Another bad day at the Croke Park office for Donegal
yesterday in what turned out to be a meek surrender against a superior Monaghan
outfit. Throughout proceedings the Farney Men were faster, sharper and above
all more committed in the tackle - Donegal just didn’t get into any rhythm and
looked sluggish and well off the pace. Perhaps this can be attributed to last week’s training camp
in Portugal; whatever the reason there was certainly something amiss with the
performance, or non-performance, to put it more accurately.
Monaghan took control of the game in the second quarter as
their tactic of taking points from distance reaped plenty of rewards. Teams have
realised that carrying the ball into the waiting hordes of gold jerseys usually
results in a turnover so shooting from forty yards out renders the blanket
redundant.
It was interesting that almost all of the scores at this
time were taken with the outside of the boot; even though this is a difficult
skill to execute, it is generally a technique used by players who aren’t
natural strikers of a ball or who don’t often find themselves in scoring
positions (a Michael Murphy or a Conor McManus would normally kick around the
ball when taking scores rather than cut across it) and it was primarily Monaghan’s
defenders and midfielders who were getting up to register these points and kick
in that style.
Derry may well try something similar in the upcoming
Championship battle so we may see Donegal’s defensive screen pushing slightly
higher up the field as a counter measure. This tactic will not always work of
course, due to the difficulty of the shots on offer but Monaghan excelled in
this facet of their game.
Following this first half scoring spurt, Donegal were always
chasing the game and with a somewhat misfiring forward unit this always seemed destined
to be a fruitless pursuit. Patrick McBrearty struggled to get into the game
while Colm McFadden had one of those fidgety days where his control and
accuracy disappear for large periods. Murphy did fairly well when the ball came
his way but his marker Vinny Corey, as he has done in the past, did a decent
job on the Maestro.
Things certainly improved when Neil Gallagher was introduced
late in the first half as he helped gain some level of parity around the middle
third. The decision to keep both Gallagher and Mark McHugh on the bench may
have been some shadow-boxing ahead of Championship but there is no question
that both need to start in four weeks’ time in Celtic Park. Gallagher’s
importance cannot be overstated and he’ll now have even more responsibility on
his shoulders seeing as his midfield partner Rory Kavanagh will be suspended
after being shown red in the game’s key incident - any chance of a comeback was
put to bed with the dismissal of the St Eunan’s man after half time.
Kavanagh had lost his right boot in a tangle for the ball - Darren
Hughes then kicked his boot away as he tried to pick it up, then knocked it out
of his hands after he had picked it up; Rory reacted by jabbing the boot into
Hughes’ nether region – cue the Oscar-winning performance from the Ulster
captain. Rory’s actions were petulant and silly but Hughes should be
embarrassed with himself. Such a fine player, having a fantastic game at
midfield, he let himself down badly with his play-acting, writhing around for a
few minutes as if he had been shot, with his only aim being to get his opponent
sent from the field. Marty Boyle did something similar against Dublin a few
years ago and rightly endured some flak for his actions but Hughes was even worse.
Kavanagh will now be suspended for the joust with Derry while the futility of
the black card was highlighted as Hughes was ordered from the field with only a
few minutes remaining after an off the ball hit on substitute Conor Classon –
the card was academic at that stage.
History was repeating itself as Jim McGuinness had also seen
his side reduced to fourteen in his last Division Two final, on that occasion in
2011 it was Adrian Hanlon who got his marching orders against Laois. Another
repeat from that final three years ago was a Michael Murphy penalty dispatched
into the Canal End goal; back then it set us on the way to victory but yesterday the
Ulster Champions responded with a goal of their own, ending the game as a
contest.
Ryan McHugh had won the penalty after an incisive burst into
Monaghan territory and he looked lively throughout but didn’t
see enough of the ball. It was good to see the introduction of Classon into the
fray for his first action of the year; a hugely important member of the U21
Class of 2010, the Ardara powerhouse has never really made it at senior level
but his brilliant performance in last year’s County Semi-Final against
Glenswilly illustrated his ability and he might be one to watch over the Summer
if Jim decides he’s ready for more game time.
It is an unusual thing to say about McGuinness’ Donegal but we
looked like conceding yesterday. Normally opponents are swallowed up in
possession and you’d be guaranteed to see numerous turnovers and the subsequent
swarm break out of defence. Monaghan were comfortable with the ball though and
had very little pressure applied to them and looked like they could create opportunities at
will. The sheer bloody mindedness of the Donegal defensive effort wasn’t
evident yesterday but it needs to return.
So where does all this leave the team as they await the
cauldron of Celtic Park for the Ulster opener with Derry? On the face of it, it
might be unwise to read much into either team based on events at HQ yesterday.
Not long after Donegal left the field, Derry entered the fray for the Division
One decider hoping to continue their impressive form and give the All-Ireland
Champions a rattle – instead they were totally obliterated as the Dubs produced
a frightening display of pace, power and accuracy. Prior to that the Oakleaf
County have looked good in the league and there’s no doubt that a huge test
awaits.
This isn’t the first warning sign to flash for McGuinness’
side this season; the performance in Newry was below par and that had been
preceded by the match with Meath which needed a last-gasp Murphy free to secure a
draw. We’ve heard time and again though from both the manager and the players,
on the importance of Championship and how everything is geared towards the
first round of Ulster. If anyone is going to have a team ready its Jim. He
watched his charges suffer relegation this time last year against Dublin but
returned to Ballybofey a few weeks later to beat Tyrone. Derry in Celtic Park
will be even tougher and there have been aspects in our play of late that will
have even the most faithful of supporters a little worried. In spite of that
though, we know what this team are capable of and we have to believe that the
spark will be back in time for what will be a great occasion on May 25th.
