Picking up a win early in the Division 1 campaign is huge and I’m sure Jim McGuinness and the Donegal senior footballers were delighted to come through a tough battle with Dublin with two points.
It’s all about collecting the results that are needed to stay up and then Donegal can really hone in on making sure all their players are fit and firing for the Ulster Championship opener which comes in early April this year.
Donegal had to dig deep, especially when Dublin had some momentum in the second half with the breeze.
They managed to grab control and struck the points they needed.
On windy nights like Saturday, two-pointers are going to be huge.
It’s only ever going to be possible to hit a two-pointer at one end of the pitch so you have to make hay when it’s your turn.
Donegal had a few efforts from outside the arc that went wide, but Daire Ó Baoill’s scores were huge.
A lot of forwards like to cut in onto their stronger foot, but Daire has mastered the art of scoring from the right wing off his right foot.
Donegal do have good shooters and I don’t think nailing two-pointers will be an issue.
You could see against Dublin that Oisin Gallen was happy to stay in and then drift out by the arc to try and get on the ball.
I think you will still see teams pushing defenders and players that they don’t want shooting inside to create more space around the arc for the more accurate kickers.
I know there is some chat of looking at if goals should revert to four points once again, and that might not be a bad idea because it’s going to be a lot easier to score two-pointers than goals in my opinion.
There’s been plenty of focus on goalkeepers coming up the field but Donegal clearly had their homework done and they knew Dublin number one Gavin Sheridan wasn’t a threat and they left him free.
In general, I thought Donegal defended well and their hard work over the last couple of months was evident.
They looked fit and Patrick McBrearty made a great impression off the bench when his experience really came to the fore.
Jim was very strong on the demands of the players after the match and would like to see another sub utilised.
I then saw former Kildare player Brian Lacey say that the game should be cut to 60 minutes.
I don’t think that’s needed but an extra sub would help to spread the load, and it’s one extra member of the panel who is happy as they get to play.
We’re all still getting used to the rules but I think the penalty is too high for not leaving three players up the field, particularly when players take a free out to the edge of the arc with the breeze.
You can see players are constantly looking over their shoulders when near the half-way line, and it’s generally an honest mistake when a player steps over. Fair enough if someone gets back into the defensive shape then that should be a called.
But I think the linesmen could help by warning players to get back on the right side quickly.
In general, the dissent rules are working well and that will help referees in the long run.
Finnbarr Roarty did very well on his debut and he will be pushing hard for a jersey this year.
Donegal were short a lot of players on Saturday and when they get fit there’s going to be serious competition for places.
Kerry
I watched Kerry play Derry on Sunday and I thought they were very fortunate to win the game.
For 65 minutes, I thought Derry played some super stuff and were much the better team.
Kerry couldn’t get a grip on Ethan Doherty or Shane McGuigan and it looked like Derry were going to get two valuable points.
However, the Oak Leaf county then imploded in the closing stages conceding three very poor goals.
It was quite the contrast with the Donegal game the night before when they brought Shaun Patton up the field to kill off the game.
However, Derry just kept giving Kerry the ball and I’d say Jack O’Connor and his team couldn’t believe their luck.
There’s good scope for improvement from Kerry and we have seen that from other teams in Division 1.
Armagh and Derry were both very poor on the opening weekend but were much better last week.
You’d expect Kerry will up the ante in front of a good crowd in Killarney.
They have no shortage of dangerous players in Paudie Clifford, Tom O’Sullivan and the Geaneys.
However, I think at the moment, they are very much beatable and Donegal won’t fear them.
I expect Donegal to collect the two points on offer in Killarney.
MacRory Cup
What an occasion it will be this Sunday for Abbey Vocational School to play in the MacRory Cup Final.
St Pat’s, Maghera stand in their way and it will take a huge performance to win.
However, you’d be silly to write off these Abbey players and they will go into the match with confidence.
For years, we used to watch the MacRory Cup Final on TV on St Patrick’s Day, and it just felt like Donegal schools would never quite get to that level.
It’s not an even playing field when you consider how many students some of the schools in the north have, and their final year pupils tend to be older too.
St Eunan’s College did get to a couple of finals more than sixty years ago but it’s tough to compete with the big-hitters from the North.
Michael Murphy was already a Donegal senior player when he inspired St Eunan’s College to a semi-final spot in 2008, but they were beaten by St Michael’s, Enniskillen.
Tyrone star Mattie Donnelly lined out at full-back to mark Murphy, and the likes of Ryan Jones and Tomas Corrigan who went on to have very good careers for Fermanagh were playing.
That shows just how challenging it is to reach the final of Ulster ‘A’ football and for Abbey to do it in their first season competing in the MacRory Cup is just great going.
Maghera sit second in the MacRory Cup roll-of-honour, and they have Fanad man William McAteer in their management along with Chrissy McKaigue and Sean Marty Lockhart.
St Pat’s have 14 clubs supplying players to their team, while in contrast Abbey have just three.
It’s incredible that they have reached this level, and 13 of the starting team come from Four Masters.
Those lads have cleaned up at minor and Under 21 level and they will be confident heading into the match.
If the likes of the Carr brothers – Tomas and Turlough – and Conor McCahill and Kevin Muldoon hit form, the Donegal Town school could be in line for a famous victory.
Ladies
The Donegal Ladies have started their campaign with two draws.
It shows the fine margins of gaelic football.
The team were happy to get a point against Clare when new captain Roisin Rodgers scored an equaliser.
However, they were on the other side of it last Sunday when they shipped a late leveller against Westmeath and saw victory taken away from them.
It’s very much a transitional period for the Donegal Ladies. A number of experienced players who have given great service to the county have now stepped away.
James Daly has come in as manager and he has a challenging job. There are good players coming through but it will take time to establish themselves.
Donegal face Monaghan at home this weekend and they will be keen to start off with a win.
The Donegal hurlers had a great win over Tyrone last week.
They are playing against higher quality opposition this season and it’s going to be a battle to stay up.
That said, they should have beaten Meath first day out and then had a comfortable win over Tyrone, so they are putting themselves in the mix for survival.
You have to hand it to Mickey McCann. He’s one of the longest serving managers in the country now in his eighth season.
He’s definitely raised standards during that time and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he manages to keep the team in Division 2.
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