|
NFL Division 2 - 8 Like(s)
Replying To waynoI: "some serious brown tongue-ing goin down on this thread by the way between Donegal and Meath fans :)
Whats that all about ?" Perhaps it stems from a wee gesture from Meath County secretary Mairead Delaney before the league match in Ballybofey, only days after a terrible tragedy which directly impacted players on the Donegal panel and many fans.
Commodore (National) - 25/03/2019 21:26:51
|
|
Donegal GAA thread - 6 Like(s)
Replying To rorysboys: "We don't have the players to play all out attacking football we may have the forwards and midfielders but we do not have man marking defenders. If we had Tyrone's defence I would be confident of Winning the all Ireland. But we don't and from being at the games we seem to have more bodies back this year. No point in kidding ourselves that we have these players when we don't. I'm hearing this on the forum this last few years but nobody seems to have an answer to our defensive problems. The way I see it is if we commit. A lot of players attacking were leaving ourselves very exposed at the back.." Of course we have the answer to our defensive problems, stop playing Ryan McHugh and Peadar Mogan as wing backs, leaving our full back line exposed.
In fairness Declan Bonner has worked on this and despite the poor quality punditry on League Sunday, I think we aren't actually that bad defensively, last season I thought we looked fine and it was injury and sending off against Tyrone that really cost us.
This is round 2 of the National League, we have conceded an average of 11.5 points so far, scoring 1-11 on average. Yes significant improvement is needed, but I would expect us to improve as we move towards Championship.
Commodore (National) - 06/02/2022 21:11:53
|
|
NFL Division 2 - 6 Like(s)
Replying To lilypad: "Embarrassed? Get over your snowflake self. At least im honest no patronising pats on the back from me, we were awful against you up there, ive no problem admitting that, but id rather watch us than yous and from a neutral point of view id say if peiple were honest enough theyd agree." I'd agree with that, Kildare are generally excellent to watch.
Commodore (National) - 26/02/2019 23:12:36
|
|
Mayo V Tyrone All-Ireland Football Final - 5 Like(s)
Replying To Curlew66: "Nothing wrong with any of us putting local rivalries aside and getting behind our provincial winners in the All Ireland series. Galway gave the rest of us hope in '98 and '01 and remain the only team to bring Sam to Connacht in the past 55 years. Tyrone will be boosted by this impressive victory and may well become more formidable in Ulster. Looking at the four semi finalists Tyrone will have the toughest pathway to replicate their provincial win. Odds are that Dublin and Kerry will come through and probably Mayo again unless Galway can maintain their first half performance in the Connacht final for 70 mins . In this century one team from Connacht and Leinster , two from Munster but three from Ulster have won an All Ireland title so our Ulster friends aren't doing too bad at all." Yeah usually if an Ulster team is contesting an All Ireland final, most fans in the other Ulster counties will be cheering them on (Even if its Tyrone), and 24 hours later immediately looking at how best to take lumps out of them next season.
Commodore (National) - 14/09/2021 13:08:11
|
|
Tyrone Vs Donegal - 4 Like(s)
Replying To Offtheball10: "The talk of Donegal as a top 3/4 team needs to stop at this stage. Massively overhyped!
When push comes to shove and it's a winner takes all championship game against a good side they far more often than not fall short.
I get the point Ulster is competitive but they haven't won these type of games against non ulster sides either since 2014. No Semi Final performance since 2014 either in all of the different championship formats that have been played in recent years. (back door, super 8's, now back to traditional provincial format)" I accept Donegal have not reached the All Ireland SF's and have not beaten the likes of Dublin, Mayo or Kerry since 2014, but there have been significant factors that have played into this, so be fair in your analysis.
1. Rory Gallaghers era 2015 - 2017 was the start of a major transition phase, many 2012 All Ireland winners were in their 30's and retiring and he was trying to bleed in new talent, and while I felt it wasn't handled as well as it could have been, it definitely impacted Rory's tenure.
2. Declan Bonner took over in 2018 and he won back to back Ulster titles with a really young side (Avg age 21/22), but just couldn't get us to the next level. Injuries since 2019, particularly defensive injuries have taken a toll on us entering those key games which cost us a place in the All Ireland SF. Team selection has been a big part of it too, but in fairness this was quite often due to injuries.
