Donegal GAA Discussion Thread

howiya

jjdonegal wrote: »

Lives in Beaumont as far as I know. Has a cousin who plays for Ballyboden according to article I read on Donegal Daily. Four Masters saying they have no knowledge of what is happening.

Whether its Beaumont or Whitehall he lives in, both are a long way from Ballyboden and he should join his local club whoever that may be.

Redsoxfan

Harry Walsh claiming the Durcan story as a scoop for Donegal News... No quotes from the player himself. Scoop me hoop.

Stoner

I think he plays it very close to the line, I think there is usually some rough justice involved when it seems unfair, he usually gets away with something more serious in the game

But he gets serious attention, teams set up to stop him and double and triple mark him, it must be difficult for him to keep his cool sometimes. He doesn't go looking for frees or lie down either, but he does push it sometimes and that's why he's seeing so many cards IMHO

Redsoxfan

Heard that the Minors had another big win yesterday.

Nidgeweasel

Redsoxfan wrote: »

Heard that the Minors had another big win yesterday.

They did indeed. They are sweeping all before them. I'm doing them to win the All Ireland.

Nidgeweasel

So anyway, Mayo.

My executive pre match summary is as follows:

-Meh.

ghostfacekilla

This could be as close to 'throwing a match' as we come.
I wouldn't be that surprised if we get the squad fillers see a lot of game time today.
Then again, they could surprise us and win. Doubt it though.

jjdonegal

ghostfacekilla wrote: »

This could be as close to 'throwing a match' as we come.
I wouldn't be that surprised if we get the squad fillers see a lot of game time today.
Then again, they could surprise us and win. Doubt it though.

I would love to see no u21s feature. Jim played them last year against Armagh (I think) but that game had to be won. Today doesnt so a rest would be nice. Great chance to get the squad fillers as you say on the pitch.

Summary; mayo easy enough victors with a few of the u21s to feature for longer than they should to frustrate me even more - hopefully I'm wrong though as I can see no harm in getting 1 more competitive game before Tyrone.

Redsoxfan

I don't think we should play any of the U21s today myself.

Will be interested to see how Colm Anthony goes.

I don't think there's any value in league play offs myself.

Fine day for a game here.

overshoot

Redsoxfan wrote: »

I don't think there's any value in league play offs myself.

For us no, rest the u21s for their campaign, and Tyrone is just over a month away... Potentially the start of a very long ulster championship.
Mayo have 2 months til their championship starts, and will probably cruise to connacht again. They need it more than us.

jjdonegal

Redsoxfan wrote: »

I don't think we should play any of the U21s today myself.

Will be interested to see how Colm Anthony goes.

I don't think there's any value in league play offs myself.

Fine day for a game here.

Beautiful weather indeed so hopefully we get a good game to watch.
Very interested in Colm myself; hopefully a big performance from him. Would still like to see Paddy hitting the frees even with Colm there

ghostfacekilla

I presume that TG4 will be picking Kerry v Tyrone for live coverage. Is there any alternatives to the highland radio coverage?
Martin McHugh had me driven half demented in the previous game.

ArnoldJRimmer

Tyrone Kerry is the live game, deferred coverage of Donegal v Mayo. Think you're just gonna have to put with up with Martin if you want live coverage

Redsoxfan

Ocean FM might have the game.

Donegal play as selected.

Nidgeweasel

We're not in the semis are we?

jjdonegal

Few initial points before I drive home.

1. Thought Coldrick was very weak at times again. Just creates an atmosphere that can lead to the few scuffles we seen.
2. Never seen us cleaned out in midfield as much as we were today. Remember us catching 2 balls of top of my head. If Mayo hadn't been so wasteful we wud have been beaten by 5/6 points.
3. Tough for the u21s who played the full game.
4. Mark McHughs attitude is worrying me.
5. League semi!! I have no issue with the extra game as May 17th is a long time away. Cork (i think) will pose questions that can only benefit us.

Overall I thought it was a good game to watch and lots to improve on which is good.

downthemiddle

Nidgeweasel wrote: »

We're not in the semis are we?

Yeah against Cork.
That was careless.

Nidgeweasel

FFS.

You had one job lads!

ghostfacekilla

That second McBrearty goal from the replay looks like it should have been given from the TG4 coverage angle

Absolutely in awe of the engine that is McGlynn.

Nidgeweasel

ghostfacekilla wrote: »

That second McBrearty goal from the replay looks like it should have been given from the TG4 coverage angle

Absolutely in awe of the engine that is McGlynn.

Nothing wrong with it at all.

And yeah, been saying the same here. He is a supreme footballer.

Redsoxfan

FFS, we don't need more games. Anyway, good to get any kind of result away from home without two of our best players. Mayo had nine wides in the second half alone vs what, five or six (?) shots for us tells its own story...

For long stretches, it didn't seem like we were too interested in this game. The performance was as bad as we witnessed in Letterkenny. Little movement in front of runners, too often we ran into trouble along the sidelines. I have to believe that we have been playing within ourselves at times as this won't do come Championship.

