Donegal to ease past Down

Donegal head into their Ulster semi-final with Down on Sunday, as resounding hot favourites, and buoyed on by an impressive victory over Tyrone. In the lead up to the clash on May 26, many commentators had suggested that Donegal would struggle against an in-form Tyrone team. However, Donegal's emphatic victory sent a message to the country, that the Champions would not be giving up their crown without a fight.

Down were also unfancied for their quarter-final, but produced an excellent display to beat Derry in Celtic Park. Like Donegal, they went into that game after suffering relegation from Division 1, but they showed tremendous spirit to come from behind and record a five-point victory in a fantastic game of football. Although it was probably the best game of the season to date, there is no hiding from the fact that the match lacked intensity. Derry did not put enough pressure on their opponents and Down will always fancy their chances in a shoot-out.

James McCartan’s side have developed a reputation for being soft in recent years. Every good performance they have delivered seemed to be followed by a dismal display.  Their defence is regarded as one of the weakest in the country, and in four years under McCartan they do not appear to have resolved this issue in any way. They reached the All-Ireland final in 2010, but have fallen away drastically since then, and they are no longer considered one of the top eight teams in Ireland. Their temperament is weak and Donegal will try to break them mentally, like they did in last year’s Ulster final when they beat Down by 11 points.

 

While Down’s temperament is questionable, Donegal’s is certainly not. They delivered a statement of their intent in their comprehensive win over Tyrone in the Ulster quarter-final. Pundits were quick to write off Donegal’s chances before the game, with many pointing to their relegation from Division 1, as the first indication of their imminent decline. However, Donegal showed that they haven’t lost any of their hunger, and to keep Tyrone scoreless for 33 minutes in the second half is a remarkable feat. This tells us that they are just as resolute in defence this year, as they were last.

Donegal could have succumbed to the pressure with Karl Lacey absent for most of the game, and Frank McGlynn departing early through injury. However, they remained composed and their replacements showed their capabilities. One of the main observations during Donegal’s disappointing league campaign was that they did not have enough depth in their panel, but the important roles played by Declan and David Walsh, Martin O’Reilly and championship debutant Ross Wherity showed that Donegal do have players pushing hard for starting positions.

The form of Paddy McBrearty will give Donegal folk great confidence as Sunday approaches. He looks like a completely different player this year, and since he was left out of the league game against Tyrone in Omagh, he has really lifted his performances. He was brilliant against Tyrone in the championship, and then backed that it up with two stellar displays for Kilcar in the club championship. I attended the second of those games against St Michaels, and he was sensational, kicking points from all angles. McBrearty’s improvement will likely enable Michael Murphy to drift further out the field. While I feel Murphy is at his best on the edge of the square, his selflessness will ensure that there is no drop in his performance. His presence around the middle of the field could be crucial against Down, especially with his Glenswilly teammate, Neil Gallagher missing out through injury.

Down will be targeting the midfield as a sector in which they can dominate. Their midfield duo of Kalum King and Kevin McKernan were superb against Derry, and with Ambrose Rogers playing at wing-forward they have a lot of options for kick-outs. McKernan kicked four fantastic points against Derry, and Donegal will have to curtail his influence. Down won the midfield battle against Donegal in the first half of last year’s Ulster final, and it took the arrival of Neil Gallagher to steady Donegal. However, Jim McGuinness will not have the luxury of introducing the Glenswilly man this weekend.

Donegal have named Ryan Bradley in midfield, and assuming he does line out in that position, it is a massive game for the Buncrana man. Bradley has struggled badly this year, and is in danger of losing his place in the team. The last time he performed to a high level in a Donegal shirt was against Down in last year’s Ulster Final. He has played his best football for Donegal when he has played at midfield, so Gallagher’s misfortune may benefit Bradley.

Down have always produced good forwards, and in Donal O’Hare, they have one of the best young talents in the country. He was excellent in the league in a team that was struggling, and he has bulked up significantly this year. He showed what he was capable of in the game against Derry, but he will be in for a tough afternoon, with one of the McGee brothers likely to be shadowing him. Benny Coulter did not have a good game against Derry, and he is now nearing the end of his career. However, he is still a threat, and will punish any errors made by the Donegal defence.

 

Down’s best player is their captain, Mark Poland and if they can nullify his effect, they will win the game. Poland is Down’s playmaker and almost all of their attacks go through him. He has great composure on the ball and rarely gives away possession. When they looked to be dead and buried against Derry, Poland took the fight to the Oak Leaf men scoring 1-1 and creating a goal. If Donegal can stop him dictating play, it will severely weaken the Down forward line.

