FOR a team that has brought unparalleled success in the last five years, there was a cloud of negativity – in certain quarters – over the last fortnight.
There were Chinese whispers about a fall-out in the Donegal camp sneaking around the county last week and that Michael Murphy, Donegal’s talisman, wouldn’t be fit to play against Galway in Saturday’s All-Ireland round 4B qualifier due to a knee injury.
Brendan Devenney had dropped the bomb the night beforehand on UTV Ireland’s Friday Night Sport but on closer examination, the former Donegal forward had merely planted a seed of doubt in some peoples’ minds.
His words kept plenty of people outside of both camps and inside the opposition one guessing. Is that really such a bad thing?
Thankfully, Murphy did play – and a starring role at that – as Rory Gallagher’s team brushed off the hangover from the narrow 0-11 to 0-10 loss to Monaghan in the Ulster SFC final to produce an excellent second half to defeat Galway 3-12 to 0-11. The rumours about the rumours seemed unfounded as well.
In Donegal’s reversal to Monaghan, there was some poor fare at times, particularly in the shooting stakes, but although the Anglo-Celt Cup was lost to Malachy O’Rourke’s team, Gallagher’s side still were only defeated by the absolute bare minimum.
Nobody will ever know conclusively if  Patrick McBrearty’s last gasp effort was over or not but Donegal and their manager were man enough not to cry over spilled milk.
This, too, after an uncompromising draw that saw Donegal pitted against Tyrone, Armagh and Derry even to make the final at St Tiernach’s Park. In many respects, few teams have missed out on a provincial crown by such a narrow margin.
A bit like any hangover, it’s about pulling away the bed covers, opening the curtains and facing up to the day.
On the face of it, the margin of victory in the end against Galway might’ve been a little flattering but for Donegal, it was a medicinal victory and one that contained streaks of positivism. Their tails are up again and entering the All-Ireland quarter-final against Mayo on Saturday as underdogs might not be a bad way to be perceived.
Making a good start had been a stable constituent in all four of Donegal’s outings this summer. Yesterday there was a fifth. Odhran MacNiallais, masterful throughout, set Colm McFadden, who was also very impressive, away to set up Patrick McBrearty for the opening goal in six minutes.
The Kilcar forward refused to leave a semblance of doubt as he smashed into the top left-hand corner of Brian O’Donoghue’s goal. Sixteen minutes in and Donegal were 1-4 to 0-3 in front.
The came the next trend that has caused concern in this year’s championship. Donegal went 29 minutes without scoring again. Similar instances had occurred all summer and to draw on a negative, this is the facet that needs addressing the most.
With Kevin Walsh implementing a sterner structure defensively and Galway camped back in huge numbers around the bonfire, Donegal kept possession and were strangely booed by certain sections of the crowd.
Galway, who had left it two-on-two with Jonny Ruane and Cathal Sweeney on McFadden and McBrearty for Donegal’s goal, weren’t going to leave themselves so threadbare a second time.
But it was Walsh’s team – from an attacking sense – who finished the half strongly, with four successive points to draw level, the last of which came from a sublime effort from their left touchline by Paul Conroy. At the break, at 1-4 to 0-7, it was anybody’s game.
When Donegal kicked three successive wides to open the second half, there were groans with the repeat of what happened in Clones 13 days beforehand  – a notion strengthened when Adrian Varley pointed at Hill 16 to put Galway in front.
It toed-and-froed for a while then till Murphy fired over a free after Galway full-back Finian Hanley was penalised for dissent as referee Eddie Kinsella moved the ball forward.
The Donegal skipper and MacNiallas added textbook scores and shortly after the hour-mark, there was a little bit of daylight developing as a three-point lead, 1-10 to 0-10, had been eked out.
Then came the move of the match. McFadden’s long ball was caressed down, one-handed, by Murphy, who had spent to bulk of the second half on the square’s edge. Ryan McHugh’s unadulterated run saw him finish with an exquisite goal, one that was certainly merited in a splendid personal showing.
https://wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=JwCcC__dGYo
Christy Toye, not a stranger to goals at Croke Park in the championship having netted four times at HQ, put the cheery on top of the icing with a crisply-taken third, just minutes after coming off the bench. It’s 13 years now since the then teen from Creeslough struck the first of those Croke Park goals against Meath in a fourth round qualifier.
Toye’s goal was caught well by Irish Flukey
A 10-point winning margin might’ve been primarily established with Galway’s heads having dropped but Donegal have shown there’s a kick in them yet.
With three changes from the Ulster final, with first-time championship starter Eamonn Doherty replacing the injured Karl Lacey, as well as starts for Martin O’Reilly and Hugh McFadden – another first-time starter – the younger players acquitted themselves well.
Gallagher also can be content with the performances of others around the fringes – Toye, Leo McLoone, Martin McElhinney, Declan Walsh and Anthony Thompson.
Having been pigeon-holed with the sentiment that Donegal’s panel depth isn’t what it should be, the manager has a ‘good problem’ when he sits down to draw up a starting XV for Mayo. There will be options rumbling around his head.
With 14 wides clocked up over the course of the 70 minutes – having kicked 16 against Monaghan – Gallagher can look at the glass and decide whether it’s half-full or half-empty. Donegal will have to be much more accurate and lift their game against Mayo but they’re creating chances.
A bit like the journey to Croke Park taken by Donegal’s supporters on Saturday afternoon, as torrential rain bashed off the windscreens, the sunshine was about to break though the clouds.
By the time the team left the pitch on Saturday evening the negativity was dissipating as the crowd rose to clap them off under a near cloudless sky on the first day of August.
Donegal are still in the mix – they haven’t gone away just yet.
Tags:
