Donegal GAA Discussion Thread

Not that one

As usual the lead in to championship is quiet on the news/rumour front.

What is the likely starting 15 and who are the likely 2-3 subs to be used.

I've no great insight myself, was not at any league games, and only a few club games this year so bit out of touch.

smashey

A few of my Tyrone friends are convinced they are going to "Walk Ulster" this year.

Sure, says I, Ulster is always a walk in the park. A doddle.

ArnoldJRimmer

smashey wrote: »

A few of my Tyrone friends are convinced they are going to "Walk Ulster" this year.

Sure, says I, Ulster is always a walk in the park. A doddle.

They can go on about it all they want, I've heard a few going on about looking forward to a Monaghan v Tyrone final in Clones. First time in years the spotlight has been off Donegal in Ulster, hopefully we can quietly go about our business and win back the Ulster title. Against Cavan

doc_17

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

The Leaving doesn't start till the 8th.

It's a stupid time regardless though.

A lot of those lads are not in their leaving cert year yet and had school exams the next morning. Whilst not as important as the actual leaving cert they are important nonetheless. We had 3 bleary eyed lads sitting in at 930 trying to do a Maths exam!!

Nidgeweasel

doc_17 wrote: »

A lot of those lads are not in their leaving cert year yet and had school exams the next morning. Whilst not as important as the actual leaving cert they are important nonetheless. We had 3 bleary eyed lads sitting in at 930 trying to do a Maths exam!!

Forget it all over the summer anyway. :P

Noticeably quiet in the Donegal camp. I dread to think what they're working on!

charlie14

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

Forget it all over the summer anyway. :P

Noticeably quiet in the Donegal camp. I dread to think what they're working on!

Whatever it is I hope it covers more than a plan A which was used to death last year and to which ever team we played copped on too. very quickly

ghostfacekilla

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

doc_17 wrote: »

A lot of those lads are not in their leaving cert year yet and had school exams the next morning. Whilst not as important as the actual leaving cert they are important nonetheless. We had 3 bleary eyed lads sitting in at 930 trying to do a Maths exam!!

I dread to think what they're working on!

Not getting annihilated in 'lar na pairce' from kickouts from either end would be a good start.

MM2011

Have a stand ticket for the Fermanagh game if anyone is interested ? Its a season ticket, don't want anything for it - just want it used.

Redsoxfan

If anyone had standing they want to swap for seating let me know.

Redsoxfan

Downings won the Junior and Naomh Conaill won the Senior Gaeltacht this afternoon.

Redsoxfan

Democrat reporting that Big Neil is definitely out for Sunday. Really hard to know what we will get from him this year at this stage.

charlie14

Redsoxfan wrote: »

Downings won the Junior and Naomh Conaill won the Senior Gaeltacht this afternoon.

Been follwing it over the weekend.
Brick looked sharp and worked hard, and young Ethan O Donnell looks the real deal.

Redsoxfan

charlie14 wrote:

Been follwing it over the weekend. Brick looked sharp and worked hard, and young Ethan O Donnell looks the real deal.

The standard isn't great however.


Lorcan Connor was man of the match in the Junior Final. Was he involved with the U21s since he finished at Minor?

charlie14

Redsoxfan wrote: »

The standard isn't great however.


Lorcan Connor was man of the match in the Junior Final. Was he involved with the U21s since he finished at Minor?

It may not have been of the highest standard, but I`d imagine without their county lads Glenties were happy with the showing of their younger lads, plus four games over the three days they will look at as being of more use than training sessions. Stood to them last year in the county championship imo.
Not sure what the story with Lorcan Connor was. I have a feeling he may have had injury problems.
No disrespect to Downings, but he may not have been competing at the level required to bring him on to the level required for the 21s

Nidgeweasel

Lorcan Connor's been injured alot this year. He's a good player. Ethan O Donnell is a class act. Still quite slight but plenty of football in him.

Losers of Donegal/Fermanagh go to Wexford in the qualifiers.

Redsoxfan

Anyone ever been to Wexford?

ArnoldJRimmer

Redsoxfan wrote: »

Anyone ever been to Wexford?

They have great strawberries

charlie14

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

They have great strawberries

Should, God forbid,I we end up there then we certainly wont be bringing down cream.

Alvin Holler

Anyone care to predict what the team will be on Sunday? First year in a while that I'd struggle to confidently name more than 10 of the players who'll start.

McGinley (assuming Michael Boyle is injured)
McGrath
Neil
Eamon
Ryan McH
Lacey??
McGlynn
Kavanagh
McElhinney
Eoin McHugh
McNiallais
McLoone
McBrearty
Murph
Reilly

I hope/expect that Toye and Colm McFadden will be impact subs. Also have Thompson x 2, Gillespie, Eoin Ban, Eamonn Doherty, Mark McHugh and Hugh McFadden who could start. Probably a smaller chance that Stephen McBrearty or Michael Carroll would start. I've assumed that Big Neil and Jigger aren't fit and hopefully haven't forgotten anyone obvious!!

Nidgeweasel

Make no mistake about it, we need to be at it on Sunday. Pete McGrath is no mug and Fermanagh are coming into this with a game under their belts so will be up to speed. McGrath is a cute cookie too and won't be shy or slow to make a change during play.

My main concerns pre match are our kick out and midfield. I think previously Fermanagh would have been happy to let it be taken short and stop us building. Now they may aswell compete because we won't have the accuracy or the fielding ability in the main. That'll be an area we could get ruffled in too if it breaks down.

The thing is, we'd that many formations in the league, and players and tactics we've no clue what Gallagher's doing or trying to do. It's gone deathly quiet in the camp. Nothing coming out. Can't really predict a team or a style.

The big concern last year was a lack of an attacking strategy. Drive through the middle and lump it in to whoever is inside :rolleyes: isn't much of a plan and needs sorting. Defensive discipline too, sloppy tackling etc. These are things that we should be exceptional at.

Tl:dr Should beat Fermanagh by a couple of points. No clue as to line up or tactics. The worry of course is that Gallagher doesn't know himself.

charlie14

As said earlier Pete Mc Grath is one cute cookie and any ideas our lads might have of Fermanagh being a handy home win would be a dangerous mindset. I doubt Mc Grath will give us the luxury of building from the back, and without Papa`s for kickouts, (a massive loss in our arsenal, and one none of the possible replacement can come anywhere close to replicating imo), a strategy we might be as well avoiding anyway.
Then again, without Big Neil, lumping it into the middle might not be the way to go either.
I have no idea what our lads have been working on, but from last year, I at least hope the tackling has improved. The slippage in that area since Jim left has been crazy.
At few more scores from our half forwards would be no harm either and ease up some of the pressure on our inside line. Not only for this game, but hopefully, set a marker for later. Especially if we do go on to meet Monaghan.

Ceist_Beag

The three quarter finals to date have been very comfortable for the winners. I very much doubt that Sunday will follow this pattern. The concerns are pretty well outlined by Nidge and Charlie but I would add that we really need to see some sort of a pattern and plan on Sunday if we are to have any chance not only of progressing past Fermanagh but of competing with Monaghan after. At the minute Monaghan and Tyrone look by a distance the strongest candidates in Ulster and we need to show on Sunday that we're capable of matching them, so for me we need to be at our best not only to beat a tough nut in Fermanagh but also to lay down a marker that we're serious contenders in Ulster. I'm not sure I've seen enough this year to be optimistic of that.

Nidgeweasel

Alvin Holler wrote: »

Anyone care to predict what the team will be on Sunday? First year in a while that I'd struggle to confidently name more than 10 of the players who'll start.

McGinley (assuming Michael Boyle is injured)
McGrath
Neil
Eamon
Ryan McH
Lacey??
McGlynn
Kavanagh
McElhinney
Eoin McHugh
McNiallais
McLoone
McBrearty
Murph
Reilly

I hope/expect that Toye and Colm McFadden will be impact subs. Also have Thompson x 2, Gillespie, Eoin Ban, Eamonn Doherty, Mark McHugh and Hugh McFadden who could start. Probably a smaller chance that Stephen McBrearty or Michael Carroll would start. I've assumed that Big Neil and Jigger aren't fit and hopefully haven't forgotten anyone obvious!!

I'd throw some of the cubs in. Eoghan Ban, Stephen McBrearty even Ciaran Thompson if fit.

Nows the time.

charlie14

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

I'd throw some of the cubs in. Eoghan Ban, Stephen McBrearty even Ciaran Thompson if fit.

Nows the time.

I`m not sure if it would help them or us to have them there from the start, but regardless they should certainly geta run at some stage regardless of how it`s going. We need to be bring new blood up to championship pace.

Nidgeweasel

charlie14 wrote: »

I`m not sure if it would help them or us to have them there from the start, but regardless they should certainly geta run at some stage regardless of how it`s going. We need to be bring new blood up to championship pace.

Sooner have them in against Fermanagh than waiting till later in the year. Anyway all conjecture at this point.

charlie14

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

Sooner have them in against Fermanagh than waiting till later in the year. Anyway all conjecture at this point.

Good point. Monaghan (hopefully) would be a bit of a baptism of fire for a championship debut

doc_17

Donegal will win by 7/8 points on Sunday. Don't think We'll see too many surprises in the starting line up.

charlie14

doc_17 wrote: »

Donegal will win by 7/8 points on Sunday. Don't think We'll see too many surprises in the starting line up.

I admire your confidence Doc, but then again you are wearing number 17....:D

Redsoxfan

Here's what I expect

1 MA McGinley
2 Mc Grath
3 N McGee
4 E McGee
5 R McHugh
6 F McGlynn
7 K Lacey*
8 O MacNiallais
9 R Kavanagh
10 M O'Reilly
11 L McLoone
12 E McHugh
13 P McBrearty
14 M Murphy
15 H McFadden

* A Thompson if Lacey not fit

I suppose McElhinney could start ahead of E McHugh but not sure what Rory Gallagher thinks of him.

Hugh McFadden will obviously play a lot deeper as some kind of half back sweeper type.

Hopefully C Thompson and EB Gallagher feature from the bench and maybe even Gillespie given his display against Dublin in the League.

But we are likely to see Lacey/Thompson, McElhinney, E Doherty, C McFadden and maybe even David Walsh (I know he's back, not sure if he's back with the County) getting a run.

No idea who our goalie should be. All are inferior to Papa, by quite a distance I would say.

Don't think I will have too many issue with the starting team, it's more how we play.

I guess if I had my way I would have R McHugh play further up the field and talented and all as he is, I'm not sure I trust O MacNiallais.

And then there's the H McFadden issue. I have given him every chance but it doesn't look good.

I expect to win based on nothing much more than just because.

If Michael Murphy is still 'hobbled' it could be a very uncomfortable afternoon.

If we don't show well at kick outs on Sunday I'm not sure it will be any different against better teams.

Stoner

Redsoxfan wrote:

talented and all as he is, I'm not sure I trust O MacNiallais.

I think he's a great player, poor last year imo but he has a bit of pedigree. I thought he would develop into a top no 8 , but after last year I'm starting to look at him on the half forward line. It might help Murphy a bit more if they had an attacking understanding.