Neil McGee's injury in the 4th minute against Tyrone, forced us to use a sub at the beginning of the match, meaning we had one less impact sub in the second half in that horrible heat. Michael Murphy's sending off before half time ensured Tyrone's kick-out in the 2nd half would be uncontested, and Tyrone could still put the full press on the Donegal kickout, meaning the percentages would be in Tyrone's favour and they would most like pull away in the 2nd half. Before Murphy was sent off, I actually felt it was an arm wrestle match we would win.
Commodore (National) - 20/07/2021 13:40:34
|
|
Move To National Forum Only Model - 4 Like(s)
Not liking the new move, It's going to be off-putting and while I understand some County forums get very little traffic, just looking at the main forum, it's a mess.
Commodore (National) - 30/09/2021 20:43:10
|
|
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2023 - 3 Like(s)
Loving this new format, really great and refreshing for Donegal to get away from the confines of Provincial Football, we've already played Derry, Monaghan in the Group stage and now we're playing......er....Tyrone!!!
Commodore (National) - 19/06/2023 09:26:49
|
|
Donegal GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To obreaslainp: "According to the Democrat, Stephen Rochford could well be gone now.
https://www.donegallive.ie/news/gaa/837809/county-manager-issue-needs-to-be-sorted-before-start-of-club-championship-says-mceniff.html
Who would likely come in to the management team to replace him if Declan Bonner stays on?" If Declan Bonner stays on and needs to replace Stephen Rochford and others in the backroom team,
1. Michael Boyle would be an ideal candidate, although I think I read that he is in London or abroad these days. He is widely credited as being the mastermind behind Gaobh Dobhair County and Ulster titles in 2018, and is highly regarded. I seen him comment recently about Donegal playing possession football with no intent against Derry, he referenced the 2017 Dublin v Tyrone game as an example of how to attack the mass blanket defence.
2. Frank McGlynn is a smart cookie and someone with a temperament that I can see eventually being a great manager someday, I think it would be good to have his input into player selection and tactical setup, he has done great work with Glenfin.
3. Leo McLoone is another guy who has been involved with underage training for years now, both with Glenties and Donegal U20's, and might be able to contribute positively.
In reality it is unlikely that these guys would be invited in by Declan Bonner, I don't think he has any real connection with any of them, but they are some options.
Commodore (National) - 24/06/2022 09:24:31
|
|
Donegal GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To marty234: "Correct me if I'm wrong but was there not 19 years of failure before the messiah arrived and we haven't been to a semi final since he left so accusing him of leaving the ship is a weird statement. We all know bonner a nice fella but it's not about that. He will get few autographs signed etc which is nice but it's his duty as county manager. But what happened sat night proved us all right.3 of most influential players in Gallen , o Donnell and Jason mcgee left on bench last year v Tyrone. Imagine what might have happened had they been brought on. I know some ppl on here have questioned ability of our players but sat proved me right if they are let play we can mix it with the best. Onwards and upwards hopefully" Oisin Gallen last year was struggling with injury, and was lucky to be on the bench at all,
Conor O'Donnell has shown glimpses of his abilities in recent games, he is still a work in progress and we haven't seen how he will perform when opposition teams start identifying him as a serious threat now, he won't get such a free run.
Jason McGee is finally going in the right direction, but isn't there yet and is behind Caolan McGonigle in my opinion for midfield starting position. He drifts in and out of games, and I felt he kinda lacks energetic drive of top quality midfielders. However his kick passing is outstanding and his point taking, he is one to watch.
Declan Bonner is finally close to settling on his back six, as injuries are starting to finally clear up, and despite the short sighted analysis of the team so far, I think we could finally be about to see the full potential of this squad unleashed this summer.
Commodore (National) - 02/03/2022 09:42:16
|
|
Donegal V Meath - 3 Like(s)
Replying To royaldunne: "Look it's hard to be by far the better team and get beat. Nothing to do with who donegal brought on, we handed them it on a plate. (Now fair play, they took it) Positives are that fantastic defense we have set up, one of the best in country, mcentee in midfield has eased the pressure there. But up front we still making silly mistakes, should have been out of sight by the last 10 mins." You clearly weren't the better team by far, at best you were 'marginally' better for 25 mins of 1st half, when you lead by 1 point at half time, and 10-15 mins of 2nd half.
You had a 10 minute purple patch at start of 2nd half, when Meath added 3 points to opened up a 4 point lead, but Donegal quickly re-calibrated and the tide actually turned then and Donegal dominated the last 20 -25 minutes, I should highlight that Meath didn't score for the last 20 minutes.
