Slán Leat 2011

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…..