
Following the bad blow the team suffered last weekend with news of Leo McLoone’s injury, a reshuffle was required in defence. It didn’t change the philosophy though and the defensive unit covered every blade of grass over the seventy minutes. The fitness levels on show were quite superb; even in the last quarter the players were full of running and making the hard yards up and down the field. Obviously its easier to do this when the team is playing well and has a healthy lead but its another sign of McGuinness’ plans coming to fruition.
Another encouraging sign of the Messiah’s work is his ability to get the best out of his players, in particular those who we thought have had their chance at this level; a case in point today was Ryan Bradley. The Buncrana native has always had ability but never managed to consistently perform for the county side. Today he produced a very encouraging performance, notching three first-half points in an enterprising display. Sandwiched between two of his scores he was intercepting a ball inside his own 21-yard line as he essentially played a deep lying role between midfield and the half back line. His other performances to date this year have seen him stationed at centre-field and his versatility will be an asset for the panel over the coming months.
While its all positive at the minute for Donegal its quite a different story for the Royals. A limp less and lacklustre display with little or no game plan leaves them with two points on the board out of a possible eight and the pressure is on Seamus McEnaney. His appointment wasn’t without controversy and the supporters will be wondering if the right choice was made. Its early days of course and Meath are always more at home on a big championship day at Croke Park.
Big championship days in Croke Park are of course what every one is hoping for, and one player who deserves to be performing in that arena is Michael Murphy. There’s not much more than can be said about Glenswilly’s maestro that hasn’t already but even by his own high standards his display today was nothing short of exceptional. His finest display in a county shirt was probably the back-door game against Derry in 2009 - that was an all action full forward display with scores, assists, ball winning and free taking. As an all round performance it was as good as any given by anyone in a Donegal jersey.
What stood out today was the sheer quality of his point taking - four incredible scores from play in the second half were wonderful to witness and any of them alone made the admission fee worthwhile.
The first and second were almost carbon copies - out in front of his man, running onto the ball and then collecting possession and turning onto his right peg in one movement followed by a beautiful shot and the posts being split from 40 yards. For such a big man his movement and striking action are as elegant as a ballet dancer and this was evidenced further with his next peach of a score. After a skilful pick up Murphy again turned onto his right and standing just a few paces in from the left sideline he floated a magical point over the bar.
He finished up with six points and that was the margin between the sides at the final whistle, even though in truth the gulf was a lot more than that. Derry are up next and that without doubt will be a much sterner test. Donegal, and indeed most Ulster sides, tend to do well against Southern opposition as they find the more defensive style is difficult to play against. Ulster derbies are a different matter and the McGuinness system will come under much more scrutiny on Saturday night. While the majority of Irish eyes will be on the Aviva, events in Celtic Park will take the attention of North-Western Gaels. And if Michael Murphy can score points like he did today then it’ll be as good as anything the oval ball can offer!
The team now lie second in the Division 2 table, well in the hunt for promotion and a shot at a second league title in four years.
The Jim McGuiness project is coming along nicely, maybe even ahead of schedule. He was of course given a four year term with a view to bringing the team back to the top table of football but even in the short time he’s had at the helm his ideas are very evident in the team’s style of play. And crucially the players are buying into it. Today saw another total football type display with every defender spending time attacking as well as doing their marking duties. Sub consciously a defender is always thinking about their man and if they maraud forward someone else has to cover back. Tyrone are of course the masters at this but Donegal provided numerous examples against Meath of how to make this work effectively. It also portrays a trust between the players and belief in what their manager is trying to do.
Following the bad blow the team suffered last weekend with news of Leo McLoone’s injury, a reshuffle was required in defence. It didn’t change the philosophy though and the defensive unit covered every blade of grass over the seventy minutes. The fitness levels on show were quite superb; even in the last quarter the players were full of running and making the hard yards up and down the field. Obviously its easier to do this when the team is playing well and has a healthy lead but its another sign of McGuinness’ plans coming to fruition.
Another encouraging sign of the Messiah’s work is his ability to get the best out of his players, in particular those who we thought have had their chance at this level; a case in point today was Ryan Bradley. The Buncrana native has always had ability but never managed to consistently perform for the county side. Today he produced a very encouraging performance, notching three first-half points in an enterprising display. Sandwiched between two of his scores he was intercepting a ball inside his own 21-yard line as he essentially played a deep lying role between midfield and the half back line. His other performances to date this year have seen him stationed at centre-field and his versatility will be an asset for the panel over the coming months.