You're conveniently ignoring the fact you played a very inexperienced Donegal side last night, the majority of which won't make the starting team come Summer. Meath need to be more honest of where they are at, hyping yourselves after your Senior team ran a Donegal 2nd string team close in a league match won't get you anywhere, you need a more honest look at where your at.
Meath have talented players, but considering 2 of our full backs (Brendan McCole & Conor Morrison) are both 21, and debuting in league this year, and our other corner back Caolan Ward wasn't able to make our Championship team last season, should Meath not have ran riot?
Meath should have been better than that.
Commodore (National) - 03/02/2019 14:08:50
|
|
Why Mayo Cant Win An All-Ireland - 3 Like(s)
Replying To Galway9801: "Ulster pundits are often asked by the rté to give their opinions on games only involving Southern teams, the BBC would be well within their rights to bring Southern pundits on to their coverage, but I still don't think they will. The idea that only ulstermen should be asked to commentate and analyse ulster games by the BBC is silly,and (whisper it) partitionist.
My original post was in reply to tirchonaill who accused the rté of anti ulster bias, when I called him out on the BBCs anti southern bias you said you didn't agree, without specifying why, instead segueing into their superior coverage.
I allowed myself a smirk when you mentioned their superior camerawork, but I did ask you to be original so I guess that's fair enough, ( I don't think I've ever heard that point being made in relation to any sports coverage since the advent of HD, so it was original I'll give you that)" I agree they could bring Southern pundits in for Ulster Championship matches covered by BBC, I don't think they are against that, but tbh they don't seem that well organized, as they recently asked Mickey Harte live on air after a match if he would join them the following weekend again.
BBC is allowed very limited coverage to Ulster Championship matches, as many viewers within the six counties don't have terrestrial TV to RTE, and BBC don't have rights to other matches outside of Ulster, so focus is usually fixed to the two teams playing that day.
RTE coverage usually has 3 pundits, Two main guys are Colm O'Rourke (Leinster) and Pat Spillane (Munster), and usually Kevin McStay (Connacht) or Sean Cavanagh (Ulster) join them depending on who is playing that week. RTE have full tv rights to cover all matches from all four Provinces and RTE are funded from all 4 Provinces (Donegal, Cavan & Monaghan in Ulster).
SKY seem to have superior analysis, it think RTE is trying hard to catch up, but SKY is more factual and less political based analysis (No "Lets change the GAA rules and rid our world of this evil" style comments), I prefer listening to Jim McGuinness, James Horan, Kieran Donaghy, Peter Canavan etc, they give a better tactical insight than RTE, my favourite pundits on RTE are actually Kevin McStay and Ciaran Whelan.
Commodore (National) - 20/09/2021 16:11:08
|
|
Donegal GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Just want to say thank you to all of the Donegal Squad, management, coaches and people who help behind the scenes, it hasn't been the best year and many fans are frustrated, but I appreciate the time and effort everyone puts in behind the scenes. I appreciate the contribution of Declan Bonner, Stephen Rochford and the other lads, while I might complain here from time to time, Its never personal and is meant with the greatest respect and only discussion with desire to see Donegal play to their potential.
Commodore (National) - 14/06/2022 12:04:22
|
|
Donegal GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To greenfan: "Talk about getting carried away... Some of the posts in here recently after 2 wins against two very average division 2 teams. People saying some of our players are among the best in the country, talk of the squad being better that the 2012 squad. Everyone needs to take a step back, lower the expectations a bit." I disagree, I think lowering of expectations and standards is what has seen football performance levels deteriorate or stagnate in Donegal over the last 10 years.
Think back to 2011-2014, Jim McGuinness came in and transformed the Senior team setup. While he rapidly transformed our Senior football team, in reality he just brought us up to speed with wealthy Counties like Dublin, Kerry, Mayo who were already operating at this level thanks to serious investment. Yes the tactical system helped get us there, but by 2014 that system had been sized up/figured out and we were still winning Ulster and reaching an All Ireland final.
My point? Management quality was the difference, not player quality and I believe the same is still true.
Commodore (National) - 12/02/2024 09:15:27
|
|
Championship - 3 Like(s)
When Neil McGee got injured on the 4th minute, I knew that using a sub so early in those conditions would reduce our bench impact on later in the match, but as the first half of this match continued I felt we could still win it until Murphy got sent off, at which point I said it would be an uphill battle to stay with Tyrone for the full 2nd half.
