Donegal Stumble Over First Qualifier Hurdle

Sometimes being a GAA supporter is a joyous experience filled with incredible, unforgettable moments. Some matches give you goosebumps when you’re there watching in the flesh.

Others are a penance. Saturday was one such occasion.

A huge crowd had gathered by The Finn to see if Donegal could get back on the horse after their implosion against Tyrone but for many there what unfolded in front of their eyes would have ranked as one of the worst games of football they’d ever seen.

It was reminiscent of the Laois game in Carrick on Shannon in 2013 - everything a struggle, everything an effort.

Both teams were lethargic, both committed basic errors while the shooting was simply atrocious.

However, if Donegal can navigate their way through the back door to reach Croke Park, few will care about the weekend’s fare.

Who remembers the Longford game in 2003? What about Carlow at home in 2009? The end points of those years are more important – an All-Ireland semi-final and quarter-final respectively.

As often happens with a team after a bad defeat, management decide to start again, to go back to basics and that’s exactly what Rory Gallagher did with his troops.

Donegal went defensive, they got numbers back and they made sure that the gaps that appeared ad nauseam in Clones would not be seen again, regardless of the inferiority of the opponents this time around.

The building blocks were constructed at the back, with the aim of keeping the score down. That was achieved but the zip on the counter attack and quality score-taking were marked absent.

Overall a bad display can be put down to the scar tissue that remains from the Ulster semi-final. After building up to the game since the draw was made last October, being on the receiving end of a pasting takes time to get over.

It hasn’t cleared yet and may not anytime soon but at least the healing has started.

Keeping the score down was one part of the rebuilding process but how the team attacks must also improve and develop.

Gallagher has generally persisted with an attack they depends on support coming from behind the ball carrier. When it works it can be devastating such is the pace that the team possesses and the intricate lines of running the players are so adept at fashioning.

When it doesn’t work though there has to be an alternative.

Donegal attacked Longford up the middle and when the visitors blocked that channel, there was nowhere to go -  there seemed to be a deliberate ploy to go through the centre and avoid the wings, which were lying vacant for much of the proceedings.

On several occasions, particularly in the first half, the ball was fed over and back in front of the D before a questionable shot option was selected which invariably led to a wide or a block down. The defensive cordon wasn’t being broken so a constant cycle of recycling was the outcome.

All the while Michael Langan was inside and could have done damage had he got some ball. The other inside man, Patrick McBrearty, was receiving the ball around the 45 – too far out for a marksman of his quality.

The wrong player was usually on the end of moves as well, leading to defenders like Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Paddy McGrath and Caolan Ward turning back for support as they weren’t comfortable or confident enough to shoot.

In yesterday’s Munster Final, Kerry almost always managed to work the ball to either Paul Geaney or James O’Donoghue. They’re their main men, the lads who will score the bulk for them so they work at getting them on the end of moves.

In a tight, turgid game like we saw, usually one man has to stand up and it was Martin McElhinney who delivered. Martin has always been a direct footballer and he can break tackles. With a young team, this is often the key variance missing from their play – they are not sufficiently physically developed to take the hits on the run and keep going. So they either turn back for support before the hit or they take it and get turned over.

McElhinney also made a hugely positive impact against Tyrone so he’s surely now in the running for a starting jersey for next weekend.

The pairings this morning provided Donegal a good draw, on paper at least. Their performance levels must increase though by a few notches in order to get over Meath in Pairc Tailteann.

We're told that qualifiers are about getting back on the wagon, to get up and running after a loss and to create the magic word – momentum.

Taking the first step is the hardest part and Donegal certainly did all they could to prove that idiom true.

Having avoided Mayo in Round 3, a path has now opened up to HQ on Quarter Final day at the end of the month.

The open expanses of Croke Park seemed light years away as wide after wide sailed past the Mac Cumhaill Park posts on Saturday evening.

The opportunity is there though.

Donegal are still alive and while not yet kicking, there’s still time for that.