It is on the other side of the pitch where Down tend to come up short. Derry had only one top quality forward in Eoin Bradley, yet Down struggled to deal with him. They decided to play with Peter Turley as a sweeper, but he was ineffective in that role and offered no protection to their full back line. Donegal have three forwards of Bradley’s ability, so Down will need to lift their game if they are to stop Donegal. They will also have to stop conceding goal opportunities if they are to have any chance of winning. Derry could have scored three goals against them in the first-half, and Donegal will punish them if they are afforded goal chances.

Down have brought in renowned coach Niall Moyna this year and reports are that he has them in great shape. Moyna has an impressive record with DCU in the Sigerson cup, and he will have devised a plan to try and stop Donegal. The question is have they got the quality in their panel to stop Donegal? I don’t think they have the firepower to break down Donegal’s rigid defence, and I think their defence will struggle against Donegal’s in-form forward line. With McGuinness at the helm, it is hard to envisage his team becoming complacent and I expect Donegal to win by at least six points.

 

Donegal to show why they are still the best

2012 was an incredible year for myself and all followers of the Donegal GAA team. We watched a group of also-rans rise to become champions with some outstanding performances. I think back to Durcan’s save against Tyrone, Lacey’s wonder minute against Kerry, big Neil’s high fielding against Cork and Murphy’s goal against Mayo, and I can’t help but smile. They were immortal moments and I don’t know if anything in life will ever surpass watching Michael Murphy lift the Sam Maguire cup on that sunny Sunday afternoon last September.

However, as great as it was, eventually you have to move on. I felt this was something that the Donegal supporters and players to an extent, struggled with during the league. Donegal were the All-Ireland champions for 2012, but once we hit the turn of the year, that position vacated, and the competition to be the best team in the country started all over again.

 Sometimes, the All-Ireland champions can start the following season’s championship complacently, but I can’t see that happening this year, after Donegal were paired with Tyrone. Donegal have played and defeated the Red Hands in both of the last two seasons, but the general consensus is that Tyrone are the one team that have really troubled Donegal during Jim McGuinness’ reign. I think this is a bigger game for Mickey Harte’s team than Donegal. Last year it was said they were going through transition, but a good league campaign this spring has propelled them back to the top table.

Mickey Harte is one of the greatest managers that the GAA has ever seen, and will forever be viewed as a legend within Tyrone and the wider GAA community. Yet make no mistake about it, if he suffers defeat to McGuinness and Donegal for the third time in three seasons on Sunday, his reputation will be tarnished. Harte and Tyrone will be desperate to beat Donegal and I sense they will need to win to be truly seen as one of the challengers for the All-Ireland this year.

The main question is where have they improved from last year to beat Donegal? People might say Donegal will not be at the same level as 2012, but Tyrone can’t control that. They can only deal with their own form. Sean Cavanagh is back and that is a massive bonus to them, while their defensive set-up appears to be sharper this year. Their big coup is the unearthing of Niall Morgan. His arrival is a potential game changer as he proved to be a reliable free-taker during the league. He has the ability to kick points from anywhere inside 55 metres, which will mean that Donegal will have to organise their blanket defence further up the field. This will allow more room for Tyrone’s forwards. It should be remembered that Tyrone are not the only team with a good free-taker. Against Cork in last year’s semi-final, Cork’s place ball experts were expected to be the primary reason for Donegal’s downfall, but they weren’t given the opportunities. They were only permitted one scoreable free in the entire game, and Donegal will have been working hard on disciplined tackling.

 

Tyrone’s forwards impressed throughout the league, but I’m not convinced they’re as good as the media has made them out to be. Conor McAliskey is a nice footballer and can take a score but Eamon McGee had him in his pocket when they met in the league. Martin Penrose had a quiet league and doesn’t seem to be at the level he was at over the last 3 years. Stephen O’Neill is playing his best football for years, and scored 1-1 against Neil McGee in the league. But these scores arrived when Donegal were down to 14 men, and there was a lot of space in front of him. On Sunday, it will be claustrophobic in the forward line and Donegal will not allow them easy access to O’Neill. Tyrone rotated their forward line frequently during the league, which makes me think that Harte is not sure who his best six forwards are.

