As he sat at the front of Francie Marley’s bus on the way up the M1, following Donegal’s defeat to Dublin in an All-Ireland quarter-final, Rory Gallagher knew his gaze would have to go deeper.
Gallagher felt that Donegal’s Rubik’s Cube would have to be reshuffled over the winter months.
It would take time and, even though he still had two years of his term as Donegal manager to run, the Belleek native sought a new, longer stay in the hotseat.
Picture caption: Donegal manager Rory Gallagher watches his side’s game against Kerry yesterday. Picture by Máirtín Mac Crábhagáin
Gallagher was given another three years, with the option of a fourth, and immediately the rebuild began. He called in eleven new players initially, although the jigsaw lost a few key pieces more than had been anticipated.
No longer has he the option of introducing Christy Toye from the bench; Colm McFadden will only ever be seen in club football now; Rory Kavanagh retired for the second time and Eamon McGee decided it was time to go, too.
David Walsh’s 2016 had been blighted by injury and he also called time.
Those were in the ‘expected’ category’, though.
[adrotate group=”46″]As if that wasn’t bad, Anthony Thompson, Leo McLoone and Odhrán Mac Niallais – three men who should have been receiving the baton – opted out, leaving Gallagher with some gaping holes to fill.
The new era was ushered in yesterday in Letterkenny when Gallagher handed out four debuts from the start – Paul Brennan, Jason McGee, Michael Langan and Jamie Brennan – with Caolan Ward making a first League start, and Conor Gibbons and Ethan O’Donnell making their bows from the bencg.
Kerry won by three points, but the margin ought to have been greater – yet Gallagher pointed to the future as he analysed the 2-17 to 1-17 loss.
“We made a decision that we were going with a certain type of play,” Gallagher said.
“We have probably changed it from what we were used to from the last four years.
“The last number of years we haven’t been able to get enough scores. It is something we have challenged the lads on. We need more of an outlet, more people able to get the ball over the bar. We have centred on Patrick (McBrearty) and Michael (Murphy) and Ryan (McHugh) too much over the last year or so.”
1-17, generally, would be enough to win games, but Donegal had been left with an eleventh-hour void after Neil McGee woke yesterday with a vomiting bug that ruled him out.
Gallagher said: “With the forward line Kerry named we could make a decision to camp in our own half and try and get a result. But we have to look at the bigger picture and that is what we tried to do.
“We have a very young team and lost Neil before the game. But we said we would give everyone a go early on and you expect lots of tough days in the National League when you are playing the top teams.”
Michael Murphy scored a penalty in the 24th minute to put Donegal ahead, but Paul Geaney hit the net at the other end in an instant. Geaney’s second goal, nine minutes into the second half, helped Kerry rack up a big lead.
Donegal came back with a late flurry of scores, including the last six points, but they remained well beaten on the day.
Gallagher said: “We were saying that it could go one of two ways. But look, we fought back and showed great courage and conviction to come back at them.
[adrotate group=”76″]“We are changing the way we play football over the last number of years. We are trying out a number of new players and there are going to be days like that so we are trying to marry the two together.
“We finished well. But we have to be honest in our evaluation of the game.
“We said that we would be brutally honest and Kerry are a good bit down the line from ourselves going by today.
“We’ve got to be real: Kerry were much the better team.”
Paddy McGrath, Martin O’Reilly and Hugh McFadden were withdrawn injured, though Gallagher noted that all three were ‘precautionary’.
Darach O’Connor appeared in the second half, scoring two points to mark his first Donegal outing since the 2015 Ulster final.
Ciaran Thompson showed well but Donegal will be concerned at how David Moran was enabled to lord the centrefield battle. In the first half alone Donegal lost 11 of their own kickouts.
Gallagher said: “David Moran was a colossus I thought at midfield. We battled well with them in the second when Michael (Murphy) was there.
“This league will be a huge learning curve and we have got to be united and keep digging when things aren’t going well on the pitch.
“The boys are aware that that is what we are expecting from them. We’re a wee bit disappointed that towards the end of the first half we didn’t battle as well and some of the heads did drop.
“Naturally when you play a team with Kerry’s quality that will happen sometimes.”
“You are always disappointed to lose but if we won today you’d say we won’t get carried away and it is the same here.”
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