Donegal Off to a Flyer

A new year, new league campaign, new jerseys, new players but same old Donegal – composed, economical, patient and crucially last night, clinical. To post 3-15 any day is pleasing, to lay down such a marker away from home in Division One even more impressive.

It was clear early on who was the established top tier outfit and who was experiencing what may well be a brief stay amongst the game’s elite. Donegal made everything look simple whereas Down had to expend much more effort in all aspects of play.

The visitors’ defence, led by the commanding Neil McGee, illustrated wonderful examples of interceptions, near hand tackles and doing enough to dispossess their markers. McGee’s evening didn’t last too long but he can certainly feel aggrieved over his black card dismissal – he made a genuine attempt to get the ball as Ryan Johnston bore down on goal and therefore a deliberate foot trip was an incorrect call; a yellow card for a sliding tackle would have been more appropriate.

It mattered little as brother Eamon, who incidentally made it two McGees & two black cards before night’s end, slotted in seamlessly and after Peter Boyle saved the resultant spot kick, the fight seemed to seep from the Mournemen.

Boyle had an encouraging outing between the posts with the vast majority of his kick outs directed straight down the middle. Whether or not Paul Durcan returns to the side over the coming months remains to be seen but if not then Donegal’s restart strategy will need some variation.

There were numerous changes in front of Boyle at throw-in and when it all settled down, Anthony Thompson sat in front of the full back line and swept to great effect. He made one or two of his trademark ghost-like appearances inside the opposition scoring zone but for the most part he used his fantastic game intelligence to snuff out Down’s direct ball threat. 

Anthony’s brother Ciaran, after some fine McKenna Cup performances, produced another solid display. Thompson junior showed great composure and awareness to setup Ryan McHugh for the night’s opening goal while he also got on the score sheet himself with a booming left footed score in the early minutes.

Donegal dominated the early exchanges around midfield, claiming possession from both clean fielding and winning those all important breaks. It is an area that is worked on religiously at training as the players are hugely adept at making the decision whether to tap the ball down to a waiting team-mate, put the fist through it or go for the catch.

There was a slightly wayward midfield spell during the first half when Down got back into the game; they seemed to have far too much space on their own kick outs, winning some of them uncontested but they failed to make the most of their increased share of the ball.

The gap soon became an unassailable lead as Michael Murphy’s flawless place kicking punished every Down misdemeanour. The captain’s majestic sideline kick was another one for the scrapbook, landing right on the black spot as it made its way through the Pairc Esler uprights.

Murphy’s positioning on the field is of course always a huge source of debate. Patrick McBrearty manned the full forward line as Michael did most of his work between midfield and centre forward, not that the nobles would have noticed as all eyes would have been on the ‘GAA clasico’ taking place on Jones Road.

Down are fortunate that their fixture with Dublin won’t be taking place at Headquarters as their lack of mobility on a big pitch could make for unpleasant viewing. New manager Eamon Burns stated before the match that he had introduced bigger, more physical players into the panel to assist in breaking down the defences of the modern game. On the evidence we saw in Newry its a flawed policy.

Their players struggled to cover the ground, stay with their men or make any inroads into the Donegal blanket. Their new policy robs them of pace and even their skill set looked below the required standard at this level.

Donegal on the other hand are a very mobile team. Sure there are plenty big men and there are a lot you wouldn’t fancy running into at full tilt but you also have the likes of the McHugh cousins, Paddy McGrath, the indefatigable Frank McGlynn and Martin O’Reilly - players who can make incisive cuts through opposition defensive lines. The best teams have both power and pace, both speed and strength. The first and third goals, either side of a stunning effort from McBrearty, are a case in point; Donegal ran around the statue-like home defence with ease.

McHugh’s two goal salvo earned him man of the match honours but it was a close run with O’Reilly, who produced a terrific evening’s work from wing back. The MacCumhaills man appears more confident and more assured than ever, wanting to take responsibility on the field and get on the ball. He came of age as an inter-county player in 2015, primarily as an accomplished goal poacher. Last night saw him moved back the pitch where he was marking one of Down’s key threats, Kevin McKernan. Such was O’Reilly’s dominance that McKernan was largely ineffective and spent much of his evening running the other way trying to stay with the Donegal bundle of energy.

