Gaoth Dobhair have eyes on number 15 after easing to semi-final win

After an absence of 12 years – when they won the last of their Donegal SFC 14 titles – Gaoth Dobhair are back on the scent of number 15 as they eased their way back to the final. 

Gaoth Dobhair 3-14 Sean MacCumhaills 1-7

by Chris McNulty at O’Donnell Park

Goals by Kevin Cassidy, Eamonn Collum and Naoise Ó Baoill had the Magheragallon men 13 in front at the end against a game Sean MacCumhaills.

Picture: Odhrán Mac Niallais in action for Gaoth Dobhair against Sean MacCumhaills. Picture by Geraldine Diver

Leading by nine at the break, spurred by a quick-fire opening that included a Kevin Cassidy goal, Gaoth Dobhair pressed their foot on the gas with a third goal in the fourth minute of the second half.

Eamon McGee’s deft pass found Ó Baoill scurrying inside. Ó Baoill rounded Eoin Gallen and found the net, in spite of the best endeavours of Martin Gallagher on the line. 

Odhrán Mac Niallais finished off an exchange of Gaoth Dobhair passes that must’ve been well into double figures and another by the languid Donegal ace off the lesser-used right boot, had his men 12 to the good.

Just after Ó Baoill’s goal, MacCumhaills managed one of their own as Darren O’Leary lashed home. 

A majestic Michael Carroll point, soaring over from out on the right with ten minutes to go, was the cue for some of those in a big crowd to take leave of their seats and head off into the evening. 

When last they were kings, Cassidy, Eamon McGee and Neil McGee were the emerging faces; now, the veterans are at the controls of a new class from the west that has its eyes on the big prize after another big win. 

Gaoth Dobhair, having hit eight goals last weekend in a rout over Bundoran, wasted little time here in getting into the mood again.

There were barely 150 seconds played when Cassidy seized the moment after the ball was fumbled on the edge of the MacCumhaills square. The former All-Star pounced to riffle past Eoin Gallen from close range and even in those embryonic moments of the afternoon it felt like an ominous opening for the Twin Towners.

Although MacCumhaills did respond, with Oisin Gallen’s two frees either end of a Gary Wilson point, Collum bagged the second major in the 14th minute and Gaoth Dobhair were on their way.

The gaps were opening when Collum offloaded to Cassidy and the corner-forward only had one thing on his mind as he took the return. His finish, a clever and cheeky chip all at once, lobbed Gallen.

Collum added three points and Eamon McGee steered over another to put eight between them by the 25th minute.

In the final minute of the first half, Collum had his eye on the bullseye again, but his shot shot rose over the top after an incisive Odhrán Mac Niallais pass provided the chance.

It was a fifth-in-a-row for Gaoth Dobhair, who were nine clear at the changeover and MacCumhaills were left to curse a couple of wayward frees that could have had them a little closer. 

Bernard McGeehan’s men – in their first semi-final for 14 years – scored just once – through Steven O’Reilly – between the ninth and the 34thminutes.

In MacCumhaills’ last semi-final appearance, in 2004, a last-gasp point from McGeehan catapulted them through to the final – at Gaoth Dobhair’s expense. 

Gaoth Dobhair had been stung by the memories of a 2017 semi-final loss to Naomh Conaill, beaten having been six points up and, seemingly, coasting towards the final. The winter months had questions but this time there were answered. 2018 arrived with the fire burning as bright as ever out west.

The arrival of a first Division 1 crown since 2006 laid the foundations and Gaoth Dobhair were desperate for a return to the final for the first time in 12 years. 

Gaoth Dobhair blitzed Bundoran seven evenings previously, scoring a whopping eight goals as they won by 16 points (8-13 to 3-12).

Gaoth Dobhair had given justification to their favourites’ tag by winning three-out-of-three in a group stage that saw them paired with contenders St Eunan’s and Naomh Conaill, not to forget their old foes from Dungloe.

They had 13 points to spare here and you got the feeling the gears could have clicked again if they’d had to. 

Gaoth Dobhair: Christopher Sweeney; Gary McFadden, Neil McGee, Christopher McFadden; Niall Friel (0-1), Dáire Ó Baoill, Odhran Ferry-McFadden; Kieran Gillespie, Odhrán Mac Niallais (0-4, 2f); Cian Mulligan, Michael Carroll (0-2), Naoise Ó Baoill (1-0); Eamonn Collum (1-5, 2f), Eamon McGee (0-1), Kevin Cassidy (1-0). Subs: James Boyle for Ferry-McFadden (37), James Carroll for N.Ó Baoill (39), Peter McGee for Mulligan (47), Seaghan Ferry for N.McGee (53), Gavin McBride (0-1f) for Collum (57), Donal McBride for E.McGee (57).

Sean MacCumhaills: Eoin Gallen; Chris Gallagher, Martin Gallagher, Conor Griffin; Luke Gavigan, Ronan McMenamin, Gary Dunnion; Padhraic Patton, Steven O’Reilly (0-1); Martin O’Reilly, Gary Wilson (0-1), Aaron Kelly; Oisin Gallen (0-4, 3f), Darren O’Leary (1-0), Gavin Gallagher. Subs: Rory Dunleavy for C.Gallagher (half-time), Stephen Mulligan (0-1) for O’Leary (53), Adam Lynch for McMenamin (53), Chad McSorley for Wilson (53), Nathan Gavigan for Patton (53).

Referee: Seamus McGonagle (Aodh Ruadh)