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Dig 1-13 Donegal 0-12
The hardest thing to do is the last thing. Cavan was the best team for much of this Ulster final who could only get through the final stages hoping, for their sake, that they wouldn’t find a way out of it.
There were 67 minutes left on the clock when Martin Reilly approached the goal, but his shot went straight at Shaun Patton, and when the rebound cleared, we shook our heads in the stands and declared his chance was gone.
But after 23 years of the other kind of day, it was time for something different. Championship heroic Thomas Galligan made a monumental catch in midfield, was fouled and tossed the ball to Gearoid McKiernan. His free landing in Donegal square, the “let’s try something here” kind of ball that you don’t really see anymore, certainly not from a team sitting at a spot on injury time calling.
And maybe it was because Donegal isn’t used to that kind of thing or because Cavan felt there was a weakness in the air back there, or maybe it was just because it’s the kind of thing that works for you when life smiles at you, which be. the reason the ball came loose from Patton’s blow and Conor Madden buried it in the net. Dig 1-13 Donegal 0-12. Game, set, match.
“I’m waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me we have an Ulster final to play,” said a jubilant Mickey Graham. “Credit to them. Nobody gave them any credit, let’s be honest. You included. Everyone discarded them. No sinner gave them a piece of hope.
“But they just went out there and broke the script there today. I hope people respect what you want to do and see that it is special.
“It doesn’t bother me, but I knew and we knew as a management team that if we could split the second half performance against Down into two football halves, we wouldn’t be that far off.
“We knew that Donegal was under enormous pressure going in, with all the expectations they had of their own people. And we wanted to ask them if they had the right mindset, if they were focused on this game, if they were looking beyond. All we could do was go out and ask the questions. I think we saw the answers. “
Miracle dealer
Usually the manager who gives you a little Youse didn’t believe in us after a win can seem a bit irritable. Not here. For a miracle dealer, Graham is as humble as he seems. First Mullinalaghta, now an Ulster championship for his home county for the first time since 1997. And not a bit of a fluke about it.
Donegal came in as a favorite on 1/14 and for most of the afternoon played like it was over. Where Cavan was a tiger, they doubted. Where Cavan bet on overlays and field stretching, they were cautious and seemed to be playing by heart. Michael Murphy, Ryan McHugh, Michael Langan – none of their directors stood out at any point.
In fact, the most damning stat of the day is surely the fact that Donegal only managed three of his 12 points when the game was 15 against 15. Cavan had two black cards, the second of them a particularly terrible call, and Donegal used those two periods to fill your boots. But when they were even numbers, they flinched at Cavan’s wide-eyed display.
The first black card came in the 13th minute when Killian Brady crossed Ryan McHugh’s line as Donegal tried to get out of defense. It was quite marginal, accidental on purpose, but nonetheless heralded Donegal’s best period. Paddy McBrearty looked strong, nailing a couple of points cutting from the right. Niall O’Donnell grabbed one, McHugh, Michael Langan and McGonigle did the same.
It had been a brilliant opening for Cavan, but everyone seemed like Donegal had settled in. They outscored Cavan 0-7 to 0-1 in the 10 minutes that Brady was off the court, and we assumed they would walk away from there. But they only scored three points in the remaining 47 minutes, two of them from free practice.
A big one
Cavan, on the other hand, were like children in boarding school who had stolen the keys to the store. They went into halftime just 0-9 to 0-7 down and then Graham pushed Thomas Galligan into full forward for the start of the second half. He fought for a point, James Smith threw one over his shoulder, Madden hit a big one from the right.
You could only see a team winning from there as long as they didn’t go and beat themselves. However, Ray Galligan did not allow it and made three saves to keep them alive. Oisin Kiernan, who was undergoing chemotherapy this time two years ago, put them ahead in the 65th minute with a stunner from the left.
It was one of those days. That kind of year.
DONEGAL: Shaun Patton; Eoghan Bán Gallagher, Neil McGee, Brendan McCole; Ryan McHugh (0-1), Paul Brennan, Peadar Mogan (0-1); Hugh McFadden, Caolán McGonigle (0-2); Eoin McHugh, Niall O’Donnell (0-2), Michael Langan (0-1); Patrick McBrearty (0-4, 0-2 free), Michael Murphy (0-1), Jamie Brennan. Subs: Andrew McClean by P Brennan, 55 minutes; Daire Ó Baoill for E McHugh, 57 minutes; Ciaran Thompson for McBrearty, 58 minutes; Jason McGee for O’Donnell, 68 minutes
DIG: Raymond Galligan; Jason McLoughlin (0-1), Pádraig Faulkner, Luke Fortune; Gerard Smith (0-1), Killian Clarke, Ciarán Brady (0-1); Thomas Galligan (0-1), Killian Brady; Martin Reilly (0-1), Gearoid McKiernan (0-2, 0-2 free), Oisin Kiernan (0-2); James Smith (0-2), Chris Conroy, Conor Smith. Substitutes: James Madden (1-2) for J Smith (blood), 9-15 minutes; Madden by T Galligan (blood), 26-33 minutes; Madden for C Smith, half time; Niall Murray for Conroy, 55 minutes; C Smith for Reilly, 71 minutes
Black card: Killian Brady, 12 minutes; James Madden 54 minutes
Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry)
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