Down’s other main creative threat, Mark Poland, had a similarly frustrating game getting to know what McHugh’s new No5 jersey looks like from the rear.

The Donegal pair are a great example to the many new faces in the squad and they will all feel that they can be operating at their level over the coming years. There will be some teething problems, some hesitancy in possession and slightly delayed decision making the main issues evident last night but overall the younger of the Thompsons and McHughs, along with Micheal Carroll can be delighted with their night’s work.

So all in all a good night’s work and two points in the bag. A few of the big hitters got a run near the end, including the returning Rory Kavanagh, and with lads such as Karl Lacey and Colm McFadden still to come back, the panel is in rude health. Securing such a comfortable win without many of those big hitters will satisfy Rory Gallagher and his backroom team.

The poor standard of the opposition though will keep expectations firmly in check. A more rigorous examination will be provided by Cork next week and that will present a clearer picture of the current state of play.

The last word can go to a home supporter who left the Marshes with a number of minutes still to be played... ”that wasn’t worth two f***ing pound never mind twelve!” For Down, that says it all.

Below Par Donegal Defeated by Down

While last week’s patchy performance against Meath was generally viewed as a welcome eye-opener for Donegal, today’s against Down suggests that Jim McGuinness’ men have some serious work ahead of them if they’re to slay the Oak Leaf County on May 25^th. The anticipated response following the game in Ballybofey on Sunday last did not materialise in Pairc Esler and instead the county’s followers are left with more questions than answers.

In some ways it is tricky to judge today’s game by comparing the teams as in truth neither side looked in any way impressive in what was a scrappy, error-strewn affair. The blustery conditions led to both teams over and under hitting passes and you wouldn’t have guessed that these sides contested the provincial championship showpiece less than two years ago. Down looked dangerous early on and scythed through Donegal’s unusually porous central channel for some easy scores. They had a few half-goal chances in the opening exchanges and when Niall Madine finally did register a major, it would prove to be the game’s crucial score as they never relinquished the lead it gave them.

The main problem again today was the kick-out and it really is becoming a serious worry as we look ahead to Championship 2014. Again Donegal tried to create a large gap for their midfielders with even more emphasis being put on the defenders in creating that space. Corner backs Karl Lacey and Eamonn McGee were instructed to stay tight to the touchline on Paul Durcan’s kickouts – this either meant they were an option for short kick-outs on any occasion they weren’t picked up by their marker or it left the centre of the field largely free for Martin McElhinney and Rory Kavanagh. The problem is that Donegal without Neil Gallagher are severely depleted under their own restarts - and teams know this. Therefore opponents are happy to close off those potential short kick-outs and force Durcan to kick long. We saw it in the first half in particular today and of course we saw it to devastating effect in last year’s Mayo massacre when a far from fit Gallagher was dominated by an inspired Aidan O’Shea.

With Down on top in the middle and gaining primary ball, they ran at Donegal with Mark Poland especially causing numerous problems. Poland is one of the classiest footballers in the country and he is very difficult to tackle such is his small stature and low centre of gravity. Leo McLoone at centre back tried to get forward as much as possible in an attempt to drag the Longstone clubman away from his centre-forward station and to limit his effect on the game; it was to no avail however and instead it led to space for Poland and his team mates to exploit and this they did. Frank McGlynn took over marking duties for parts of the second half and did have a bit more success but the conundrum remained largely unsolved.

Kevin McKernan and Peter Turley were excellent at midfield, providing power and physicality while the hosts’ defence did well on sharpshooters Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden. In contrast to Donegal’s tactic of a roaming centre back, Down’s Aidan Carr held his position and acted as a screen in front of his full back line, particularly in the second half when the wind-assisted Donegal played a more direct game.

Much was made last year of Down referencing the McGuinness template in the Ulster semi-final between the teams at Breffni Park and in particular the defensive aspects of it. On today’s showing it appears that they have now subsumed the entire portfolio with their much-improved attacking play and ability to commit more numbers to breaks a measure of their evolution.