Donegal Surge Out of the Blocks but Tougher Tests Lie Ahead

Championship Sunday in May. First day out of the summer. Nothing like it.

Every county feels expectation and optimism at this time of year and there’s a sense that anything is possible. Reality kicks in for many teams pretty quickly of course but while that sentiment lasts it’s a level playing field for all.

Travelling from the North of the county to Donegal’s footballing Mecca by the banks of the Finn, the length of the tailback at the T-junction a couple of miles out from town tells you the significance of the match you’re about to attend. Half an hour before the curtain raiser's 2pm throw-in time, the sizeable row of cars ahead and behind made it clear that the Championship had arrived.

The minor match added to the atmosphere as a cracking tussle broke out amongst the mistakes and nerves on show from the young lads playing in the last ever minor championship.

Once the ball was thrown up for the senior game however the buzz died somewhat. Mac Cumhaill Park was as quiet as it’s been for some time; the primal, box office jousts against Dublin and Tyrone in the league a distant memory. There were plenty of scores early on but there was an inescapable mood that Donegal were simply going through the motions.

That particular phrase isn’t in the lexicon of one Michael Murphy though. Murphy continued his superb league form, putting in a man of the match display.

For the entire afternoon he had Sean McVeigh by his side and while the big Antrim man was game and did his best to nullify Donegal’s leader, it was an impossible task. It will be a different story of course if Donegal end up facing Tyrone next time out – that will give Michael and Justin McMahon a chance to renew their rancorous friendship.

From the off The Maestro bulldozed his way through the Antrim defence, winning frees and creating gaps from which others could profit.

Murphy's ability to break tackles around midfield is especially crucial in the opening stages of a game; when an opponent’s blanket screen is at its most stubborn and defenders’ minds are at their sharpest. As the game goes on more space appears, tiredness infests the limbs and runs aren’t tracked as they were. So early on is the most difficult time to breach a defence and the captain consistently leads the charge.

As we saw in second half yesterday, Donegal had the run of the place at the river end goal and picked off points and goals at their leisure. In this light, Donegal's porousness in their own backline in the first half was all the more unusual.

Paddy McGrath and Neil McGee were a wee bit more lackadaisical than normal, letting Antrim forwards get goal chances that, judging by their attempted finishes, they seemed shocked to have got. The inside duo of Tomas McCann and CJ McGourty caused problems with their movement but once Frank McGlynn got the call from Maxi Curran to drop back in front of the full back line, things tightened up considerably.

Jamie Brennan’s goal before half-time ended the contest and it was a great finish from a man making his debut at this level. His point soon after displayed his best characteristics – quick feet to get around his man in order to create space for a composed shot at the posts. There were other times when the Bundoran sharp shooter had chances to take his man on but opted to turn back and look for support. If he can add a bit more directness to his game not many corner backs will relish pitting their wits against his raw speed.

Six others joined Brennan in making full Championship debuts and all acquitted themselves well. Granted the nature of the game, with the hosts pulling away comfortably after half-time, made things easier and didn’t give a true measure of the white heat of Ulster fare.

Jason McGee made a welcome return after missing several weeks of training due to concussion picked up in the U21 match with Dublin but he showed no ill-effects and produced an accomplished performance in the engine room alongside Murphy.

With that duo stationed at centrefield, there’s big men aplenty around the middle, which allows Hugh McFadden to provide the bulk in front of goal. McFadden spent most of his time in a county jersey up until this year in a defensive role but looking lean and fit he is relishing the chance to show what he can do in attack. He is much more inclined to take his shots on nowadays rather than pass on responsibility and his booming score in first half illustrated his ability in front of the posts.

There was plenty of other fine marksmen on show with the second half turning into shooting practice for the likes of substitutes Michael Langan and Karl Lacey.

