BY RYAN FERRY
1. Break left Donegal primed and ready
Donegal had four long weeks to stew over their defeat with Down.
That was a below-par performance and there could be no complaints as they couldn’t match the Mourne county for hunger and endeavour.
Mayo released their players for a round of club games following their early championship defeat while others took a week off.
Donegal went straight back to training and really knuckled down.
Jim McGuinness said the management didn’t go to the Munster Final, instead electing to train on that Sunday morning.
It’s clear that making sure they were primed and ready for Killarney was the key objective.
It was interesting as well that the team flew down to Kerry for the match to save the hassle of a long bus journey for the team.
Michael Langan is one of the elite players in Ireland so his return was crucial.
Ciaran Moore was back to his best after a quiet day against Down, while Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher, Caolan McGonagle, and Jason McGee all raised their game once again.
With the way this new All-Ireland format is structured, there are good breaks if you can stay on the winners’ path.
Donegal could get a tough draw in Round 2A but likewise, few counties will want to be paired with McGuinness’s men.
2. McCole and Roarty handle the Clifford conundrum
The Clifford brothers caused Donegal huge problems in last year’s All-Ireland Final.
Donegal got their approach wrong that day but things went much better on Saturday.
Paudie Clifford was tightly marshalled by Finnbarr Roarty and not allowed to dictate affairs.
Paudie is struggling with a hamstring complaint but he couldn’t get involved in the game in the way he would have liked and lost his composure as the match went on.
Roarty was aggressive and disciplined and showed that he can shut out a playmaker.
It has been suggested at times this year that keeping David Clifford to under ten points is a good day but Donegal have knocked that theory on the head in their last two outings with Kerry.
The Footballer of the Year scored 1-1 in the League Final, while he was held to 0-4 on Saturday.
One of those points came when Brendan McCole had to back off because of the threat of a goal, there was a tap-over free, and a two-pointer late on when the game was long over as a contest.
It was noticeable how Clifford grew frustrated and his shot selection was poor at times.
It was a big day for McCole after a challenging day last July and it will boost his confidence.
If the sides meet again down the line, Donegal will feel they have two strong defenders that can deal with the Clifford conundrum once again.
3. Improvement needed on kick-outs
It’s hard to get a true read on Donegal’s performance as they had total control in the second half when Kerry were reduced to 14 players.
Donegal did have a five-point lead at the break and attacking brilliantly causing Kerry huge problems.
However, it wasn’t a flawless performance and Kerry owned a lot of the ball.
After struggling on kick-outs in the League Final, Kerry were much improved.
Shane Murphy got his own restarts away quickly while of Gavin Mulreany’s 15 kick-outs in the first half, Donegal only won eight of them.
There was some bad luck with Donegal hands flicking over the sideline while Sean Hurson blew for two soft frees against the away side for minimal contact when the ball was being contested.
However, Gavin Mulreany did have his struggles as he was blown up for taking too long and sent another kick into the crowd.
Kerry’s press was good but Donegal have work to do to get their restarts away quicker.
Mulreany held on to his position ahead of Shaun Patton who is now back fit.
Patton played for St Eunan’s against St Michael’s on Sunday.
It would be a surprise if Mulreany doesn’t start the next match but Patton will be putting the pressure on.
4. No backwards steps
It was clear that Donegal were up to the physical challenge that Kerry presented.
McGuinness felt that his team were caught by Kerry in the All-Ireland Final last year and it wasn’t going to happen again in Killarney.
“It was physical and we were ready and we didn’t take a backwards step,” said the Glenties man afterwards.
Kerry were gunning for Michael Murphy before throw in but Hugh McFadden, Oisin Gallen, and Conor O’Donnell were straight in to provide back up.
There were plenty of dunts and snarling and Donegal stood up to the challenge.
Tempers boiled over at half-time but Donegal remained united.
It was noticeable when the Kerry subs wanted a pop at McGuinness as they walked to the dressing rooms, Sean Martin, Cormac Gallagher and Paul O’Hare who are all relative newcomers were not prepared to be bystanders.
Indeed five of the players used by Donegal on Saturday – Sean Martin, Finnbarr Roarty, Turlough Carr, Shea Malone, and Max Campbell – were all under 21 this year but were able to handle the Killarney cauldron.
5. Jim’s availability is massive
It will have been a nervous few days for the Donegal camp as they awaited news on if there would be any suspensions arising from the match.
There was huge focus on Jim McGuinness’s involvement with Diarmuid O’Connor, especially in light of the 12-week ban that Dublin manager Ger Brennan received.
However, the word came through on Tuesday that McGuinness will not serve a suspension and that is a massive boost for Donegal.
Yes his side are experienced and polished and know their strategy well.
But McGuinness’s energy and drive both at training and on matchdays is vital.
He demands high standards and brings an aura of steel to the set-up.
His presence alone can put other teams on edge.
There’s no doubt that it would have weakened Donegal’s hand not to have had him involved on matchdays.
He will be available as usual going forward and that enhances Donegal’s chances of success.