In spite of the erratic nature of today’s display, Donegal could easily have won the game such was the amount of chances wasted both before and after the short whistle – they recorded twelve wides in all. Corner forward McFadden was guilty of two poor misses from frees and his style of getting height on the ball is a risky one when the breeze is as strong as it was today; on both occasions the wind carried the ball to the right and wide on his own side, the cardinal sin for a free taker.

McLoone had a bit more freedom after the break and was one of the few Donegal players who could be satisfied with their performance. He notched one wonderful point when he showed great intelligence by opting to flick the ball past an on-rushing Mourne defender instead of trying to gain possession immediately and being swallowed up in the tackle - he collected the ball on the other side and stroked over.

That had come after a fine score by Martin McElhinney as Donegal started the second half with much more intent and purpose in their play. McElhinney was excellent throughout and bar one bad miss in front of the posts he performed admirably for his side throughout. With the current problems the team is experiencing around the middle third it would be no surprise to see Gallagher return alongside the current midfield pairing as opposed to replacing one of them, with Kavanagh or McElhinney possibly lining out at wing forward.

The cavalry arrived in the form of Gallagher, Patrick McBrearty and David Walsh but even they couldn’t change the direction of the game and McCartan’s charges saw it out with two points to spare.

It certainly isn’t a time for panic in the ranks or anything of that nature but there needs to be signs of improvement in the remaining two league games to show that the solutions to the problems that have arisen in the past week are working. It may well be three games with promotion chances and a subsequent divisional final spot still looking likely; bottom side Louth the next visitors to the North West. It is ironic though that it was this very same weekend last year, on St Patrick’s weekend, where the first cracks began to emerge. On the Saturday night in Pairc Ui Rinn in Cork, Donegal’s second half performance was light years away from the heights they had reached the previous summer. A week later we saw a similar show in Castlebar with Mayo deserving winners following another poor exhibition from the men in green and gold. The next few weeks will go a long way in telling us what 2014 holds in store.

Dún na nGall Edge Past Dogged Down

Donegal’s drive for three Ulster titles in a row is still on and after a tense affair in Cavan yesterday they booked their place at the provincial finale in four weeks time.

Down set the tone for the game with their tactical strategy, James McCartan determined not to let history repeat itself. In last year’s Ulster Final, Down stayed with Donegal for the first half before being blown out of the water - yesterday they were going to stay with them right until the end.

The Mourne Men set themselves up the same way Tyrone did in last year’s semi final and made life very difficult for the Champions. It was just what this Donegal team needed though; a tight, tough, tense encounter and while not playing at their best - indeed not being allowed to play at their best - they still came through and that’s the mark of a team who know how to win matches.

Most games are decided in the closing stages but in truth the first fourteen minutes settled this contest. With Down’s red and black bus parked at the town end of Breffni Park they were setup to defend a lead and look for scraps on the break, going 0-4 behind at this stage of the game though signalled trouble. They fought brilliantly throughout and McCartan and his players deserve huge credit but they never looked like finding enough scores to get over the line.

In the first half Down tried to attack through the middle when they may have been better off using the wings where there was more space. They did get back to within two points by the half time break but that was as close as they got. After the break, they used the wide areas more before bursting inside at angles and got some joy with Donegal forced to give away a number of frees. Every time though they got within striking distance, the men in green and gold mustered a point from somewhere. One key moment in the last quarter could have turned things but once Eamon McGee collected a Down free off the upright the Ulster Final was in sight – if that had been converted it was a one point game.

McGee alongside his brother Neil and Ardara’s Paddy McGrath were outstanding in the full back line. In today’s game positions around the middle don’t really mean a lot – half forwards, midfielders and half backs all do a similar job and have to work in a scrum of bodies everyday they take to the field. The other lines though have more individuality about them and that trio in the last line of defence were immense.

So too the inside line. Right now our full forward line is the best in the business and they proved their worth in spades yesterday. Patrick McBrearty worked tirelessly throughout and despite being under the weather, which resulted in a visit to a local dentist on Saturday night, he played his part in the victory, the highlight for him a beautiful point from play in the first half.