While its all positive at the minute for Donegal its quite a different story for the Royals. A limp less and lacklustre display with little or no game plan leaves them with two points on the board out of a possible eight and the pressure is on Seamus McEnaney. His appointment wasn’t without controversy and the supporters will be wondering if the right choice was made. Its early days of course and Meath are always more at home on a big championship day at Croke Park.
Big championship days in Croke Park are of course what every one is hoping for, and one player who deserves to be performing in that arena is Michael Murphy. There’s not much more than can be said about Glenswilly’s maestro that hasn’t already but even by his own high standards his display today was nothing short of exceptional. His finest display in a county shirt was probably the back-door game against Derry in 2009 - that was an all action full forward display with scores, assists, ball winning and free taking. As an all round performance it was as good as any given by anyone in a Donegal jersey.
What stood out today was the sheer quality of his point taking - four incredible scores from play in the second half were wonderful to witness and any of them alone made the admission fee worthwhile.
The first and second were almost carbon copies - out in front of his man, running onto the ball and then collecting possession and turning onto his right peg in one movement followed by a beautiful shot and the posts being split from 40 yards. For such a big man his movement and striking action are as elegant as a ballet dancer and this was evidenced further with his next peach of a score. After a skilful pick up Murphy again turned onto his right and standing just a few paces in from the left sideline he floated a magical point over the bar.
He finished up with six points and that was the margin between the sides at the final whistle, even though in truth the gulf was a lot more than that. Derry are up next and that without doubt will be a much sterner test. Donegal, and indeed most Ulster sides, tend to do well against Southern opposition as they find the more defensive style is difficult to play against. Ulster derbies are a different matter and the McGuinness system will come under much more scrutiny on Saturday night. While the majority of Irish eyes will be on the Aviva, events in Celtic Park will take the attention of North-Western Gaels. And if Michael Murphy can score points like he did today then it’ll be as good as anything the oval ball can offer!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Dun na nGall vs Kildare (AWOL....)
A comprehensive win over Tyrone last week led to a swelling of anticipation levels in the county; a stern test against a Kildare team who are steadily improving under Kieran McGeeney’s tutelage would be an excellent indicator as to where this Donegal team is really at.
For the first time in 2011 (and hopefully the last) I didn’t actually go to the match. A long standing pre-planned trip brought me to Edinburgh to watch the oval ball game as Ireland took on Scotland in the Six Nations Championship.
While it was disappointing not to be in suite in O’Donnell Park, the sight and sound of 60,000 souls at Murrayfield singing as one made the trip worthwhile; a rousing rendition of ‘Flower of Scotland’ making the hairs on the back of everyone’s neck stand to attention. Great stuff.
So it was left down to modern-day communications to keep up to date on the latest scores from Letterkenny – and there weren’t many! A 0-3 apiece score-line at half time in an inter-county game is pretty poor stuff and not what you expect from two teams in decent form. For a while I thought the correct updates were getting lost in transit across the North Channel of the Irish Sea but this was not the case. My sources turned out to be spot on; it was in fact the players on the pitch who were off-colour.
Things didn’t get much better after the restart; it took another twenty minutes for each of the sides to get a point; with fifteen minutes to go it was 0-4 each. Having not been in attendance I cannot make this comment with conviction but the fact that the man in the middle was none other than Sligo’s Marty Duffy, it wasn’t a major surprise to hear of a scrappy affair. He awarded thirty-six frees in the opening half, that’s a free a minute, and he wouldn’t be known for the 'letting the game go' at the best of times.
Donegal eventually did spring to life, just as their ancestral cousins were doing in Edinburgh. Four points without reply, Michael Murphy again the tormentor-in-chief, looked to have sealed the win for Jim McGuinness’ charges but two late concessions gave the Lilywhites a point and a goal and a share of the spoils.
Scotland, meanwhile, didn’t manage to get to level terms even though they probably deserved it. Ireland’s concession of penalties provided the Caledonians with the ammunition they needed to make a charge back into the game and they had their own Michael Murphy in the form of Chris Patterson to minimise the gap between the sides. Substitute Dan Parks also chipped in with a drop goal late on. The Scots, however, didn’t have a Mick Foley to level it the death.