Donegal’s poor league form is touted as a reason for why they won’t win this match, but I don‘t think it will have a big bearing on the game. Donegal were relegated without much of a fight. They lacked fitness and spent the majority of the league lumping Hail Marys into Murphy and hoping for the best. I can’t see them using this tactic again. Jim McGuinness is one of the greatest managerial brains in sport and he has known since last October that his side will be facing Tyrone. He will have been working meticulously on a gameplan since then. It will be a different Donegal team that takes to the field on Sunday, than the one we seen during the league.

Tactics will play a big part in the game on Sunday. Donegal will close off the middle of the field and I expect Tyrone to use the wings to attack them. They did this in the first 20 minutes of last year’s semi-final and got joy with Mark Donnelly scoring a point and Joe McMahon almost getting a goal. Cork adopted a similar tactic in their league game with Donegal this year, pushing their wing backs as far out to the sidelines as they could, to stretch Donegal. It didn’t make for exciting play, and they endured a lot of frustration at the start of the game but eventually they started to make progress and went on to win the match.

Donegal have named the same starting line-up as last year’s All-Ireland final, but no-one outside the panel knows exactly how they will start. There have been rumours circulating about the unavailability of Karl Lacey, Mark McHugh and Frank McGlynn. I believe that Donegal could cope without one of these players, but would be worried if two or even three of them were not fit to take the field. They were three very important players for Donegal last year carrying the ball out of defence, and that will be important on Sunday as well.

Lacey’s role in particular, is key to the game’s outcome. He was Footballer of the year in 2012 and probably Donegal’s most effective player so far during McGuinness’ tenure. I think the two most important periods in this match will be the first ten minutes and the final ten minutes. Against Dublin in the final round of league fixtures, they looked leaderless in the absence of Lacey. Ironically, Tyrone used a tactic in the All-Ireland final of 2003, which I think Donegal should use against the Red Hands on Sunday. Their inspirational captain, Peter Canavan, was injured going into the game and would not be fit to play the full 70 minutes. So Tyrone played him to half-time, replaced him and then brought him back on for the critical last ten minutes. This is how I feel Donegal should utilise Lacey, if he is not fit to play the whole game.

It’s going to be an intriguing battle, and I expect the first ten minutes to be the most ferocious opening to a game ever in MacCumhaill Park. Donegal are favourites with the bookies, but a lot of the country’s renowned pundits have backed Tyrone. They think that McGuinness’ double-jobbing is an issue, and that Donegal will not be able to replicate the hunger and desire which set them apart in 2012. True champions can rise to the challenge when people start to doubt them and I think Donegal will show that they are still the best team in the country on Sunday.

Donegal to win by four points.

Sam's for the Hills

After four long weeks of talking the talk, it is now finally time for Donegal and Mayo to walk the walk. The All-Ireland final is finally upon us, and both sides go into it confident of seeing their team lift the Sam Maguire. It has been billed as a novel final and it is certainly the most talked about final in recent years. Donegal go into the match as favourites, however, support for Mayo has grown throughout the week, with numerous pundits tipping them for glory.

In Dara O’Se’s preview, he predicted a Mayo win because their forwards are not luxuries, and not solely on the pitch to kick scores. He believes they will be prepared to track Donegal’s defenders when they drive out of defence. This is an interesting point, but at what stage do you start telling your forwards to stop worrying about your opponent, and start concentrating on yourself? Mayo’s forwards ultimate job is to kick them to an All-Ireland title. They can’t do that if they’re back in the right-half back position.

Against Dublin, Mayo worked the ball up the flanks, and kicked the ball into the corners. This proved successful and they will need to do that again, because Donegal will not allow them through the middle. They were also able to kick lots of impressive scores from distance. They will beat Donegal if they can repeat that performance on Sunday. But will Donegal allow Mayo the same kind of space that Dublin gave them? I doubt it. It will be a different story when they have three or four men closing them down.

In the final twenty minutes of that game, Mayo collapsed. They looked unfit, and Dublin almost beat them despite being ten points down at one stage. Kevin McManamon caused Mayo a lot of problems when he ran at them, and Donegal must get Ryan Bradley, Mark McHugh and Rory Kavanagh to do a similar role, and run at their defence. If they do so, they will win frees and kick points. From the 53^rd minute of their semi-final victory, Mayo players started to go down with cramp. It is usually around this time, that Donegal start to turn the screw on their opposition.

Mayo also had a poor start against Dublin, and Cillian O’Connor showed great nerve to land two ‘45’s and help them settle into the match. O’Connor has received rave reviews since that game for his free-taking exploits. People are quick to point out that Donegal only gave away one scoreable free against Cork. But I think they will be doing really well to repeat that feat. They will have to be extra disciplined, especially early in the match, as the referee, Maurice Deegan, will be trying to put his stamp on the game, and may award some soft frees. It is important that Donegal reduce the amount of opportunities O’Connor gets, because if he gets his confidence up, he will be very hard to stop.

