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.
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