Back to GAA matters and it was obviously a huge disappointment to lose a game from a commanding position with such little time left on the clock. Beating a Tyrone team on the slide from the pinnacles they’ve reached in recent years and drawing with a Kildare team going in the opposite direction isn’t to be sniffed at though. Donegal are on the right track and are still well in the hunt for promotion. A trip to Navan in a couple of weeks should give us a clearer indication of whether or not a Division Two title is a realistic target. The bookies don’t seem to think it is, pricing us at 11/2 to lift the trophy.
All of a sudden the talk is of Laois, who won their opening two games with wins against Meath and Antrim. Their annihilation of Derry on Saturday night however has really made people sit up and take note. Going to Celtic Park and coming away with anything is good going so to win by fourteen points is a staggering result and a huge endorsement for the work that Justin McNulty has been doing since taking over.
It was well flagged from the beginning of the season that Division Two was going be an ultra competitive one, and with two points separating the six teams from 2nd to 7th it is certainly working out that way. So 11/2 looks a pretty healthy set of odds to me!
For the first time in 2011 (and hopefully the last) I didn’t actually go to the match. A long standing pre-planned trip brought me to Edinburgh to watch the oval ball game as Ireland took on Scotland in the Six Nations Championship.
While it was disappointing not to be in suite in O’Donnell Park, the sight and sound of 60,000 souls at Murrayfield singing as one made the trip worthwhile; a rousing rendition of ‘Flower of Scotland’ making the hairs on the back of everyone’s neck stand to attention. Great stuff.
So it was left down to modern-day communications to keep up to date on the latest scores from Letterkenny – and there weren’t many! A 0-3 apiece score-line at half time in an inter-county game is pretty poor stuff and not what you expect from two teams in decent form. For a while I thought the correct updates were getting lost in transit across the North Channel of the Irish Sea but this was not the case. My sources turned out to be spot on; it was in fact the players on the pitch who were off-colour.
Things didn’t get much better after the restart; it took another twenty minutes for each of the sides to get a point; with fifteen minutes to go it was 0-4 each. Having not been in attendance I cannot make this comment with conviction but the fact that the man in the middle was none other than Sligo’s Marty Duffy, it wasn’t a major surprise to hear of a scrappy affair. He awarded thirty-six frees in the opening half, that’s a free a minute, and he wouldn’t be known for the 'letting the game go' at the best of times.
Donegal eventually did spring to life, just as their ancestral cousins were doing in Edinburgh. Four points without reply, Michael Murphy again the tormentor-in-chief, looked to have sealed the win for Jim McGuinness’ charges but two late concessions gave the Lilywhites a point and a goal and a share of the spoils.
Scotland, meanwhile, didn’t manage to get to level terms even though they probably deserved it. Ireland’s concession of penalties provided the Caledonians with the ammunition they needed to make a charge back into the game and they had their own Michael Murphy in the form of Chris Patterson to minimise the gap between the sides. Substitute Dan Parks also chipped in with a drop goal late on. The Scots, however, didn’t have a Mick Foley to level it the death.
Back to GAA matters and it was obviously a huge disappointment to lose a game from a commanding position with such little time left on the clock. Beating a Tyrone team on the slide from the pinnacles they’ve reached in recent years and drawing with a Kildare team going in the opposite direction isn’t to be sniffed at though. Donegal are on the right track and are still well in the hunt for promotion. A trip to Navan in a couple of weeks should give us a clearer indication of whether or not a Division Two title is a realistic target. The bookies don’t seem to think it is, pricing us at 11/2 to lift the trophy.
All of a sudden the talk is of Laois, who won their opening two games with wins against Meath and Antrim. Their annihilation of Derry on Saturday night however has really made people sit up and take note. Going to Celtic Park and coming away with anything is good going so to win by fourteen points is a staggering result and a huge endorsement for the work that Justin McNulty has been doing since taking over.
It was well flagged from the beginning of the season that Division Two was going be an ultra competitive one, and with two points separating the six teams from 2nd to 7th it is certainly working out that way. So 11/2 looks a pretty healthy set of odds to me!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Dun na nGall vs Tyrone
19th February, Healy Park, Omagh. A night that may be looked back upon as an important milestone for Donegal under the stewardship of Jim McGuinness. His tenure reached a new level in Omagh on Saturday night as his charges produced a magnificent display to outclass Tyrone.