National pundits have talked about how Donegal might suffer as a result of all the hype that has been built around them. I agree that some of the build –up has been ridiculous, but people are excited about the GAA and as far as I am concerned, that’s a good thing. Jim McGuinness can’t do anything about the hype. He’s not out painting sheep or arguing about the homecoming. He and James Horan will have their players totally focussed on the game, and I don’t think the hype will have any bearing on the match whatsoever.

The battle between Karl Lacey and Alan Dillon will be fascinating to watch. Dillon is the conductor of the Mayo attack, he’s the man that makes them tick, and Donegal will surely target him as the man to stop. Lacey has a good record at eliminating the threat of the opposition’s playmaker, and he will have to be at the top of his game to that against Dillon. I also expect both goalkeepers, David Clarke and Paul Durcan, to have a big say on the result. They are competing against each other for an All-Star and both have had impressive years. Neither man gives away goals easily, and both will know that if they keep clean sheets, they will have put their team in a great position.

Ger Cafferky has probably been the stand-out full-back this year, but he will have his hands full against Michael Murphy. Murphy has had the upper hand on Cafferky in previous games, and he certainly won’t fear the Mayo man. Whether the Glenswily man is at the height of his fitness is another question. However, Murphy really is a man that stands up when it really counts. Against Derry in last year’s Ulster final and then for Glenswilly in the Donegal County Final, when the big day came, he was not found wanting.

Colm McFadden against Keith Higgins will be another intriguing battle. Higgins had a great semi-final, yet he had a tendency to roam up the field and lose Diarmuid Connolly, his direct opponent. McFadden will not follow Higgins if he marauds up the field, and will be looking to get in space instead, in the hope that Donegal will turnover the ball. I’d imaging Frank McGlynn will follow Kevin McLoughlin, and Donegal will need to curb his influence. It was no coincidence that Mayo played poorly when he went off against Dublin, and Donegal must stop him from getting on the ball.

I would worry about the midfield battle. Neil Gallagher was exceptional against Cork, but that was the only game this year in which Donegal have dominated the middle sector. On the other hand, Aidan O’Shea and Barry Moran have been in superb form all year. They win a lot of clean possession and they also put a lot of work in around the field. There are rumours that O’Shea has a tweaked hamstring, so I’d imagine that Donegal will test him out at the start of the match.

The one thing that can’t be forecasted is who will want to win the match the most. Who will have the hunger? That’s why playing Dublin would have been more favourable for Donegal. They won their All-Ireland last year, and hadn’t the same drive this year. Donegal and Mayo players have never tasted All-Ireland success and they will be determined to be climbing the Hogan Stand steps at the end of the game. The one thing that seems certain, is that if Donegal are to be victorious they will at least have to match Mayo in terms of fight and desire to win.

I think the game will follow a similar pattern to the Ulster semi-final against Tyrone. The first half will be a tight, tense affair, with not much between the sides. I’d then expect Donegal’s superior fitness to put them into the lead, before Mayo stage a late fight-back, with Donegal clinging on to victory by two points. I predict scenes of jubilation, as Michael Murphy becomes only the second man to bring Sam to the hills.

Where the Final will be won and lost

With the All-Ireland final only days away, I look at the key areas which may decide the destination of the Sam Maguire Cup.

 

The Midfield battle.

The battle for dominance in the middle of the park will be one of the most intriguing clashes on Sunday. Barry Moran has been on the periphery of the Mayo panel since 2005, but his inter-county career has been plagued with injuries. This year, he has finally been able to establish himself in the team and get a consistent run of games, and he has rewarded James Horan with some stellar performances. Aidan O’Shea has long been identified as one for the future since his hugely impressive performance in the 2008 All-Ireland minor final. However, it took him a while to become accustomed to the demands of senior football. His arrival as a substitute in the Connacht final proved to be the catalyst for their victory, and he was particularly impressive in the semi-final, where his industry and hunger for work caused lots of problem for Dublin.

Neil Gallagher gave one of the best midfield performances ever for Donegal in the semi-final victory over Cork. He dominated the aerial exchanges, making several wonderful high catches. He has been in great form this year, and he will hope to provide Donegal with a stranglehold in the middle of the field. Rory Kavanagh has also had an impressive year, and he has formed a strong partnership with Gallagher. They had no problems with the Cork midfield, who were regarded as the best in the country, so they certainly won’t fear the Mayo midfield. The partnership who can win the most possession in this sector, will give their team a great chance of winning the final.

