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!
Monday, March 21, 2011
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!
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