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Donegal has its sights set on the grand prize
August 31, 2014. That date will evoke happy memories for all Donegal fans, as Jim McGuinness’ team left Dublin baffled in the Irish semi-final. The Dubs haven’t lost a championship game since. We could see another semi-final matchup involving the counties on December 5, with both favorites to win their provincial titles next weekend.
Donegal has faced Dublin multiple times in the championship since that day in August six years ago, but has kept a distance in their quest to cause more upsets. This year, Declan Bonner’s team looks well equipped to go toe-to-toe with any opponent that comes their way at Croke Park.
Michael Langan pointed within seconds of the start against Armagh in the Ulster semi-final. Donegal was on a firm footing from the start, knowing that Orchardmen could have featured a banana skin to derail his ambitions.
Not to be.
Donegal scored eight points at the top in a first half where his ability to carry the ball, his pace of work and his physique was too much for McGeeney’s men. Michael Murphy set up Peadar Mogan for the only goal of the game: the latter advanced from his mid-back position to send a bullet past Armagh’s goalkeeper.
In all, Donegal has 13 different scorers in sight. Paddy McBrearty drew attention when he performed for the final 20 minutes, as did Oisin Gallen. All in all, an excellent day in the office for the reigning Ulster champions, despite the injuries of Stephen McMenamin and Hugh McFadden.
Declan Bonner was happy afterwards, although keeping control over things, he told RTÉ Sport: “There is definitely room for improvement and we will come back and analyze.”
Surely Bonner’s side was like a coiled spring ready to kick in when he saw Armagh’s jerseys at Breffni. They did it with revealing effect. Cavan is next in the line of fire. Not disrespectful to Mickey Graham’s side, but thoughts of Croker’s wide, open expanses are now top of mind in Donegal. They won’t mention that, but that day will come soon.
As for Armagh, the wounds will be licked. “For the first time this year, I thought we were very, very shy, very meek, we had nothing to do with them. Standing still, just doing the ball. Really disappointing stuff.” Kieran McGeeney’s words to the assembled press later.
Life in Division 1 next spring should leave Armagh better prepared for future attacks.
The three-week break comes at the right time for May
History has taught us that there is often a world of difference between provincial combat and what unfolds in Croker when the All-Ireland series is resolved.
Think back to 2012, when Mayo won a Connacht decider against Sligo. They improved a lot by accounting for Down and Dublin on Croker en route to a showdown with Sam Maguire. They didn’t get the grand prize, but they were competitive on the big stage.
On the evidence of his Connacht’s final victory over GalwayMay this year is a bit behind Dublin and Donegal in the race for Sam, but we’ll wait to see what form they are in when they hit the Croke Park turf on December 6th. With Kerry out of the equation, they’ll face Munster’s best. In what is a condensed championship, Mayo must be delighted to have three weeks to find another team.
They have things to work on. Against Roscommon and Galway, they could have finished the game within the first 20 minutes if they had been more accurate in front of the posts. Tribemen dominated affairs in the middle during the first half at Salthill.
👀 “In a crazy year, wouldn’t it be typical for May to take Sam for Christmas?” #RTEGAA #GAA pic.twitter.com/6pTJlIasGJ
– Sunday’s game (@TheSundayGame) November 15, 2020
With Aidan O’Shea chosen to start at the edge of the plaza, it wasn’t long before he was off the field. Where is your best position? If Mayo reaches an Irish final, surely a more fluid Mayo attack will result in O’Shea at home.
A huge asset to Eoghan McLaughlin’s performance. Piercing the heart of the Galway defense, he put backup Bryan Walsh on a fist, while earlier he brought out the best of Bernard Power in the Tribesmen goal. Overall, Mayo’s new weapons in the form of Oisín Mullin, Tommy Conroy, Matthew Ruane, Bryan Walsh continue to impress.
Positive then for the Connacht champions who held out to win by one point, but were actually a few points better than their neighbors.
Too many unforced errors cost Galway a lot on a day where some rust was evident from the start. The fact that they could have forced extra time if a pair of Shane Walsh releases from the sideline had been exceeded speaks volumes for their character.
Pádraic Joyce questioned some of the refereeing decisions, but was more upset by the handling that led Mayo to score. He suspects that 2021 may not come soon enough for Joyce and her team as they look to make up for this year’s frustrating finale.
Breffni rises from the ashes again
The league’s Division 3 relegation is perhaps a distant memory as Cavan gears up for a final consecutive appearance in Ulster. As they did in previous games, and in particular in the preliminary round win over Monaghan, Mickey Graham’s team again had to move in the second half to pass. Down in the semi-final at the Athletic Grounds.
Jerome Johnston, Caolan Mooney and Daniel Guinness were Cavan’s chief torturers from the start as Down racked up an eight-point lead at halftime.
Whatever was in the Cavan tea during the halftime discussion worked wonders. A penalty converted by Marty Reilly and Conor Madden’s introduction to his attack was key to Cavan’s rise when Down lost his way.
A Thomas Galligan point was Breffni’s level in the hour. More points from Galligan, Killian Clarke and Gearoid McKiernan gave them a cushion that would protect until the final whistle.
So Cavan must now prepare for a sixth game in as many weeks when he faces Donegal next Sunday. They simply have to buck the trend. They have to get out of the traps to stay competitive, and that’s no easy task.
Looking ahead, Mickey Graham is well aware of what an early dream would mean when he spoke to RTÉ Sport.
“We left ourselves a mountain to climb in the second half of games, and today was no different,” he said, “but that’s not going to get away with the Donegal machine.
“If we let them do that, they will put us to the sword, so we have a lot of work to do.”
Goal machine Meath where they want to be
And so Meath has scored 12 goals in back-to-back matches to prepare for a shot at Dublin in the Leinster final. It is not a feat that one would think was accomplished too often in the soccer championship.
Trailing six points at the break and with just four points on the scoreboard, the Royals appeared to be on the brink of a disappointing championship exit against Kildare in the Leinster semi-final.
On the restart, goals flowed, five in total, from Mathew Costello, Jordan Morris Cillian O’Sullivan, Joey Wallace and Jason Scully. The Lilies were left lazy in awarding two of those green flags, but in the end they can’t have complaints on dropping nine points.
Meath’s relegation from the league’s Division 1 had some brilliant moments. They are a team that is heading in the right direction and they are the best of the rest in Leinster. They will not fear Dublin next Saturday night and they are capable of producing more than respectability.
Get sick of it
Championship weekend began with Mickey Harte’s announcement that he would be stepping down as Tyrone’s manager after 18 years. Much has been written and said about Harte’s contribution over the years.
Seán Cavanagh has all of Ireland. The Allianz League and Ulster medals in his name, all won under Harte’s leadership. However, Cavanagh referenced other medals in his cabinet that were earned when he spoke on The Sunday Game.
“I have to be very grateful for the good morning, during the 2000s we had three All-Irelands, we had a National League title.
“I was lucky and honored to be a team captain most recently for a couple from Ulster [titles].
“Mickey is and always has been a serial winner and he imposed that on ourselves. He demanded the best of us no matter when and what we played. I think I have 10 McKenna Cup medals whether I like them or not.”
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