Karl Lacey v Alan Dillon.

In the aftermath of Mayo’s victory over Dublin, Monaghan midfielder Dick Clerkin suggested that this match-up may not just decide the destination of the Sam Maguire cup, but also the winner of this year’s Footballer of the Year. Both players have been on the top of their game throughout the Championship, and it appears likely that they will pair up against each other on September 23.

Dillon has been one of the top players in the country over the last decade, but an All-Ireland medal has eluded him so far. He played in the 2004 and 2006 finals, but Mayo and Dillon crashed and burned in both those finals, so he will be hoping it will be third time lucky this year. He has been man of the match in their last two games against Down and Dublin, and he is very much the conductor of the Mayo forward line. He is also renowned for his ability to kick long range points, and this will be crucial to Mayo’s game plan.

Lacey had an excellent game in the semi-final against Cork, where he added two points to a superb defensive display. His shoulder on Pearse O’Neill, a man almost twice his size, showed how strong he is, and no one gets past the Four Masters man easily. He will need to be at his best again in the final if he is to curb the influence of Dillon. Lacey will know that if he can prevent Dillon from having a big impact, he will have played a huge role in helping Donegal beat the men from the West.

The Free-takers.

The role of the free-takers on Sunday’s final cannot be understated. Last year’s decider was won by a late free from Stephen Cluxton, while the man of the match in the 2010 All-Ireland final was Daniel Goulding of Cork, who kicked seven points from placed balls. Both sides will be depending on their free-takers to keep their nerve in the most pressurised situations of their career.

Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor showed that he could handle the pressure in the semi-final against Dublin. Mayo got off to a bad start, but he landed two ‘45’s into a sea of blue in Hill 16. If he hadn’t  landed those crucial scores, Mayo may have struggled to settle into the game. O’Connor is only twenty years old, but he showed maturity in last year’s Connacht final with a master class of free taking, despite blustery conditions. Donegal will be wary of O’Connor’s ability and will try and limit the amount of opportunities he gets.

Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden have been very reliable with their frees this year. The only blemish on Murphy’s record was against Kerry, when he dragged some of his placed balls wide. McFadden is joint top scorer in the Championship this year with 3-28, with fourteen of those points coming from frees and one ‘45’. Both players will be hoping to get some easy frees at the start of the match to ease their way into the contest.

Donegal’s Full-Forward line v Mayo’s Full back line.

In the semi-final, Mayo’s Full-back line performed superbly against Dublin’s much feared forward line. Ger Cafferky won his duel with Bernard Brogan, Kevin Keane had an influential game, and Keith Higgins gave a typically ferocious corner back display, culminating in him clearing the ball off the line in the dying seconds.

Colm Mcfadden has received the most plaudits of the Donegal forwards this year, but Murphy and Paddy McBrearty have assisted him greatly. They may not have had the same kind of scoring tally, but their selfless running and work-rate, has been a key factor in Donegal’s success. Murphy is one of the best ball winning full forwards in the country, but Donegal will need to get better service into him in the final. Likewise, McBrearty was causing havoc to Noel O’Leary in the first half against Cork, but he was not utilised enough.

This area will prove crucial on Sunday. Mayo will be desperate to stop Donegal scoring goals, and they will be hoping that they will get plenty of protection from their half-back line. In the league game in March, McFadden scored seven points and Murphy got five points, while Cafferky was sent off. The Mayo full-back line has improved significantly since then, but they will need to have their best performance of the year to stop the Donegal forwards.

The Sideline.

The battle on the sideline will be just as fascinating as the battle on the field. Jim McGuinness and James Horan are the two most highly regarded young managers in the country and they will put their rising reputations on the line against each other on Sunday. Both their managerial tenures have followed similar paths. They both took over their teams when they were at a low ebb, led them to provincial titles in their first year, and have followed this up by taking them to the All-Ireland final in their second year.

McGuinness’ decision to introduce David Walsh against Cork proved to be one of the turning points in the match, and he has been praised for making effective substitutions this season. He has won the tactical battle in each of the games he has played, leaving managers of the calibre of Mickey Harte and Jack O’Connor in his wake. McGuinness was criticised for not changing his tactics as the game drifted away from Donegal in last year’s semi-final, and it would be interesting to see how he would respond if he found himself in that position again.