When corner back McGrath pops up for his first ever goal, you know things are going your way. Paddy has been making that run for many years now yet he still seemed surprised to arrive in front of goal with ball in hand. A typical defender, the first instinct was to look for contact with the goalkeeper; after he bounced off Chris Kerr he had the wherewithal to get his foot to the ball before running straight through the goal line.

McGrath’s hit prior to his goal was one of the few incidences of physicality we saw in the closing stages such was the lack of intensity in the match by then. Things will definitely be different the next day – an expected Tyrone win over Derry at the weekend will lead to an Ulster Final rematch in Clones on June 18^th.

If that comes to pass, we'll see more hefty belts in the opening five minutes than we saw over the entire 70 yesterday. Throughout the league, the displays of Rory's young guns have suggested that they have what it takes to represent the green and gold jersey - in four weeks we'll know for sure.

Inexperienced Donegal Mauled by Monaghan

A first home game of the year for the All-Ireland Champions but its safe to say we’re all waiting for the homecoming proper in May after watching the mauling handed out by Monaghan today.

It was a similar story to Wednesday night with an inexperienced Donegal being well beaten by a superior conditioned side but it was a useful exercise nonetheless with some of the new lads doing their bid for a permanent squad place no harm at all.


The McGuinness ‘system’ is well known to the players, and everyone else really at this stage, and as such it makes it a bit easier for players to slot in when required; however it is certainly less troublesome for defenders to take up the baton. A mobile, pacey defender can answer most of the questions asked of him and with numbers behind the ball he has help by his side (even though the questions came a bit too quick for the back unit today). It’s a different story up front where a lot of Donegal’s forward play is built upon physical presence and ball winning ability. When the usual suspects aren’t available it can be very difficult for the forward line to play with any kind of cohesion and so much more work goes into each score. Today was a case in point when it took 28 minutes for the first score to arrive, that being Adrian Hanlon’s goal.

Daniel McLaughlin going off early after shipping a heavy knock to his knee while taking a shot at goal didn’t help matters up front; the St Michael's man was very effective on Wednesday night and his pace and piercing runs were missed.

The Naomh Conaill duo of Dermot Molloy and Marty Boyle were unavailable from the off today with each suffering from a bout of the vomiting bug and this further depleted the options available to Maxi Curran.

Gary McFadden was again prominent and looked Donegal’s most dangerous player. He played in midfield today but still got forward whenever he could and got his name on the score sheet, adding to the four points he registered in Brewster Park.  His leadership is vital on days like this when there are so many newcomers on the field and of course he’s no stranger to that type of role having captained his club to county glory in 2011. He’s one who could well have his eye on a starting spot in Croke Park in three weeks time.

Shane McGowan was another who put impressive back-to-back displays together and indeed was the standout performer in green and gold today. Playing what could be termed the ‘McHugh role’ he looked good on the ball and showed great anticipation - just like the Kilcar man did all last year.

A goal for the visitors almost straight from the restart killed the game and it was a second half procession for the Farney men. Monaghan have traditionally always had strong, tough footballers who bring great physicality to games and this was evident again today. They also moved the ball extremely well at times and regardless of the nature of the teams, wracking up 3-16 against Donegal is good going.

They had many excellent performances today but Kieran Hughes stood tallest and his afternoon was peppered with fine score taking, good build up work and some sumptuous assist play. One particular highlight came in the second half when he hit an overhead reverse pass with his weaker right foot to set up a point for substitute Dermot Malone.

Willie Gillespie came into the game more in the second half for the hosts and scored a wonderful point off his right following clever use of his body to shield the incoming ball from the defender before grasping it and slotting it over. He did something similar in the first half and was unlucky not to get a penalty when striking for goal on that occasion.


Malachy O’Rourke’s men appear to motoring along nicely and they will face Fermanagh on Wednesday night in a shoot-out for top spot. Of course Monaghan could easily have been our opponents in last year’s Ulster Final, their second half collapse in the semi against Down is no doubt still a sore point. They have a good manager in place in the shape of O’Rourke who had a good stint as Fermanagh boss and indeed the Ernemen were only a good free-taker away from an Ulster Championship in 2008.