To the credit of these Donegal players, they did stay with Tyrone until the 60th minute, but the extra man and conditions really started to take their toll. This match wasn't lost due to player selection or tactics, it was just circumstances beyond our control that took it away from us.
I'm not sure who is writing Michael Murphy off, but he has another couple of seasons in him yet and should stay. Before he got injured I thought he was on fire, and since then he was only recovering to full fitness, he definitely wasn't at full fitness in Championship this year. Neil McGee is another warrior, I admire these men, they really give it their all each and everytime they pull on that Donegal jersey and are leaders.
Commodore (Donegal) - 19/07/2021 15:02:21
|
|
Donegal V Meath - 3 Like(s)
Replying To royaldunne: "Sorry u clearly weren't at game or you looking at it through very donegal eyes. We were BY FAR the better team for a good hour of that game. And still managed to throw it away." You didn't score in the last 20 minutes of the match, against what was a very young inexperienced team, particularly our full back line containing 2 x 21 year olds. If you were that good, why did you only lead by 1 point at half time, and lose by 2 points at full time.
Meath lost to a 2nd string youthful Donegal team, 9 of the Donegal players playing last night were aged 22 or younger.
Your acting like you went into the Lions Den in Ballybofey and ran Donegal's strongest side to the wire. If Meath were as good as you suggest, you wouldn't have lost that game last night.
Commodore (National) - 03/02/2019 17:20:11
|
|
Donegal GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Replying To JoeSoap: "I want to believe you but I feel like I've been scarred too many times at this stage ha, I think until I see us get through a proper battle in the heat of championship against someone outside of Ulster I'll just not believe we can do it.
The reason I say outside of Ulster is that I think for one, Ulster championship can just be a different beast and secondly as I said previous, we've never had problems getting up for a match against Tyrone for example. So it'd not surprise me at all if we win Ulster this year, and I would enjoy every second of it if we do (I have been on these forums many times talking about how few Ulsters we have) - it's the next step to Sam that I really doubt at the moment. If we meet Mayo this year for example, no matter how we've played up to that point, I wouldn't be confident of beating them.
I thought we had turned a corner in 2020 when we beat Tyrone in that god awful day in Ballybofey only to lose to Cavan in the final. I think they were gearing themselves up for the Dubs in the semi and took their eye off the ball and have struggled to recover from that between injuries and all the rest. But the question marks are still there about mentality, I don't doubt our talent and while I get frustrated at some decisions at times I do think the management team and Declan are good enough and smart enough to get us to Sam - it's just the mentality side of things I would question most." I don't agree regarding Mayo, they lack inside forwards, which is why I think they really always fail at the final hurdle, because you need one or two inside forwards on All Ireland final day getting you 1-02 or 1-03 each.
Mayo catch a lot of team enroute to the All Ireland final, because they are never really the big prize that teams get pumped up for. I think at full strength we have the beating of them, we are nowhere near full strength at the moment.
Also if you look at where we fell short since 2018
2018 - Lost to Tyrone in Ballybofey - A relatively inexperienced Donegal team let Tyrone back into in 2nd half, but in truth Tyrone physically dominated us and it took its toll. Tyrone made it to All Ireland final that year, runners up to a powerful Dublin team.
2019 - Lost to Mayo in Castlebar - Injuries didn't help, Jason McGee started and had to come off early, Paddy McGrath's career ended that day, and Mayo physically bullied us that day.
2020 - Lost to Cavan in Armagh - Had one eye on Dublin two weeks later and rumour has it that training preparation were fully geared to have us peak against Dublin. Problem was that we looked lethargic and sluggish and Cavan bossed us.
2021 - Lost to Tyrone in Enniskillen - Heat wave, Neil McGee injured in 4th minute, Murphy missed penalty and then got sent off before half time. It was miracle that we stuck with Tyrone and were level on 60th minute, but percentages caught up with us in the final 15 minutes and Tyrone pulled away. I think circumstances took this game away from us, yet tactically we seemed to be setup well.
NOTE
If we are to beat the top sides, I don't think playing Ryan McHugh or Peadar Mogan as wing backs will cut it, it leaves us defensively weak, especially against more physical sides like Mayo, who bring on Aidan O'Shea etc in 2nd half.
Commodore (National) - 02/03/2022 15:19:37
|
|
Donegal GAA thread - 3 Like(s)
Looking at the stats, its clear that Donegal missing 7 or 8 forwards/midfielders has been our problem.
