Ryan Ferry looks at the key battles ahead of the County Final

Daire Ó Baoill v Ultan Doherty

Naomh Conaill will know the importance of keeping Daire Ó Baoill quiet this Sunday.
Ó Baoill has star quality and he is the team captain.
As he showed with the Donegal team this year, if he gets half a yard he will pull the trigger and is a serious two-point threat.
Naomh Conaill may require some re-arranging in defence but it’s likely that they will want Ultan Doherty, who is their stickiest marker, on Ó Baoill.
Doherty has had a rough time with injuries but he’s been solid since returning to the team this season.
He has done good marking jobs on Johnny McGroddy (Downings), Daire McDaid (Termon) and Conor McCahill (Four Masters).
Ó Baoill is a different type of threat as he will likely play deeper but he’s a man that will need to be stopped from a Naomh Conaill perspective.
 

Adam Mac Iomhair v Kieran Gallagher
Naomh Conaill won’t be able to call upon Ciaran Thompson this Sunday, but they still boast a strong midfield.
Kieran Gallagher has been a revelation since returning home from his travels and is awesome in the air.
Gaoth Dobhair have plenty of big men and they will be keen to get on top in the middle.
They handled Michael Langan reasonably well in the semi-final and will feel they can spoil Gallagher as well.
Domhnall Mac Giolla Bhride has been mainly playing at centre half-back while Adam Mac Iomhair appears to be getting the nod ahead of Peter McGee in midfield with Stephen ‘Donna’ McFadden now.
Mac Iomhair was part of the Donegal U20 panel last year and he is an athletic, committed player.
He will need to bring his best to keep Gallagher quiet.

Ethan Harkin v Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí
Gaoth Dobhair’s decision to move Ethan Harkin to the half-back line has worked a treat this season.
Harkin is an accurate shooter but has been bottled up by congested defences in big games before.
This season he has been granted a bit more freedom to attack and he has been scoring heavily.
In the 2023 County Final, Naomh Conaill put John O’Malley on Odhrán Mac Niallais who was the big threat coming from deep.
That worked well on that occasion but there are now only 11 players permitted in defence and more space for attackers to work with.
With that in mind, Naomh Conaill may require a player with more defensive instincts and it could be a role for the versatile Jeaic Mac Ceallabhuí, who has done big marking jobs for Martin Regan in the past.

Gary McFadden v Shea Malone

Gary McFadden is undoubtedly Gaoth Dobhair’s best defender and it will be interesting to see who he picks up on Sunday.
Charles McGuinness was part of the county set-up this season but Eamonn Mac Giolla Bhride should be a good match physically for the full-forward.
If Eoghan McGettigan is fit then McFadden could pick him up but he has been struggling with a hamstring injury.
In the absence of McGettigan, Shea Malone has really come to the fore in recent weeks.
He’s fast and quick and knows where the posts are.
However, he hasn’t been marked by someone of the quality of McFadden and will have to be at his best to register much-needed scores.

Odhrán Mac Niallais v Finnbarr Roarty

Mac Niallais missed the championship last season but is back in the mix now and as always he brings skill and guile to the Gaoth Dobhair team.
He had his best game of the championship to date in the semi-final against St Michael’s.
The former county star has been mainly used in the top three for Gaoth Dobhair this year but likes to drift out the field.
He hasn’t scored as much as one might expect but Naomh Conaill know all about his talent and they have a few options when it comes to marking him with AJ Gallagher and Ultan Doherty.
However, they might be tempted to go with Finnbarr Roarty if Mac Niallais wants to float.
Roarty has had a sensational 2025 with Donegal and has been one of the best players in the club championship as well.
He’s tough in the tackle and Naomh Conaill may feel he could cause Mac Niallais problems going the other way as well.