Colm McFadden was the star of the show and the win rounded off a very special week for him following the birth of his son Matthew (Jimmy’s nephew) on Wednesday night. When the game was growing tenser by the second it was the Creeslough man who stood up and boomed over two towering long range points to keep Down at bay.

Captain Michael Murphy came to the fore as well finishing the day with 0-5, four of those coming from frees. His last free, which sealed the win, was a massive 60 yard effort and it had plenty to spare as it sailed over the same crossbar which caused him so much grief three years ago in the U21 Final. Murphy gets a bit of stick for not contributing more from play on the scoreboard but there aren’t many players in the country who could nail such a mammoth kick.

Ryan McHugh made his Championship debut yesterday and despite reservations about the strength of McGuinness’ squad the substitutes again played their part with Marty Reilly and Martin McElhinney showing well once more.

McHugh was assigned a man-marking brief on Conor Laverty, just as he had been in the league match earlier this year in Ballybofey. Laverty had caused a lot of problems in the first half; his low centre of gravity allied to his balance and sharpness make him a difficult opponent and indeed an early challenge on him resulted in a yellow card for the elder McGee. His threat certainly waned though once McHugh got to grips with him.

Despite the good performance of McElhinney after his introduction, midfield was again a worry. Tyrone were on top in the middle third for long periods of the quarter final and with strong displays from Kalum King, Ambrose Rogers and Kevin McKernan yesterday Donegal were under the cosh again. It was clear after half-time that Paul Durcan used the short kick out a lot more in order to provide primary possession for his team-mates. Its obviously something the management are working on - Maxi Curran could be seen recording all of yesterday’s kick outs and these will no doubt be analysed forensically in the coming weeks.

Ryan’s brother Mark as usual treaded every blade of grass on the field of play and after an injury ravaged league he seems to be getting back to his best. Injuries, or hopefully the lack of them, as we go through the year are going to have a major impact on Donegal’s season. Without two starters yesterday, Karl Lacey and Neil Gallagher, the team lost two more by half time with Ryan Bradley and Frank McGlynn succumbing to concussion. Club Championship action this weekend has the potential to add more bodies to the treatment table so it will be a huge positive if Jim and Rory can get everyone to Clones on the 21^st fit and well.

Down will feel they let the game slip due to the fact they had Donegal within striking distance but couldn’t provide a killer blow. They didn’t actually have that many chances though and often seemed reluctant to shoot. A hallmark of the McGuinness tenure is the economy that his side shows in front of the posts – it’s very unusual to see a Donegal player take on a low percentage chance - they remain patient and wait for the right opportunity. Down on the other hand rushed a lot of their shots and played quite a number into the grateful hands of Durcan.

The absence of both Lacey and McGlynn left a distinct lack of pace in the half back line and against such a packed defence this can lead to slow ball and therefore more time for the defensive wall to regroup and get set. Donegal suffered from this in the now infamous semi-final defeat to Dublin in 2011 and it was shown up again yesterday.

Early on, Donegal counteracted Down’s deep lying blanket by pushing up on them and employing a high line pressing game that Mayo have used to good effect in their last two games. If anything though they committed too many men forward and cluttered things up even more for themselves. This led to poor, impatient passing and Down forced numerous turnovers. As the half went on, Donegal retreated to cope with the attacking threat which belatedly came from their opponents. After having too many bodies forward they then left the ball carrier isolated on a few occasions; Leo McLoone in particular found himself high and dry as he moved into a full forward role at the end of the first half. This is out of character for this team and unfortunately we also saw glimpses of it the league defeats to Cork and Mayo.

As for the game itself as a whole, some have described it as a tense, engrossing affair while others are lamenting the lack of flair and space. So far Championship 2013 analysis has been dominated by the lack of competitiveness and the gap between the haves and the have nots. You cant have it both ways and surely a gripping contest with a grandstand finish beats a one-sided stroll any day.