Donegal were slow to start, scoring one solitary score in the opening exchanges. The home side led 0-4 to 0-1 after the first quarter but no one could have anticipated what was to follow. For the remainder of the game, close to fifty-five minutes, Tyrone scored two frees; the latter of these, scored by Sean Cavanagh, was the only time they raised the white flag in the entire second half. They also managed just one wide in the same period. Astonishing.
While it is only February and league is a long way away from the cut and thrust of championship, to see a Tyrone side struggle as they did, and to be outplayed, outworked and outfought as they were was quite remarkable.
After struggling early on to gain possession, when the visitors found their rhythm they looked assured and confident, attacking from deep, being driven forward by the enterprising half back line.
Central to this was Leo McLoone, who just seems to be getting better and better. He was given the onerous task of keeping tabs on Sean Cavanagh but this didn’t stop him getting in some of his trademark bursts forward. A point shortly before half time conveyed all that is good about the Glenties man; his ability to solo while under pressure while still holding onto possession is a marvel. Defenders can be hanging off him, hands coming from all sides trying to dispossess him but his close control allows him to keep going. Players often panic in these situations leading to fouls for over carrying or more often than not cheap turnovers.
Further up the field Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden were becoming more involved in an attacking sense but throughout the seventy minutes they worked hard in stalling any quick breaks from defence from Tyrone. The entire team deserve credit for the defensive effort which has led to the side having the best defensive record in Division after the opening two rounds.
As with the U21s last year, McGuinness employed the tactic of taking one of his big men out from the full forward line to midfield on the team’s own kick outs. This gives an extra target for the goalkeeper but can also create a one-on-one situation for the forward that does stay in should the ball come his way.
McFadden didn’t have it all his own way early on; despite scoring his side’s first point of the game many of his subsequent efforts were blocked down. His languid style is fantastic to watch when he’s in the groove but when shooting his style is somewhat telegraphed and defenders sense a chance to prevent a score when he‘s about to pull the trigger. The St Michaels men kept plugging away though and put in a tireless display for the seventy minutes.
The sides were locked at five points apiece at the break and after the 4,000 or so crowd were serenaded with Mo Ghile Mear by the local Naomh Mhuire club’s Scór winners during the changeover, the teams emerged for part two.
Dermot Molloy had entered the fray in the first half, replacing David Walsh, but it was in the second where he made his mark. Just four minutes after the restart, Donegal broke out of defence led by who else but Leo. He carried into the opposition half, popped if off to Daniel McLaughlin; his shot on goal was saved Brick was on hand to put away the rebound. They never looked back after that and rather than sitting on their lead they kept to their game plan of attacking as a unit and picked off point after point.
The hosts were in shock and looked to their leaders to dig them out of a hole as had happened so many times before. Cavanagh cut a frustrated figure as he tried to run at the Tir Conaill defence but was repelled again and again. The Red Hand players were losing their cool and Ryan McMenamin somehow stayed on the field after a stamp on the nether regions of the excellent Paddy McGrath. Another of their marquee names entered the action, Owen Mulligan replacing Niall McKenna but he didn’t fare any better.
Similar to the defeat to Cork in 2009, Tyrone’s primary tactic was to run the ball but almost all of their attacks were gobbled up by the hungry Donegal backs. Neil McGee, Frank McGlynn and Karl Lacey all pounced on runners and turned defence into offence. The O’Neill county still have many of their star forwards but their problem appears to getting these players on the ball; it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cavanagh returned to the No 14 jersey where he was Player of the Year in 2008 by the time we reach the height of Summer.
The final ten minutes saw Kilcar’s Michael Hegarty make a return to inter-county action after a two-year absence. Getting up to match fitness will be his short-term objective but he showed in this cameo that he has lost none of his passing ability and calmness on the ball. His style is like that of a scrum half - he follows the play, sits back slightly but always there to receive the ball and move it on and begin another phase of play.
The re-emergence of Hegarty was just one positive on a night of many in Omagh. To see home fans streaming out of the ground well before the end was a clear sign that this is not the norm at Healy Park and that Donegal had just achieved a performance of some note. Of course this level of performance needs to be maintained consistently if its to reap rewards in the medium to long term. Another stiff test awaits next week, The Messiah welcomes Kildare and Geezer to O’Donnell park next Sunday.