Monaghan could certainly be in the mix again this Summer, they are on the weaker side of the draw and will fancy themselves as dark horses for the Anglo Celt.

There’ll be nothing dark about Donegal’s quest for three-in-a-row of course and depending on the decision from the Ulster Council over whether MacCumhaill Park is fit to the host eagerly awaited clash with Tyrone, that bid could begin on home turf. The old ground was quiet and hushed today but hopefully, with the correct call from Ulster HQ, the place will be rocking come the end of May.

Here We Go Again

Matches at this time of year are always a bit unusual, no one knows quite what to expect performance-wise; results are by and large meaningless as Donegal’s whitewash in last year’s McKenna Cup testifies. A freezing Wednesday night in Brewster Park is as far removed from Croke Park in September as you can imagine but that’s where the Donegal faithful pitched up last night. Every journey has to start somewhere and of course we’re all hoping that this year’s will end in nine months time again.

With the team only touching down on Irish soil on Tuesday after their Dubai sojourn this was always going to be a bit of a strange and rushed affair. So rushed indeed that two of Donegal’s players, Michael Boyle and Shane McGowan, had to make do with the 2011 kit that we last wore against Dublin in the All-Ireland Semi-Final as their 2012/13 equivalents had gone AWOL!

Stranger still but hugely satisfying was the fact that for only the second time ever we were treated to a Donegal team being given a guard of honour in their season opener as they made their way onto the field.

Amongst them were several debutants, eight of which saw their first action in a senior jersey; Kevin McFadden and substitute Caolan Ward along with panel returnee McGowan putting in the most noteworthy displays of the youngsters.

Last year’s panellists appeared that bit sharper than the newcomers despite the schedule of holidaying and celebrating they’ve had of late; indeed it’s a good omen for the rest of the first team that players like Daniel McLaughlin, Gary McFadden and Thomas McKinley weren’t found wanting physically against a Fermanagh team that have been back training for the past 7-8 weeks. Jim will put the boys through their paces over the next month and hopefully it will be a case of topping up to reach the extraordinary levels of fitness attained last year.

Maxi Curran directed operations from the sideline last night, with the majority of the matchday squad being plucked from his U21 panel. Jim and Rory watched on from the stand as part of a 1,500 strong crowd.

Fermanagh hit the front early and wouldn’t leave that position although it was hard to know at times such was the density of the fog that suffocated Brewster Park. The latest score had to be announced over the loudspeaker in each half, the scoreboard practically invisible through the fog in one corner of the field to the vast majority of patrons seated in the John Vesty Stand.

The game from a Donegal perspective was essentially a short passing, tight affair; with the fog making visibility difficult this was understandable. Also, with so many new players in action, its natural for players to take the safe option of a quick hand pass in order to retain possession instead of being more expansive. Despite the low-key nature of the fixture, pulling on a county jersey for the first time is the biggest game of some lad’s lives and their mindsets are somewhere in between making a name for themselves and not making mistakes.

Without either of the twin towers of Michael Murphy or Colm McFadden on the field, Donegal generally try and carry the ball into the forward line but in the second half when they did go that bit more direct they got their rewards with the goals from Adrian Hanlon and Brick Molloy.

The hosts though for the most part had an effective defensive screen and their superior, more advanced early season conditioning allowing them to funnel back and then immediately break in numbers. McLaughlin and Copper McFadden kept running and probing though and eventually found some gaps with the Glenswilly man finishing with three well taken scores from play.

Copper is one of those who would be hoping to kick on and get to the next level in 2013; this time last year there were plenty in the same boat and players such as Neil Gallagher, Eamonn McGee and Paddy McGrath climbed another rung or two on the performance ladder and were soon undroppable fixtures in the team. Others now include Brick Molloy, Patrick McBreaty, Leo McLoone and Marty Boyle – they can all push for a higher level of performance and if Jim can get that extra 10% out of some his players hopes will be high of another successful Summer.

