BY RYAN FERRY
DONEGAL manager Jim McGuinness says there are plenty of aspects of his team’s game that they need to tidy up on as they gear up for Round six of the National Football League.
It’s been an excellent start to the season to date.
Their 100% winning record may have fallen with a draw against Galway but they remain unbeaten and seven victories out of eight would have gladly been accepted at the start of January.
However, Donegal won’t have been resting still over the last fortnight, and McGuinness will be keen to see how they deal with the physicality stakes at the Hyde on Sunday.
“There’s a lot.
“We were nearly perfect against Mayo in our build-up and that probably won us the game in the first half against a very strong breeze.
“They kept the ball brilliantly and got out brilliantly with triangles and getting ahead of the ball.
“(Against Galway) we got caught with a lot of unforced errors so it’s definitely back to the drawing board from that point of view.
“Getting caught on the ball more than giving it away.
“They were physical and they were going to ask that question.
“Jason (McGee) got a brilliant turnover and then all of a sudden he got caught.
“I do think that is one of the big trends in the game this season. The ability to win the ball and then deal with that two or three seconds whenever you win it and that ties in with the refereeing scenario and that can fluctuate a lot so you have to be really sharp once you secure possession because the heat is coming – even if it is the top end of the pitch that pressure is coming.”
McGuinness feels the game remains in a good place after the introduction of the new rules last year and he doesn’t think there has been huge change over the past 12 months.
“For me it hasn’t really changed too much.
“I still would have a bee in the bonnet about the two-point free-kick.
“It’s 66% of a goal, and particularly on days when you have a wind at your back, it seems like a lot.
“Obviously there was a lot of controversy and conversations over the winter in terms of the ball being brought forward.
“If there is anything wrong there – and sometimes when there are a lot of players around the ball and it’s actually hard to see what is going on – is he being held or is he wasting time on the ball or is he actually being fouled himself?
“The ball being brought forward fifty metres is a lot.
“One of the things that was spoken about at the time about linesmen being more involved in the game and I think the wording was the linesmen ‘may bring to the attention of the referee’ and Jim Gavin changed that to ‘shall bring to the attention of the referee’.
“We find ourselves talking a lot with the linesmen in terms of what is going on in the game and situations in the game and sometimes that works in the context of bringing it to the attention of the ref but a lot of the time it doesn’t. A lot of the time you actually get the same answer of ‘he’s closer than me’ or ‘he’s in the middle’ all that type of thing.
“There’s a lot going on and I think there is room for the linesmen to do more and engage more.
“There’s no recourse for the management team or the captain – they are kind of pushed to the side – and there should be that situation if you feel something is happening in a game and it’s consistent, then you bring it to the referee and it’s dealt with, instead of it not being dealt with and sitting (afterwards) being agitated and ranting.
“Those couple of ones for me are where there is room for improvement but at the same time because of the rules the referee has a lot on his plate.”
Michael Murphy hasn’t played an away league game since his retirement u-turn but with matches against Roscommon and Monaghan (in Clones) as well as a potential league final on the horizon, he is likely to see action in the coming weeks.
“We will see how it goes.
“It’s not a massive journey.
“If it ties in with his own development that will be the decision that will be made.”
Donegal are now set to enter a busy period of the season as the Ulster Under 20 Championship begins next week.
Young Footballer of the Year Finnbarr Roarty is still eligible as is Conor McCahill, Turlough Carr, and Kevin Muldoon who have all played during the league. Goalkeeper Padraig Mac Giolla Bhride and defender Max Campbell have also been part of the senior set-up.
“We are working very closely with the Under 20s.
“The Under 20s management have been excellent and the 20s train with us most nights.
“We’re working with them and it gives us a chance to look at the younger players and gives the younger players a chance to train with the senior lads and see what the level is.
“That has worked really well and we work very closely to develop sessions and stuff. They take parts and we take parts so everyone has a good idea of where the lads are at.
“A number of them are away at college as well so when their numbers are down during the week, we can supplement and vice versa.
“That has worked really well and we want to keep that going and obviously we want to be fair to them as well and give them a good crack at the championship.”
Roscommon may have been beaten by Dublin in Round 5 of the NFL but they have impressed McGuinness and many others.
They were strongly tipped to be relegated but with six points to their name, should be safe for another season.
“I think Roscommon are the story, to be honest with you, they’re the big story at the moment in the country,” he said.
“I think a lot of people didn’t give them much hope coming into the season and probably not a lot of respect either.
McGuinness remarked how Mark Dowd’s side could’ve salvaged at least a draw against Kerry when they were chinned by Tomás Kennedy’s buzzer beater in Killarney.
“It will be an interesting game whenever we get that far, to the Hyde.”