Donegal were slow to start, scoring one solitary score in the opening exchanges. The home side led 0-4 to 0-1 after the first quarter but no one could have anticipated what was to follow. For the remainder of the game, close to fifty-five minutes, Tyrone scored two frees; the latter of these, scored by Sean Cavanagh, was the only time they raised the white flag in the entire second half. They also managed just one wide in the same period. Astonishing.
While it is only February and league is a long way away from the cut and thrust of championship, to see a Tyrone side struggle as they did, and to be outplayed, outworked and outfought as they were was quite remarkable.
After struggling early on to gain possession, when the visitors found their rhythm they looked assured and confident, attacking from deep, being driven forward by the enterprising half back line.
Central to this was Leo McLoone, who just seems to be getting better and better. He was given the onerous task of keeping tabs on Sean Cavanagh but this didn’t stop him getting in some of his trademark bursts forward. A point shortly before half time conveyed all that is good about the Glenties man; his ability to solo while under pressure while still holding onto possession is a marvel. Defenders can be hanging off him, hands coming from all sides trying to dispossess him but his close control allows him to keep going. Players often panic in these situations leading to fouls for over carrying or more often than not cheap turnovers.
Further up the field Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden were becoming more involved in an attacking sense but throughout the seventy minutes they worked hard in stalling any quick breaks from defence from Tyrone. The entire team deserve credit for the defensive effort which has led to the side having the best defensive record in Division after the opening two rounds.
As with the U21s last year, McGuinness employed the tactic of taking one of his big men out from the full forward line to midfield on the team’s own kick outs. This gives an extra target for the goalkeeper but can also create a one-on-one situation for the forward that does stay in should the ball come his way.
McFadden didn’t have it all his own way early on; despite scoring his side’s first point of the game many of his subsequent efforts were blocked down. His languid style is fantastic to watch when he’s in the groove but when shooting his style is somewhat telegraphed and defenders sense a chance to prevent a score when he‘s about to pull the trigger. The St Michaels men kept plugging away though and put in a tireless display for the seventy minutes.
The sides were locked at five points apiece at the break and after the 4,000 or so crowd were serenaded with Mo Ghile Mear by the local Naomh Mhuire club’s Scór winners during the changeover, the teams emerged for part two.
Dermot Molloy had entered the fray in the first half, replacing David Walsh, but it was in the second where he made his mark. Just four minutes after the restart, Donegal broke out of defence led by who else but Leo. He carried into the opposition half, popped if off to Daniel McLaughlin; his shot on goal was saved Brick was on hand to put away the rebound. They never looked back after that and rather than sitting on their lead they kept to their game plan of attacking as a unit and picked off point after point.
The hosts were in shock and looked to their leaders to dig them out of a hole as had happened so many times before. Cavanagh cut a frustrated figure as he tried to run at the Tir Conaill defence but was repelled again and again. The Red Hand players were losing their cool and Ryan McMenamin somehow stayed on the field after a stamp on the nether regions of the excellent Paddy McGrath. Another of their marquee names entered the action, Owen Mulligan replacing Niall McKenna but he didn’t fare any better.
Similar to the defeat to Cork in 2009, Tyrone’s primary tactic was to run the ball but almost all of their attacks were gobbled up by the hungry Donegal backs. Neil McGee, Frank McGlynn and Karl Lacey all pounced on runners and turned defence into offence. The O’Neill county still have many of their star forwards but their problem appears to getting these players on the ball; it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cavanagh returned to the No 14 jersey where he was Player of the Year in 2008 by the time we reach the height of Summer.
The final ten minutes saw Kilcar’s Michael Hegarty make a return to inter-county action after a two-year absence. Getting up to match fitness will be his short-term objective but he showed in this cameo that he has lost none of his passing ability and calmness on the ball. His style is like that of a scrum half - he follows the play, sits back slightly but always there to receive the ball and move it on and begin another phase of play.
The re-emergence of Hegarty was just one positive on a night of many in Omagh. To see home fans streaming out of the ground well before the end was a clear sign that this is not the norm at Healy Park and that Donegal had just achieved a performance of some note. Of course this level of performance needs to be maintained consistently if its to reap rewards in the medium to long term. Another stiff test awaits next week, The Messiah welcomes Kildare and Geezer to O’Donnell park next Sunday.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
5th February - Allianz League Division 2 - Dun na nGall vs. Sligo
What a difference a week makes in inter-county football……last week we saw what was a challenge match in all but name, inexperienced teams playing a dead rubber of a fixture in front of a quiet, shivering crowd.