Before all that though we continue with our Winter programme and its back at base in MacCumhaill Park on Sunday where Monaghan are the visitors.

Demolition Derby sends Derry packing

Nothing beats being there - thats the current tagline the GAA are using to market this year's Championship and its hard to argue with it. Especially when your approx 2,400 km away from the ground. That was the reality for those of us taking up our posts as part of Trappa's army in Polska; we're missing out on our regular GAA hit but thanks to a combination of Highland Radio, phone calls to pitchside and Twitter, Donegal Gaels could keep abreast of proceedings at Ballybofey yesterday.

There are certainly quite a few of us in Poland, without doubt there are more Donegal jerseys here than any other county. I'm currently residing in the tourist town of Torun, which is half way between the match venues of Poznan and Gdansk.

Torun unfortunately does not have an Irish bar and therefore for the first time in many years it was Charlie Collins' job to guide me through a Championship game. The big news delivered by Charlie before throw in was that the maestro had overcome his knee injury and was fit to captain the side; while Michael Murphy wasnt at his mesmeric best just getting him on the field and into Championship action was hugely important.

Ryan Bradley took the place of injury victim Rory Kavanagh at midfield and by the gushing praise coming from co-commentator Declan Bonner, the Buncrana man had a fine game. He deserves great credit for that after enduring a disappointing day in Breffni Park last time out when he was replaced early on.

Mark McHugh once again played his specifically defined role to a tee and he is developing into a Lacey-esque type figure who never ever seems to play poorly; its an insight into how Donegal are coached and how each player knows their role.

Derry tried to get bodies back behind the ball but there's more to playing a good defensive system than that. Jim and Rory work relentlessly on 'the system' in training and nothing is left to chance - other teams cannot just copy it and hope to have success.

The goals either side of the break closed out the game and it is hugely encouraging that Donegal were so clinical and professional. We've certainly moved on to another level after last year, and indeed Derry have stood still under John Brennan. The more games this team plays the more at ease they feel with the style of play and the better they are utilising their intensity and energy. The system requires incredible fitness but the players appear to be managing their bursts better now and they know when to take a breather and when to foray up the field.

Another plus from yesterday's game was the spread of the scorers; we can always rely on Murphy and Colm McFadden and it wouldnt be a Donegal win without at least one member of the half back line scoring. But both midfielders scoring as well lads like Leo McLoone and David Walsh getting on the scoresheet is a big postitive.

And so we're as we were last year, facing into a pivotal semi final dual with Tyrone but unlike then we will probably go into the game in two weeks time as slight favourites. We were a little bit in awe of Tyrone twelve months ago and early on it looked as if we were going to be steamrolled. Eventually we found our feet and ground out a win with Brick Molloy's late goal.

This year it will be up to Mickey Harte's men to take the game to us, we're the champions and the challenge for them is to knock us off our perch. To score 2-13 today is very pleasing, and you can be sure Tyrone will not be notching 0-19 in the semi-final like they did against Armagh last week.

Poland will be a distant memory by the time that rolls around in and the Donegal jerseys will have departed Torun, Gdansk and Poznan and will instead converge on Clones.
Come on you boys in green...and gold!

Dun na nGall remain part of the elite

Donegal are a Division One team - that’s the outcome of today and that’s where we belong. 2013 will see the country’s top eight sides plying their trade in the league’s top tier, something which in truth hasn’t happened for quite a number of years.

The players showed great heart and determination in the second half in Ballybofey and like our other 'must win' games this year against Cork and Mayo you just got the feeling we wouldn’t be beaten. Armagh had their chances of course and will maybe feel that they could have come away with the win but overall the home side looked the better when it mattered most.

Plenty of rain early in the day left conditions fairly treacherous and indeed the referee didn’t seem to take this into account for much of his decision making in the first half. Both teams won some handy frees and with Michael Stevenson finding his range a lot quicker than Colm McFadden, Paddy O'Rourke's men built up a neat cushion.