Either way Donegal or indeed Down won't care too much about the quality of the game - they both know the result. The latter head to the qualifiers in good fettle and with a good chance of making Croke Park in August - for the double Ulster Champions it's all about Clones in a month’s time and making it a treble.

Dún na nGall open their Division One account

First two points on the board in Division One for Donegal and a good night all round at MacCumhaill Park.

As with last week, it took Donegal quite a while to get into their stride and get up to the pace of the game. A lot was made of the team’s second half performances in last year’s All-Ireland march - that was primarily due to the reserves of fitness that the players had in their collective tanks - at present though its more to do with the tank running a little low. The side found enough in the second half though to put this game to bed as the Down challenge fell away just as it did in last year’s Ulster Final.

The first half was a scrappy affair with the Mournemen employing a running game but didn’t make too much headway. They simply don’t have the physicality to burst through the Donegal rearguard although they did manage to win a few frees and with Donal O’Hare in good form from the boot they went in a point to the good.

The hosts’ handling throughout the game was a particularly impressive facet of the game; time and again players caught balls over their head or even one-handed and unlike the Irish at the Aviva today, the ball stuck. Its another insight into the training that Jim and Rory put this team through - its not all running and strength work. Clubs across Donegal and indeed all over the country are trying to emulate the McGuinness template with players enduring arduous long runs, numerous ascents of sand dunes and countless hours in the gym. It cannot be overlooked though that this Donegal team possesses superb footballers with extremely high skill levels - that, as much as the conditioning of the squad, is the reason why we are All-Ireland Champions.

Donegal weren’t at the races but whatever was said at half time had the desired effect. They immediately reeled the visitors in and took control of the game. They would keep Down scoreless until the latter stages of the game, while eight white flags were raised at the other end.

A quiet and subdued crowd in Ballybofey were awoken from their slumber with the news that Neil Gallagher was going to join the action for the second half. He had a huge impact on the game and gives such an important physical presence around the middle third as well providing his ability to win primary possession. Gallagher replaced Martin McElhinney who again failed to stamp his authority on the game at midfield; the hard work required in the engine room doesn’t allow him to show his full skillset. The St Michaels man is better suited to a deep lying half forward role where he can use his driving power and penetration to trouble defences. Indeed in last year’s league encounter with Down he did just that early on and gave Donegal some impetus at Pairc Esler.

That night last year in Newry, we were without our twin towers strike force of Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy but last night they were both in the side, the latter shaking off the hamstring injury he picked up last week. McFadden still looks a bit off the pace and the three week break will help him regain some of his sharpness. No such worries with the country’s form player Murphy however, his six-point haul last night brought his total for the week to twenty-four for county and college. God help the UCD defence who have to face him in the Sigerson quarter-final this Thursday.

Those six-points were key to Donegal registering their first points of the campaign and just as vital was the contribution of Mark McHugh. The Kilcar man is such a vital cog for this team, his paws are on so many of our scores and there isn’t a blade of grass on a pitch that he doesn’t cover at some stage during a match.
So much of Donegal’s approach centres on players using their physique to carry the ball into a tackle and then off loading, thus creating space for the receiver. So often that receiver is McHugh - he is the main outlet anytime one of his team-mates go on a foray into traffic.

Neil McGee picked up the Setanta man of the match award and while he did have a fine game, its quite possible that it was a case of mistaken identity. The older brother Eamonn gave a commanding display from start to finish and often it was him and not Neil who came marauding out of defence to instigate another Donegal attack.

Its hard to know where this Down side goes from here, two defeats and they are propping up the table with Kerry and Cork in Division One. Not bad company to be keeping but James McCartan’s men face a huge task in trying to retain their status in the top flight. They’ve always produced classy footballers and still have plenty of them in their ranks but getting a coherent plan together is crucial in the modern game and they have yet to find the right blueprint.

The teams are on the same side of the draw in this year’s chase for Anglo Celt honours so they may meet again. Tyrone will of course have a lot to say about that on May 26th and next up in the league is the dress-rehearsal for that crunch encounter. How seriously either team will treat that remains to be seen, neither manager will want to give too much away but as always with McGuinness and Harte it will be fascinating battle. Roll on Healy Park.