Fast forward seven days and the beginning of the Allianz Leagues awakens the next band of fans from their winter slumber and their season as a GAA fan kicks off. Crowd numbers have swelled, the intensity on the field has gone up a notch and the traffic coming out of Ballybofey adds a few minutes onto the journey home.
Luckily for the visitors Sligo only had a small distance to travel for the MacCumhaill Park fixture and their supporters had plenty to shout about early on as the Yeatsmen looked fit and sharp and ran at the Donegal backs. David Kelly looked to be picking up from where he left off last year; his movement off the ball and turn of pace giving Paddy McGrath plenty to think about. Kelly is always looking to run in behind his marker and allied with his ability to turn of either foot he is a real handful.
Sligo moved ahead entering the second quarter and their task looked all the more easy when Cloich Cheann Fhaola corner back Kevin Mulhern received a second yellow card and departed the contest. It seemed a harsh decision - there were plenty of hits going in throughout the field; indeed the players were enjoying the step up in fare from the McKenna Cup and FBD League, so the referee could have easily let the players at it. With Donegal down to fourteen, Karl Lacey retreated from his starting wing-back spot and took station at his more familiar corner-back berth. The Four Masters man has been revelling in a more attacking role so far this year and his piercing runs and scoring threat were missed as he was required alongside McGrath and Neil McGee. Kelly and Mark Breheny’s free taking had Sligo two points as well as a man in front as they made their way into the dressing rooms.
As Michael Murphy led his charges out for the second half, he had a word for each of his players before they made there way through the tunnel and onto the pitch. Some have questioned whether someone so young can be an effective captain but the Glenswilly sharpshooter is obviously intent on making his mark in the role. Things got worse before they got better for his team though; the visitors were scything through the defence, taking some lovely points as well as a goal from the on fire Kelly.
As has often happened in recent years, Donegal looked to Murphy for salvation. After a first half where he, Dermot Molloy and the impressive Colm McFadden alternated their roles in attack there was only one place Murphy was going to be positioned as the comeback mission was put into action - the edge of the square. High ball after high ball was pumped into the big man and slowly but surely they ate into the deficit, which at one stage was a seemingly unassailable eight points. On one occasion Murphy rose to collect a ball over the head of his marker and in one movement swivelled, pirouetted and stroked a shot on goal. Unfortunately it clipped off the post but it was a sign that the direct approach was working.
A goal was going to have to be found from somewhere and after a goalmouth scramble a Sligo hand touched the ball on the ground and a penalty was awarded. The last time Murphy faced up to take a penalty in a Donegal jersey was that fateful night in Breffni Park where he almost broke the crossbar with the ferocity of his strike. On this occasion he didn’t catch the kick anywhere as cleanly; Philip Greene in the goal saved but Murphy was on hand to put away the rebound. Game on.
It was another of the class of 2010 who made his mark on the game as Leo McLoone scored two outstanding points. One off his left and one off his right showed the class of the boy as he marauded forward from centre back. McLoone is playing a role similar to what Kevin McKernan did with Down last year in their march to the All-Ireland. Whether he has the defensive side of his game up to scratch is unknown at this early stage but there’s no doubt that he’s an exciting talent.
The teams reached parity as another goal was scored, the vision of Murphy key as he spotted Neil McGee moving in on goal and delivered a dainty foot pass over the heads of two Sligo defenders.
Tony Taylor wasn’t going to let the home side have everything their own way though and he produced a superb score to nudge his side ahead again. There was time for one more point and it was left to substitute Stephen Griffin to register the final score of a gripping contest to level matters at 2-11 to 1-14. Griffin has been a potentially excellent player for a number of seasons, his destruction of Aidan O’Mahony in a league game in Killarney a couple of years ago a particular clue to his talent. Hopefully Jim McGuinness is the man who can the get the best out of him.
McGuinness would have been looking for two points to get the Division Two campaign underway, especially as he now has only two home games left. While he will be disappointed in not having achieved that, he will be encouraged by the response of his players in the second half. Things don’t get any easier either - next up is a rematch with Tyrone!