James Horan’s tactical moves helped Mayo win the Connacht title and he also masterminded a historic victory last year over the reigning All-Ireland champions Cork. He also impressed against Dublin when they started to claw back into mayo’s lead in the semi-final and he made good substitutions which helped to kill their momentum.

Horan showed he was not afraid to make tough decisions and this was seen when he left out Mayo’s record point scorer, Conor Mortimor for the Championship. Likewise, McGuinness made a big decision to drop All-Star Kevin Cassidy. Both managers will have to be prepared to make more big decisions in the final if they are to guide their team to Sam.

Jimmy's winning matches

Jimmy’s winning matches and big Neil’s making super catches!

The 26^th of August 2012 is a day that will live long in the memory of all Donegal supporters. An excellent performance by Donegal helped them reach the All-Ireland final for only the second time. The satisfaction when David Coldrick blew the full-time whistle was unbelievable and the team is now just one big game away from Gaelic football greatness.

My thoughts raced back to dark days for Donegal in recent years. Armagh defeating us in Ulster finals and Brendan Devenney missing a penalty in the last minute, as Donegal failed to defeat a terrible Cavan side. We couldn’t beat an average Monaghan team, even though our players were far more talented. Yesterday was a special day, and the sight of a sea of green and gold in a jubilant mood is something that I will cherish for the rest of my days.

Yeah, there was a lot of bandwagon supporters there, but who cares? They’re supporting their county and they’re entitled to do that. I’d rather see people come out and support Donegal, than cheering on Liverpool, or Man United, or some other foreign team that they have no connection to. This is our team. The players are born and raised in Donegal, and have been sculpted into fantastic GAA players by hard-working Donegal gaels. They are a credit to the county and deserve every plaudit they are given.

The game really couldn’t have gone any better for Donegal. They got huge performances from their big players and they now go into the final in a confident manner. Cork played well and really put it up to Donegal, but they were still able to repel them. Even the late concession of a goal is good for Donegal. It will ensure they don’t get complacent, and they will work hard to make sure the full-back line is not exposed so badly again.

Cork impressed in the first half, and Donegal did well to stay with them when they were having their good spell. Their movement and link up play was impressive, and they kicked some sublime points. But they were made to work very hard for their scores, and Donegal eventually wore them down. They forced them wide, and Cork hadn’t the composure to kick points when they were put under pressure.

Donegal only conceded one point from a free in the entire match. This is hugely impressive, and a key factor in their victory. Cork have some wonderful free takers, but Donegal’s disciplined defending ensured they didn’t get an opportunity to showcase their talents. Both Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy did well with their placed balls and they will have to continue this in the All-Ireland final, if we are to take the Sam Maguire back to the hills.

Neil Gallagher was immense at midfield. He gave an exhibition of high-fielding and dominated the renowned Cork midfield partnership. He made some superb catches, and his speed at releasing the ball was crucial. He let the ball go immediately and didn’t allow Cork to bottle him up and force him to over-carry the ball. His performance will be remembered as one of the greatest displays ever from a Donegal midfielder.

I also felt Karl Lacey was magnificent. He had a relatively quiet start to the season, by his high standards, but he was back to his best yesterday. His tackling was tenacious, his composure on the ball was fantastic, and he kicked two vital scores. Every time the ball came towards him, he seemed to come out with it again. Leo McLoone was awesome throughout the game, and charged through the Rebels at every opportunity.

I was browsing through the internet forums, and was shocked to see one poster claim that Michael Murphy was ‘anonymous’. I thought he had a great game and led by example throughout. Sure, full-forwards are meant to be the top scorers for most teams, but Donegal are not like most teams. They need a target man, someone to win the ball, and lay it off to the runners coming through. He had a good start to the game, but the quality of passes into him was poor for the rest of the first-half. In the second half, he won nearly every ball that came into him.

The team has improved significantly since last year’s defeat in the semi-final and they have added a new dimension to their game with their excellent counter attacks. They looked unstoppable when they ran at Cork with pace, and looked like scoring every time they went up the field. It’s worth remembering that this is only year two of  Jim McGuinness’ five year plan. It’s hard to contain the excitement at the thought of more improvements to McGuinness’ blueprint.

The next four weeks will be incredible, but we look forward to it safe in the knowledge that the management will have the panel focused and prepared meticulously. I wouldn’t have any preference about who we meet in the final. People are quick to dismiss Mayo, but as Donegal showed in Croke Park, a team with hunger will always be hard to beat. Regardless of who we meet, we will go into the game as favourites, and I think it is worth pointing out that we have a 100% record in All-Ireland finals!