Defeat to Derry, now on to Down

Donegal rounded off the 2012 McKenna Cup campaign tonight with a date with Derry, a repeat of last year’s Ulster Final. It was a decent Donegal display, coming out on the wrong side of the result by two points. Jim McGuinness again gave youth its chance with survivors from Sunday’s line up including Martin O’Reilly, Daniel McLaughlin and Michael Mullin.

Dermot Brick Molloy was the star of the show early on, scoring five points (three from play) in the first half while it was only an early Derry penalty that kept them within touching distance. Derry played with quite an experienced side and John Brennan has certainly added some defensive steel to his side despite his apparent abhorrence to the notion last season.

Rory Kavanagh made his first appearance of the year, lining out at midfield; the Eunans man was hampered for long periods of last year’s Championship with an ankle problem so he’ll be a huge plus for the manager if he can regain full fitness.

Derry fought back well early in the second half while the home side went a long time without a score, almost twenty minutes, similar to what happened in the second period at Breffni Park. Donegal eventually awoke from their slumber but couldnt catch the Oakleaf county who go on to a semi final this weekend. Meanwhile Donegal can take stock of the opening stages of what is hoped will be another long inter-county season.

Overall the competition served its purpose - players got back a bit of match sharpness, a welcome break I’m sure from the hectic training schedule they’re going through at present, and there were also some newcomers introduced to keep existing panellists on their toes.

After a successful 2011 though, Donegal are not looking to reinvent the wheel in 2012. The system will remain much the same; tweaks have to be made up front and also in how the half backs and midfield support the full forward line. Other teams will have a better idea as to how to play us, so there’ll be a step up to be taken overall - if your not moving forward your standing still after all.
 
Similarly the personnel will not change greatly, if Jim unearths a player or two who can perform in the Championship cauldron then great. If not, it will be those players who didn’t quite make the starting team last season, those from 16 to 22 on the panel, who will push us on that bit more. We've already seen Brick and Neil Gallagher do this in the opening fixtures, its up to other players like Eamonn McGee, Martin McElhinney and Marty Boyle to show the manager they're worth a starting berth.

With the way our league fixtures are mapped out, a win in our opener against Down could set us up for a great Division 1 campaign. Last year showed the importance of getting points on the board early - we looked dead and buried against Sligo in our first game, but somehow salvaged a draw from eight points, and a man, down. Then came the terrific performance against Tyrone in Healy Park and after that we were looking good for a promotion push.

It'll be no different this year, we'll have a fair idea after our first two games whether its a relegation battle or a chance at a semi final spot. Tyrone managed to mount a promotion bid last year despite enduring a poor start but Division One won't be as forgiving should Donegal start off poorly. Laois, a team we've played on numerous occasions in the league in recent years, visit O’Donnell Park in Round Two. We'd be expecting to win that game and if that was bringing us to three or four points with three home fixtures remaining we could be anticipating another promising league run.
 
Its a bit early though for those kinds of permutations and predictions - Jim will be looking at getting somewhere close to his championship 15 over the course of the league and what will be of most interest will be the make up of the forward line.
 
Michael Murphy's groin operation rules him out until March at the earliest and a niggling back injury will also rule out his partner in crime Colm McFadden for a similar length of time. That means likely starting spots for Dermot Molloy, Patrick McBrearty and Stephen Griffin - certainly two of those three should start in Newry. Griffin, being the only natural right footer of the trio, has a good chance of starting after an his excellent display against Cavan; indeed he would have started tonight but was withdrawn from the line up before throw-in.
 
The other main selection difference from last year's Championship team will be the gap left by Kevin Cassidy. Leo McLoone started as last year's centre back with Karl Lacey at wing back and there’s a fair chance that that will be the configuration again come the Summer.

So its all ahead of us now - at least seven league fixtures and hopefully a lot more than the bare minimum two Championship clashes. A journey like last year is what we’re all hoping for and we’re dreaming of it being one game longer.
Newry in February…..Croke Park in September…..we’re on the road again.