Fast forward seven days and the beginning of the Allianz Leagues awakens the next band of fans from their winter slumber and their season as a GAA fan kicks off. Crowd numbers have swelled, the intensity on the field has gone up a notch and the traffic coming out of Ballybofey adds a few minutes onto the journey home.
Luckily for the visitors Sligo only had a small distance to travel for the MacCumhaill Park fixture and their supporters had plenty to shout about early on as the Yeatsmen looked fit and sharp and ran at the Donegal backs. David Kelly looked to be picking up from where he left off last year; his movement off the ball and turn of pace giving Paddy McGrath plenty to think about. Kelly is always looking to run in behind his marker and allied with his ability to turn of either foot he is a real handful.
Sligo moved ahead entering the second quarter and their task looked all the more easy when Cloich Cheann Fhaola corner back Kevin Mulhern received a second yellow card and departed the contest. It seemed a harsh decision - there were plenty of hits going in throughout the field; indeed the players were enjoying the step up in fare from the McKenna Cup and FBD League, so the referee could have easily let the players at it. With Donegal down to fourteen, Karl Lacey retreated from his starting wing-back spot and took station at his more familiar corner-back berth. The Four Masters man has been revelling in a more attacking role so far this year and his piercing runs and scoring threat were missed as he was required alongside McGrath and Neil McGee. Kelly and Mark Breheny’s free taking had Sligo two points as well as a man in front as they made their way into the dressing rooms.
As Michael Murphy led his charges out for the second half, he had a word for each of his players before they made there way through the tunnel and onto the pitch. Some have questioned whether someone so young can be an effective captain but the Glenswilly sharpshooter is obviously intent on making his mark in the role. Things got worse before they got better for his team though; the visitors were scything through the defence, taking some lovely points as well as a goal from the on fire Kelly.
As has often happened in recent years, Donegal looked to Murphy for salvation. After a first half where he, Dermot Molloy and the impressive Colm McFadden alternated their roles in attack there was only one place Murphy was going to be positioned as the comeback mission was put into action - the edge of the square. High ball after high ball was pumped into the big man and slowly but surely they ate into the deficit, which at one stage was a seemingly unassailable eight points. On one occasion Murphy rose to collect a ball over the head of his marker and in one movement swivelled, pirouetted and stroked a shot on goal. Unfortunately it clipped off the post but it was a sign that the direct approach was working.
A goal was going to have to be found from somewhere and after a goalmouth scramble a Sligo hand touched the ball on the ground and a penalty was awarded. The last time Murphy faced up to take a penalty in a Donegal jersey was that fateful night in Breffni Park where he almost broke the crossbar with the ferocity of his strike. On this occasion he didn’t catch the kick anywhere as cleanly; Philip Greene in the goal saved but Murphy was on hand to put away the rebound. Game on.
It was another of the class of 2010 who made his mark on the game as Leo McLoone scored two outstanding points. One off his left and one off his right showed the class of the boy as he marauded forward from centre back. McLoone is playing a role similar to what Kevin McKernan did with Down last year in their march to the All-Ireland. Whether he has the defensive side of his game up to scratch is unknown at this early stage but there’s no doubt that he’s an exciting talent.
The teams reached parity as another goal was scored, the vision of Murphy key as he spotted Neil McGee moving in on goal and delivered a dainty foot pass over the heads of two Sligo defenders.
Tony Taylor wasn’t going to let the home side have everything their own way though and he produced a superb score to nudge his side ahead again. There was time for one more point and it was left to substitute Stephen Griffin to register the final score of a gripping contest to level matters at 2-11 to 1-14. Griffin has been a potentially excellent player for a number of seasons, his destruction of Aidan O’Mahony in a league game in Killarney a couple of years ago a particular clue to his talent. Hopefully Jim McGuinness is the man who can the get the best out of him.