Two of McFadden’s club mates were taken off before half time although Daniel McLoughlin and Martin McElhinney had been doing as well as anyone in the home attack. Jim McGuinness was looking to bring a bit of structure to his forward unit and the introductions of Dermot Molloy and Patrick McBrearty did add a bit of impetus to his side. McBrearty’s appearance brought to an end a busy week for the Kilcar youngster, as he had attended AFL trials in London organised by former Sydney Swans star Tadhg Kennelly. Neither Brick nor McBrearty had a huge impact on the game but they played their part in the overall team effort.

An inspirational score from Leo McLoone got things going in earnest for Donegal, the Naomh Conaill man had another stormer today before being replaced after shipping a heavy knock late in the game. McFadden pointed a free just before the half time whistle and being two points down at half time wasn’t the worst situation to be in as the teams headed for the dressing rooms.

After a decent match appeared to be breaking out in the first half, the intensity and the hitting was upped considerably in the second and we were treated to a cracking Ulster contest. It was as close as you’ll get to Championship fare at this time of year and the crowd responded in kind with the noise levels going up a few notches.

Armagh stretched their lead to four points at one stage but after that they would add only one more while Donegal would score eight. When we get in the mood our running game is incessant and teams simply cannot cope with our pace and power.

Brian McEniff famously told his charges in 1992 to run at the opposition like the waves hitting Tory and a similar ploy was adopted today. Leading the charge were Rory Kavanagh and Ryan Bradley, who constantly ran at the Armagh defence, prepared to take the hits and put their body on the line. The scores didn’t come immediately, over-elaboration in attack leading to turnovers and poor decision making; the players weren’t deterred though and kept running at the Orchard.

Of course you need possession to do anything and there was only one go-to man to win the ball and that was Big Neil Gallagher. Armagh had no answer to the Glenswilly midfielder as he caught numerous kickouts and was in the mix for any breaks that were going as well. He has really taken his game to another level over the course of this league campaign and is one of the major positives the management team will take out of it.

Another huge plus today was the outstanding performance of Malin’s Declan Walsh. He’s been in and around the panel for a few years now but today he really came of age putting in a great corner back display in place of the absent Paddy McGrath. On a couple of occasions in the second half he showed great maturity and composure by batting down high balls aimed in towards him rather than chancing a risky take over his head.

As Donegal struggled to show their superiority on the score board, Armagh remained dangerous on the break but thankfully the game’s pivotal moment swung in the home side’s favour. A misplaced pass from Rory Kavanagh led to a goal chance for Jamie Clarke (who had been well marshalled throughout by Karl Lacey and the afore mentioned Walsh) who skipped past Paul Durcan but could only find the post with his goal effort from a tight angle.

Mac Cumhaill Park was rocking at this stage and as the ball was scrambled clear the crowd urged the boys on another surge up the field. Its been quite a while since I can remember an atmosphere like it along the River Finn; the old pitch lost a bit of its allure somewhat after three successive Ulster championship exits from 2008-2010 but it had its mojo back today and it was great to hear the Tír Conaill faithful in full voice.

The story had a fitting finale with local lad Martin Reilly knocking over a point that made the game safe; Adrian Hanlon made extra sure with a fisted effort in the dying seconds to make it a three point win.

So overall a good league campaign; the primary aims were to blood new players and tweak the formations and systems and to do this while still keeping our Division One status intact will please everyone concerned.

All minds switch firmly to Breffni Park in six weeks time when national eyes will again fall on Donegal. Jim was asked about this, and the inevitable focus that will be on his players, in his post match interview with Charlie Collins today and was typically honest in his response regarding the media, “some people can give their opinions with dignity and respect, others cant.” It was a wonderfully measured statement and shows that whatever everyone else thinks about him and his team, all Jim cares about is doing the best he can for his county - and beating Cavan on May 20th.