Donegal to put a cork in the Rebels

It was a performance which would give Jim McGuinness nightmares. Donegal conceded 28 scores, as Cork strolled through their defence without being touched, heaping on more misery with every attack.

It’s hard to believe that it is only three years since Donegal’s infamous quarter-final defeat to Cork in 2009. That day, Donegal were crushed by Cork’s physicality and athleticism. Now, three seasons later, with the majority of players that played that day still involved, Donegal go in search of an All-Ireland final place with a great chance of upsetting the Leesiders.

McGuinness replaced John Joe Doherty at the helm the following year, and Donegal haven’t looked back since. He has changed everything, from mental preparation to their fitness levels, and no stone has been left unturned.

Cork won the All-Ireland in 2010, but to be considered a great team they have to win the Sam Maguire again. It’s not their fault of course, but people will always look upon their All—Ireland victory in 2010 against Down, as a ‘soft’ All-Ireland. To finally get the respect they feel they deserve from the media, they have to defeat Donegal and go on to win the All-Ireland again.

The match will be an enthralling contest. Two different styles clashing, in what will be the most physical semi-final since Armagh and Tyrone in 2005. Donegal’s tactics have been very effective this year, and the big question is will Cork change their playing style to beat Donegal.

Conor Counihan is a shrewd manager. We’ve heard the stories of Cork playing training games with 15 players against 17, with two extra defenders, to try and prepare for the physicality and intensity the Donegal defenders will bring to the game. He always lines Cork out in the traditional manner with six defenders and six forwards. However, this is exactly what Donegal want him to do.

Donegal will have identified the likes of Paudie Kissane and Noel O’Leary as two of their least talented players and Donegal will let them have the ball and allow them to carry the fight to Donegal’s defence. If I was the Cork manager, I’d drop O’Leary and play Ciarán Sheehan at wing-back. He is a strong runner and can kick the ball over the bar from distance. It’s a big call for Counihan to drop one of his most consistent players. But then, All-Ireland final semi-finals are often won by the manager who has the balls to make the big decision.

And that is perhaps where Donegal went wrong in last year’s semi-final against Dublin. When they started to go behind, they didn’t chase the game enough. They had an extra player, but still they kept thirteen players behind the ball. It will be interesting on Sunday if Donegal find themselves three points down with ten minutes remaining, if McGuinness will make the big decision, and toss his game plan aside and chase Cork’s lead.

A lot has been made of Cork’s strong runners and their ability to break Donegal’s tackles. But they haven’t met any team who hit as hard as Donegal yet. They beat Kerry who were a team on the way out, and then they beat a Clare team in the Munster final, who were just happy to get a day out. Kildare were meant to put it up to them but that never materialised either. Any team can look good if the opposition aren’t going to track your runs. Donegal’s victory over Down is a prime example of this.

The sight of Aidan Walsh and Pierce O’Neill marauding down the centre of the pitch is not something we will see on Sunday. Kildare had a soft centre but Donegal don’t. They won’t let you through the middle. They’ll push you out to the wings and try and make you take shots from ridiculous angles. Cork won’t fall for that you might say, but if you only have two points on the scoreboard after twenty minutes, and you start to get desperate for a score, it’s hard to resist the temptation to have a pop at goal. This is exactly what Donegal want to happen.

The battle I’m really looking forward tois Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden against Eoin Cadogan and Michael Shields. For the first time under McGuinness, McFadden is probably the most feared of the two Donegal full-forwards. He has hit an impressive 3-23 already this year, and he really is playing the best football of his life. Cadogan appears to mark the most dangerous forward and as a Donegal fan, I’ll be delighted if I see Michael Shields stroll over to Murphy at 3.29 on Sunday.

Back in 2009, when Cork annihilated Donegal, the only ray of sunshine for Donegal supporters, was Murphy’s performance against Shields. The Cork defender went into the game as the most revered full-back in the country, but Murphy destroyed him with his pace and power. Against Kildare in the quarter-final, Shields was well off the pace against Alan Smith and he kicked four points from play. Smith is a good player, but he is not in the same league as Murphy. We’ve waited a long time on a really big performance from Murphy, and I predict we will see one on Sunday. 