McGuinness would have been looking for two points to get the Division Two campaign underway, especially as he now has only two home games left. While he will be disappointed in not having achieved that, he will be encouraged by the response of his players in the second half. Things don’t get any easier either - next up is a rematch with Tyrone!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
29 Jan 2011 - Dr McKenna Cup - Dun na nGall vs Fermanagh
Donegal’s defence of the McKenna Cup trophy they’ve won for the past two years came to an end tonight with a damp squib of a game at MacCumhaill Park. Jim McGuinness brought six U21 players into his senior squad after getting permission form the Ulster Council on account of his panel being stretched to breaking point; he was unsure during the week if would even be able to field a fifteen. He threw all six of these players straight into the action, choosing to leave the likes of Neil McGee, Karl Lacey and Barry Dunnion on the bench. Of the starting fifteen only Kevin Cassidy and Frank McGlynn could be considered regulars and the first half showed a team lacking shape with no particular direction in their play. The more established names did make their way onto the field throughout the game but in the end the home side were never going to catch an energetic and exuberant Fermanagh team who were well worth their five point victory.
The Erne county are also under new management this year with John O'Neill taking the reins. Judging by this performance he has got the time playing with their usual enthusiasm and has unearthed some new talent. Paul Ward at full forward in particularly good notching some nice scores.
There were also some positives for Donegal in spite of the defeat, with Eamon Doherty putting in a confident display at full-back despite the performance of Ward. The No 3 jersey has generally been a problem position over the years, with McGee the only contender since Glenties’ Paddy Campbell retired. Doherty though played well throughout, reading the game well at times and showing strength when needed to win possession. Another plus on the night was the performance of Jamie Doherty on the 40; the youngster scored two fine points on a night when composure in front of the posts was lacking for the green and gold. It was a historicx nijght for his club as he became the first player from Letterkenny Gaels to represent the county at senior level.
A four-point win or better for Donegal would have given them a semi-final rematch with Tyrone but in truth the management won’t be too worried about missing out. That semi-final would have taken place on February 12th, resulting in seven matches on successive weekends. It would also have meant a re-match with the O’Neill county, a week before the sides will meet in the league under lights in Omagh.
Instead they will begin the league campaign next week back in Ballybofey, with Sligo making the short trip to kick off Division Two.
The forward cavalry are certain to return then with Michael Murphy, Dermot Molloy and Colm McFadden battling it out for spots in the forwards. With four of the seven league matches away from home getting points on the board quickly will be imperative and a greatly improved performance can be expected in seven days time. It will be interesting to see how much experimentation Jim will employ in the league campaign. In recent years, certainly during John Joe Doherty’s tenure, the league was used to blood plenty new players but come championship time the majority of these were back on the bench. This time around the manager is expected to stick with the new arrivals right the way through to that May 15th date with Antrim.
That’s three months away yet though and theres seven (who knows maybe more!) games to be played over the course of the Division Two campaign before then. Ar aghaidh linn....
The Erne county are also under new management this year with John O'Neill taking the reins. Judging by this performance he has got the time playing with their usual enthusiasm and has unearthed some new talent. Paul Ward at full forward in particularly good notching some nice scores.
There were also some positives for Donegal in spite of the defeat, with Eamon Doherty putting in a confident display at full-back despite the performance of Ward. The No 3 jersey has generally been a problem position over the years, with McGee the only contender since Glenties’ Paddy Campbell retired. Doherty though played well throughout, reading the game well at times and showing strength when needed to win possession. Another plus on the night was the performance of Jamie Doherty on the 40; the youngster scored two fine points on a night when composure in front of the posts was lacking for the green and gold. It was a historicx nijght for his club as he became the first player from Letterkenny Gaels to represent the county at senior level.
A four-point win or better for Donegal would have given them a semi-final rematch with Tyrone but in truth the management won’t be too worried about missing out. That semi-final would have taken place on February 12th, resulting in seven matches on successive weekends. It would also have meant a re-match with the O’Neill county, a week before the sides will meet in the league under lights in Omagh.
Instead they will begin the league campaign next week back in Ballybofey, with Sligo making the short trip to kick off Division Two.
The forward cavalry are certain to return then with Michael Murphy, Dermot Molloy and Colm McFadden battling it out for spots in the forwards. With four of the seven league matches away from home getting points on the board quickly will be imperative and a greatly improved performance can be expected in seven days time. It will be interesting to see how much experimentation Jim will employ in the league campaign. In recent years, certainly during John Joe Doherty’s tenure, the league was used to blood plenty new players but come championship time the majority of these were back on the bench. This time around the manager is expected to stick with the new arrivals right the way through to that May 15th date with Antrim.
That’s three months away yet though and theres seven (who knows maybe more!) games to be played over the course of the Division Two campaign before then. Ar aghaidh linn....
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