WHEN DONEGAL defeated Armagh in an All-Ireland quarter-final in 2014, Jim McGuinness placed a folder on the table in the dressing room.
He told the players that he’d divulge the contents of the folder to them three days later at training.
Inside, were the plans he’d use to get them over the line against Dublin. The country was united in its belief that Dublin would have too much but, crucially, the Donegal dressing room was united in its own belief that they’d make light of the odds.
Donegal people cashed in the 7/1 dockets after a 3-14 to 0-17 semi-final win over the Dubs.
Fast forward to now and the same belief is around the country that Dublin will send Rory Gallagher’s Donegal packing.
The Donegal camp has been putting forward a show of confidence this week, but can they do it? Can they topple Dublin and reach the All-Ireland semi-finals?
So far, Dublin have had it all their own way and Donegal are capable of wobbling them. They’re missing Rory O’Carroll and Jack McCaffrey and I do believe that their full-back line is suspect.
We need to get in that far to test them.
Can Donegal put the questions to the Dublin full-back line?
Yes, but…
Donegal are going to have to frustrate, frustrate and frustrate some more – but that alone won’t win it.
Patrick McBrearty, Ryan McHugh and Eoin McHugh are absolutely flying at the moment and we’ll pretty much need everyone on their ‘A’ game here.
Ryan McHugh has been unbelievable so far and Eoin McHugh suits Croke Park.
Last week, Eoin scored an individual point that very few players can pull off. It was the stuff of a seasoned Gaelic footballer.
For him to show that maturity and bravery was heartening on a big stage.
He just has the McHugh blood.
We have to use Michael Murphy the best we can with diagonal balls this time. Murphy has to be the first port of call for the first ball, even if McBrearty or anyone else are showing.
[adrotate group=”53″]Anytime Murphy is one-v-one, we have to send it diagonal into him. We need to unhinge Dublin and Murphy is the man to do that.
We need to utilise everyone properly, but especially Murphy. When you break everything down, he’s the key piece in the jigsaw.
We can use Murphy to try to get McBrearty into position. There is so much asked of Murphy at times, but this is something that he can do at his ease. We’re used to expecting that from him, but we haven’t really tried the conventional approach using Murphy this summer.
Now’s the time.
We have to keep him involved in the game because if Dublin’s alarm bells are ringing Murphy will be the man from whom the smoke is drifting into the sensor.
I don’t think that Philly McMahon and Jonny Cooper can handle Murphy and McBrearty if they’re on form.
Two glaring incidents last week are important. The two happened in the first half, just after one another. Murphy had gone in, but we went to McBrearty and took the point.
[adrotate group=”43″]McBrearty had a magical display and was the main reason we got over the line, but the wee decisions sometimes can swing a game – and if Murphy goes inside this week we’ve got to use it.
Last week, Murphy was in more dangerous areas and if that happens here, we’ve just got to go for him.
Dublin aren’t just an all-out attacking machine as they can be portrayed at times.
Murphy, during the week, called them ‘streetwise’ – they’re that and more. They haven’t won three All-Irelands and gone on a run that’s seen them lose just two Championship games in six years by being nice guys.
Dublin are cute at times and they do have the ability to set up in a way that could make them very, very hard to break down. They have a defensive shape that perhaps they didn’t have developed in 2014 when McGuinness came with the ambush.
[adrotate group=”46″]The thing is: If they sit and Donegal sit, Dublin have the better forwards. As a front six, their lines are more potent than ours.
We’re being written off and people are saying that lightening can’t strike twice – it can, but only if things go our way.
We asked questions of Cork last week. We stripped them and we blocked them.
We didn’t do that at all in the first half, but we were more like the Donegal we know in the second half again.
We’ve missed one of the boats in the last couple of years with bringing through players. We’d really need another two or three of Kieran Gillespie. How strong a position would we be in now if we had that?
I feel like Gillespie needs to start this weekend. When he came on last week, he looked too good to have been left off. It’s alright saying about needing those legs late on, but we need him from the start here. He has the bit between the teeth at the minute and that block last week marked him out.
There’s a lot of people who feel that playing Dublin in front of a packed Croke Park is a disadvantage, but to me I think it’s actually something that will energise Donegal.
[adrotate group=”37″]Dublin are used to it. They won’t take an awful lot of energy off that because it’s the norm for them, but for Donegal the eyes of the world are on them and they’re in the melting pot – that’s sure to give them a kick.
However, there is no getting away from the issues that have been there for the whole summer.
We’re a little bit short on legs and that is one massive concern going to play Dublin.
You can sort stuff on tactics and teams, but stuff like that you just can’t fix.
Think of the fantastic performance of some of these boys down the years – and what fantastic service they’ve given – but some of our most vital and feared competitors just don’t have those bursts or drives in their locker any more.
I thought that in Ulster one or two looked short of legs, but last week I felt there were a handful of men just on empty. That’s too many to carry.
[adrotate group=”70″]That performance has left a lot of people writing us off, but that may not be a bad way to go into the game.
We’ll need to keep it tight until half-time and I do feel that we’re going to need to get a goal if we’re going to win it. We need to make it difficult and get the doubts in the minds of both Dublin and the legions on Hill 16.
The whole atmosphere can play a part. Think back to 2014 and even to 2011. When Donegal were sitting in and stiffling Dublin, the crowd begins to get frustrated and that negative energy seeps down onto the pitch, the pressure mounts and it has a domino effect on the whole thing.
[adrotate group=”38″]Conversely, the cheer for a breakdown in such a boiling cauldron can nearly be as good as a score. That can actually have a massive part to play in a game – particularly if it’s tight.
Just what was in Rory Gallagher’s folder this week we’ll see tomorrow evening – I wouldn’t bet against Donegal, but I certainly wouldn’t have the confidence in an upsetting of the odds I had two years ago.
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