BY RYAN FERRY
IT wasn’t the most eventful aspect of the post-match debrief in the Athletic Grounds last Sunday but it did bring a wry smile when the Donegal dressing room speaker blared out Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s popular song ‘Don’t rein me in’ as the team soaked up another victory.
Jim McGuinness was first out, followed by Kieran McGeeney, and there was plenty for the reporters and fans to get stuck into as two of the most topical GAA personalities held court.
Was the selected song a subconscious move from the DJ or a gentle reminder to the bainisteoir that the Donegal side are enjoying their winning run and want to keep it going?
With four wins from four games, McGuinness’s men are undoubtedly in a good spot.
At this stage last year, the handbrake was already starting to come up in the league but it’s a different dynamic this season with a much later Ulster Championship date.
One more win will likely take Donegal through to the Division 1 Final and it feels unlikely that the management would want to head into the Ulster SFC off the back of three successive defeats.
McGuinness has reiterated his point that he wants to give exposure to some players and get others up to speed so there will be tweaks along the way, and some of those look like they will be enforced.
However, as Galway head for Fr Tierney Park this weekend, Donegal look well placed to attack the game and keep their momentum going.
Donegal haven’t lost a game in Ballyshannon since 2009 and it would be a shame to forego such a record with a weakened side.
Galway need league points and they will test Donegal in ways that some of their other opposition have failed to do so far.
Armagh were minus a number of seasoned campaigners but they were the best organised side that Donegal have faced in the league to date.
They landed some fantastic scores in the first half, and while their accuracy deserted them to a degree in Act Two, they could have got something out of the game down the home stretch.
It wasn’t the most cohesive display from Donegal but they had big displays in the middle and there was a steeliness to their display on a wet and heavy pitch.
It has been a peculiar league campaign for Galway so far.
They were well beaten by Mayo in their opener before picking up a win and a draw against Armagh and Kerry respectively.
They were second best in both of those matches and could have found themselves in real bother after three rounds.
Last week, they were 11 points up and in control at half-time against Roscommon, only to allow their Connacht rivals to fight back and win by a point.
That said, they are a team that have caused Donegal plenty of problems in recent years.
In the 2024 All-Ireland Semi-final, Donegal went into the game with high hopes, only to lose out by two points.
Last year, albeit a weakened Donegal side lost by seven in Salthill, in a game where they found themselves really struggling against a stiff wind in the first half.
If we transport ourselves back 12 months, the Tribesmen were being talked up about as real contenders after losing the All-Ireland Final the previous year.
It’s a cautionary tale as Galway seemed to lose their stride after that and it was a messy summer with below-par performances and strange managerial calls with the trigger-happy Padraic Joyce all too happy to hook some of his best players before half-time.
Joyce appears to have grown frustrated by the lack of reliability when it comes to the fitness of Shane Walsh and Damien Comer. Both men are in their thirties now and Joyce has a sense of a man that hasn’t the patience for building his team around two players who could struggle to play consistently this year.
Matthew Thompson is unavailable as he is on an Erasmus in America, but Galway still have good forwards.
Rob Finnerty is a classy operator at full-forward and it would be a surprise if Brendan McCole doesn’t pick him up.
However, that could potentially expose the Donegal defence as the towering Fionn McDonagh has been playing in the front three, and McCole appears to be the only inside back who would have the physique to deal with him.
Could that lead to a change of approach with perhaps a player of the ilk of Stephen McMenamin coming in? Or will Donegal look to Peadar Mogan or Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher to race up the field and make McDonagh defend.
One area where they do shape up well against Donegal is in midfield.
Galway dominated that sector two years ago in the All-Ireland semi-final.
It has been an area of huge strength for Donegal so far with Jason McGee, Hugh McFadden, and Michael Langan all in great form.
However, Galway have some huge men themselves with John Maher, Matthew Tierney and Cien D’Arcy all in that department. Former Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy also returned against Roscommon to bolster that area even further.
Donegal’s big men will have to be on it and there could be changes in the half-forward line with Shane O’Donnell and Ciaran Moore both going off injured against Armagh. With Ciarán Thompson and Dáire Ó Baoill both on the treatment table as well, it means that there could be real change to the half-forward line.
That will be a challenge to overcome as the speed and athleticism in the middle right is vital to the way Donegal play.
Michael Murphy and Jamie Brennan will likely come into the picture and it will be interesting to see if McGuinness is tempted to move Conor O’Donnell further out the field or is the Carn man now deemed too important from an attacking sense?
Joyce was an interested spectator in the clubhouse in Ballyshannon when Donegal defeated Kerry and he will know what lies ahead for his team this week.
They won’t lack for motivation but if McGuinness doesn’t rein in his team, they will fancy their chances of a fifth straight victory in the top flight.