The one area where Cork have a clear advantage is with their bench. With players of the calibre of Daniel Goulding, O’Neill and Sheehan on the sidelines, they have plenty of options if things aren’t going their way. Kerry hadn’t the depth in their squad and the players they called upon in the final twenty minutes were not up to it. But Cork’s subs will not buckle under the pressure. They’ve been there on the big day before, and they will look forward to putting their own stamp on the match.

I’m sceptical about using the league game at the start of the season as a guide to how the match might go, but I think Donegal can take a lot of positives from that game. Donegal had a poor league campaign, but Cork did not. They won the league, however, Donegal still managed to turn over the Rebels in Ballybofey. Cork had ten likely starters playing that day, yet they only managed to score six points. Granted the pitch may have been heavy, and they had probably overused Aidan Walsh in the days preceding the match, but it is still an encouraging sign for Donegal fans.

I’ve read a lot of analysis in the lead up to the match, and the wise men who tip Cork seem to do so mainly because they have the more talented players. Which is a fair point, putting it simply, they have better players than Donegal. But will their more talented players be allowed to have an influence on the game? Kerry’s Colm Cooper was only able to score two points, whilst Declan O’Sullivan was taking off. How many Kerry fans could have predicted that before the match? Cork like to dominate games, but they will play Sunday’s game on Donegal’s terms.

I think Donegal will win in a low scoring game. Cork have great players, but I don’t think they are a great team. They crumbled to Mayo last year, and have often struggled mentally to get over the line against Kerry. Donegal have a lot of momentum behind them at the moment, and they have a desire to reach the All-Ireland final, and I can’t see Cork stopping them on Sunday.

Donegal hold on to beat Kerry

Donegal are through to the All-Ireland semi-final, following a fantastic victory over Kerry on Sunday. A strong second half performance from Donegal put them six points clear, but an inspired Kerry fight-back set up a tantalising finale.

Donegal teams in the past would have crumbled under the pressure, but this side has tremendous character, and they held on to secure the victory.

There has been a lot of talk about how this Kerry team are finished, but this was a crucial victory for Donegal. Despite the progress under Jim McGuiness, there would always be doubts about our ability, until we beat one of the big three. Psychologically, it’s a massive result to beat a team who has won four All-Ireland titles in the last decade.

McGuinness got his tactics right. He identified Donnacha Walsh as the weakest link of the Kerry forward line. Walsh is a hard worker, but he is not as gifted as the other Kerry forwards. They allowed him to roam out the field and pick up lots of possession, knowing that he wouldn’t score himself.

I pointed out in my preview last week, that I would be happy to see Kerry kick long balls into Kieran Donaghy. Eamon McGee monitored him well, and dealt with the long high balls superbly. And even when the Kerry full-forward did win the ball, he was isolated from his teammates. He doesn’t have the class or finesse to kick points, and Donegal would have anticipated this.

It’s worrying that we struggled with our kick-outs again. Kerry pushed up on Donegal and prevented them from taking short kick-outs. This forced Paul Durcan to kick it out long, and Donegal struggled to pick up the breaking ball. Neil Gallagher did make a big difference when introduced and Donegal will need him to be fit against Cork. The Rebels have a strong midfield, and Donegal will need to work hard on this sector in the coming weeks.

Colm McFadden had his best game in a Donegal shirt. In the past, Sunday’s game was the kind of occasion that McFadden would hide and not take responsibility. But he really stood up against Kerry. Despite being marshalled by Mark O’Se, he worked hard and kicked some super scores.  He doesn’t have a lot of pace, but he makes the most of the attributes that he does have.

The long ball tactic into Michael Murphy was not as effective as hoped, and we had more joy when we ran at them. Kerry couldn’t control the waves of attacks, and they repeatedly fouled the Donegal men. Murphy’s lack of form is worrying. He may not be receiving quality ball and he is often double marked, but Donegal really need him to start delivering. He struggled with the frees on Sunday, and he will need to improve this aspect of his game if Donegal are to have any chance in the semi-final.

It was disappointing that we let Kerry back into the game in the last five minutes. The goal we conceded was soft, and they struggled to contain Kerry towards the end. There was a naivety about us, and you can’t invite a team like Kerry on to you. However, Donegal showed brilliant battling qualities to respond and get the insurance point. Karl Lacey had a great game, and it was fitting that he would race clear and kick us into the semi-final.

This was a huge victory for Donegal, and we now go into the semi-final full of hope and belief. Donegal will need to improve significantly if they are to beat Cork, and they will need everyone to be at the top of their game.  The Club championship games are off until Donegal’s interest in the championship is over, so the next three weeks will be solely about devising a game plan to beat the Cork men.