Paddy McBrearty was pretty good. Took his goal very well, and finished the disallowed goal very well too. Colm Anthony was ok I guess. Not ideal having two very left footed forwards as our main scoring threats. You can probably include MacNiallais in that, ok, he can score with his right and did so today, but very much favours his left.

I think most of us were happy enough to see Hugh McFadden get a black card because (a) it gave him some rest ahead of Wednesday and (b) whatever his talents, he seems ill suited to the role he was asked to play. Disappointed Ryan McHugh was left on so long.

We were essentially wiped out at midfield. Perhaps not surprising when we are missing both Big Neil and Michael, but concerning all the same. The goal was well worked but it took Boyler to hit McElhinney in the chest as opposed to winning high ball or indeed breaking ball. Thought Christy was fairly anonymous.

Fair play to Stephen Griffin, I'm typically not a fan as I just don't think he's up to it at this level. I had also been cursing him minutes earlier when he couldn't keep up with Kevin Keane in what turned out to be the chance that Mayo should have taken to seal the game.

Frank McGlynn was excellent. Paddy McGrath made a few good tackles. The McGees were as combative as ever. Lacey was ok, too fond of taking the ball into contact. The pace is just not there it seems.

Not sure what was going on with Ciaran McGinley being brought on and then subbed off.

Plenty of niggle in the game. These two teams don't like each other much.

Tl;dr? Mayo failings allow Donegal to sneak a draw

Redsoxfan

downthemiddle wrote: »

Yeah against Cork.
That was careless.

I blame Kerry.

harpsman

howiya wrote: »

Whether its Beaumont or Whitehall he lives in, both are a long way from Ballyboden and he should join his local club whoever that may be.

Yeah would have thought he would have to join his local club. Anyway Ballybofey it is. Is he in his last year for Donegal?

harpsman

ghostfacekilla wrote: »

That second McBrearty goal from the replay looks like it should have been given from the TG4 coverage angle

Absolutely in awe of the engine that is McGlynn.

Thought it was the worst display of refereeing I've ever seen. How did Keegan and OShea not get black cards for those fouls which were the definition of black card offences. And as for the disallowed goal. Wtf? Along with loads of other terrible things. Truly shocking ref display.

By the looks of Gallagher at final whistle Donegal were looking for a result- maybe just to deprive Mayo of another game.

Mayos usual suspects were as pugnacious as ever. Not a team I like to say the least.

Fr Tod Umptious

I can understand why teams may like the extra game or two that the playoffs give but I'm really bat a loss to figure why a team would see it as a bad thing to make the playoffs, as some here suggest it is.

Surely a couple more (somewhat) competitive games is much better prep than training and challenge games, regardless of when the championship opener is ?

babybuilder

The worry with more competitive games is that they expose key players to injury or needless red cards before the Tyrone game. Maybe there is some value in blooding some of the newer players to Croke Park and top class opposition.

About the match today and the games against Kerry and Monaghan. When we break we must do so at pace. Any delay means that the ball is being brought into contact and turn overs are likely. The ball must be moving forward. Decisions by refs have consistently punished the ball carrier and this is likely to have been a deliberate policy decided at ref committee level. Our lighter players have been exposed on numerous occasions. Mayo are instructed to make every contact count something they may have learned from their Kerry experience last year.

Our midfield was cleaned out today. When opposition teams press high on our kick outs (as Kerry did last year) and we are forced to kick long you need Murphy or big Neil in there. Did I see Colm McFadden in there in the second half? Who made that ridiculous call?
I think more use of the long diagonal ball is needed into our full forward line. Even if we just get 30-50% possession.
McGlynn has been the stand out player in the last two games. His direct intelligent running are contributes enormously to the team.

Redsoxfan

babybuilder wrote:

The worry with more competitive games is that they expose key players to injury or needless red cards before the Tyrone game. Maybe there is some value in blooding some of the newer players to Croke Park and top class opposition.

Eg Rory Kavanagh against Monaghan in last year's Division Two Final.

And it's not like we are trying out lots of new players. Pretty sure anyone who plays next week will have already played at Croke Park.

And, there are County league games fixed for the day of the league semi finals and the league final. County players won't be available to their teams now.

Nidgeweasel

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I can understand why teams may like the extra game or two that the playoffs give but I'm really bat a loss to figure why a team would see it as a bad thing to make the playoffs, as some here suggest it is.

Surely a couple more (somewhat) competitive games is much better prep than training and challenge games, regardless of when the championship opener is ?

Because our first Championship game is on 17 May.

We need another game like a hole in the head. We have a very small unit of players, most of them with some serious mileage on the clock generally and a lot of them who have played a lot of football this year already. Another game won't be that much of a benefit.

If Donegal weren't out in the championship till alot later like Mayo or others then yeah, a few extra games wouldn't so amiss.

Thing is now too though, we've come this far we may aswell go out and try to win the fecking thing.

Nidgeweasel

On the game itself.

Ratty wasn't it. Good to have Christy, Frank and the McGees there. Our lads don't take any shiete which is admirable.

intellectual dosser

Im delighted to get the extra game(s). Seven weeks until our opening championship match - with the fitness these guys possess it wont be an issue - theres always the risk of injury but its not much higher than a training session really.

I think the extra competitive game will give Rory Gallagher more time to get things right in his mind.