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.
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