Donegal 0-11 v 0-11 Mayo
Donegal 2-11 v 1-09 Kildare
Donegal 0-07 v 1-13 Kerry
Donegal 2-10 v 0-12 Tyrone.
Donegal 0-10 v 1-12 Monaghan.
However this may be the blessing in disguise we need, as had we not been missing most of those players, we would probably have secured Division 1 status and glossed over some weaknesses. Players can't hide at the minute, other big names are not there to cover for them and its showing in attack.
Commodore (National) - 14/03/2022 10:34:31
|
|
Mayo V Meath - 3 Like(s)
Replying To Whyalwaysmeath: "Pretty much hit the nail on the head there. Keeper and kickout strategy badly need work ahead of next year, need to find a midfielder from somewhere too and strengthen up there and we do need a few new forwards to liven things up. The likes of Conlon will improve next year too, shot selection and patience on the ball needs work, the wrong options were taken too much this year, shooting from bad angles / under pressure. Goal chances need to be taken too, lost count of the amount of goal chances we squandered in the past few games. We are also a bit naieve and nice still, don't have players with the edge that you need (polite way of putting it)." It's Meath's attacking game plan that needs tweaking, with some adjustments to their running lines, you might see existing Meath Forwards look a lot better. Also they need to spend the winter working on their long-kicking game, transfer the ball faster to the forwards, as I noted Mayo were able to constantly reset for each Meath attack quite easily.
Cillian O'Sullivan is a serious talent for Meath, his pace and strength are electrifying, he is a serious player.
Kerry are raging hot favourites now in Navan, but I think Donegal, Tyrone and others can attest to just how difficult a place Navan has been to visit in previous years. Meath have seriously improved this season, and I think Meath could really give Kerry a game there.
I think Meath are going in the right direction, they are back in Division 1, reached the Super 8's and stuck it to both Donegal and Mayo for over 50 minutes in each game. There is a foundation there to build upon, apart from the heavy loss to Dublin, which Dublin can do to any team if they get a few scores on the bounce.
Meath have performed pretty well and I thought gave a respectable performance yesterday and also in Ballybofey, as a late flurry of scores in both games maybe skewed how well Meath actually performed. They have two weeks now to work on weaknesses, and they could well cause Kerry serious problems, certainly frustrate them.
Commodore (National) - 22/07/2019 18:58:12
|
|
The Donegal/Armagh Row - 2 Like(s)
Replying To foreveryoung: "The GAA needs to impose collective punishment, not just individual sanctions.
What if your authority in Croke Park passed regulations that would sanction the whole team (and management) for puppery like this? For example, kick both counties out of this year's championship, or drop them down a division in the league (and push up two more well-behaved counties).
Obviously, that cannot be done in this case, but it is something that your GAA needs to consider.
People only learn when the price of the sin isn't worth paying it." Before Donegal get tarnished with this collective punishment, remember this is at least the 2nd such brawl recently that this Armagh team have been involved in, they got off light last time in comparison to Tyrone.
You can't punish players for defending a team mate, there were Donegal players who tried to settle things down, I would suggest the GAA focus on those who stepped too far over the line and deal with them only.
Commodore (National) - 29/03/2022 16:56:51
|
|
Donegal V Meath - 2 Like(s)
Replying To royaldunne: "Looking v good and still loosing is something we have to sort out ASAP. This is mcentee biggest hurdle, he has molded a team that are quite good and could gain promotion and super 8s. The problem is mental fatigue, fragility or whatever. This now has to be his number one priority." I think some Meath posters are getting carried away here, you weren't playing a full strength Donegal last night. I believe only a handful of Donegal's starting 15 last night will be in the running for Championship Starting 15, and some of those players clearly aren't match fully match fit yet.
When people say Meath dominated a large part of the first half, and the 3rd quarter, it's misleading. Yes Meath were slightly better during these spells, but there was very little in really, as the half time score shows. They looked a little more composed, but it was still a tight match. Meath had a purple patch in the 3rd quarter, where they quickly rattled off a number of points to open up a 4 point lead, Donegal quickly identified the weak spots and corrected them, and it went back to being tight.
When Donegal introduced the key subs approaching the final quarter, Donegal took control and Meath didn't score for the final 20 minutes of the match. Donegal dominated possession, but wasted a lot of attacking opportunities due to inexperience up front, keeping in mind we had a load of players last night who are aged 22/23 or younger. I don't think its a real test of Meath last night.
Commodore (National) - 03/02/2019 12:41:58
|