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Donegal GAA thread

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Good to see Jamie Brennan getting a goal. Brilliant player who is so underrated. Still only about 28 but always a goal threat."
I for one don't under rate him. He has incredible potential but its not clear why his form dipped after the amazing season he had in 2019. We're all hoping he'll rediscover that form soon

High_and_wide (Donegal) - Posts: 84 - 23/04/2024 15:11:56    2540185

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Agreed. Jamie has put a lot into Donegal football through good days and bad. Always struck me as a confidence player. If his form can keep improving he'll be a very important player. The pitches are hardening which will suit his game, and it wouldn't surprise me if he hit the onion bag again this weekend."
He's competing now with Aaron Doherty for a spot. Hopefully that healthy competition will push both of their standards

High_and_wide (Donegal) - Posts: 84 - 23/04/2024 15:15:16    2540187

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Replying To High_and_wide:  "He's competing now with Aaron Doherty for a spot. Hopefully that healthy competition will push both of their standards"
For sure. The more healthy competition the better.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9746 - 23/04/2024 15:35:26    2540196

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Would say Aaron is competing with Odhran Doherty for a spot. Aaron is not an out and out forward despite wearing 13/15. He's a brilliant footballer. Jamie and Niall would be competing for the more advanced forward role.

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1208 - 23/04/2024 16:36:09    2540205

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Replying To High_and_wide:  "I for one don't under rate him. He has incredible potential but its not clear why his form dipped after the amazing season he had in 2019. We're all hoping he'll rediscover that form soon"
Yeah I agree that Jamie Brennan has serious potential as a corner forward, but I was reading Fr Sean's records on him in the lead up to his 99th game for Donegal this Sunday, and he seemed to peak in 2019. But maybe Injuries or a change in how we play is a contributing factor.

Aaron Doherty has really impressed me with his workrate, I think if he gets into the scoring zone he will knock them over, needs a bit more time to settle into the seniors, but definitely an impressive player.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1332 - 24/04/2024 15:26:26    2540436

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Looking ahead to the Tyrone game, while I can understand the logic of us being favourites since we beat strong favourites Derry last weekend, but I think anyone who assumes we will beat this Tyrone team easily are delusional for the following reasons.

1. Tyrone don't need 3 weeks to adjust their tactics to avoid the pitfalls Derry made, Morgan will support play out of defense, but probably drop marginally for kick-outs if Shaun Patton is fit. Afterall it was Tyrone who originally moved Morgan out to the 45 to address Patton's boom kickouts in 2018/2019.

2. Tyrone still have a core of 2021 All Ireland winners in their ranks, yes they have introduced a lot of new talent who will need time to settle in, its not beyond them to beat anyone on any given day.

3. Brian Dooher will likely have Tyrone sit deep and try to mirror Donegal in such a way that cancels out the long kickout and also protects against runners coming through the middle in numbers. It means we are unlikely to see the gung ho type of display this Sunday, if anything it could be a more boring patience based game.

4. Colm Kilpatrick will likely be back for Tyrone in midfield along with big Kennedy, they can go toe to toe with Donegal in an aerial midfield battle, which Derry seemed to be more limited in.

5. Tyrone attack of Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan can operate in tight packed defences and will get scores away regardless of who marks them.

Overall I think the Derry v Tyrone National League match is probably the best template for what to expect in this game, I think Donegal can win it, but It might be a tighter game than most anticipate. Donegal 0-16 v 0-13 Tyrone scoreline.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1332 - 24/04/2024 15:44:22    2540441

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Replying To Commodore:  "Looking ahead to the Tyrone game, while I can understand the logic of us being favourites since we beat strong favourites Derry last weekend, but I think anyone who assumes we will beat this Tyrone team easily are delusional for the following reasons.

1. Tyrone don't need 3 weeks to adjust their tactics to avoid the pitfalls Derry made, Morgan will support play out of defense, but probably drop marginally for kick-outs if Shaun Patton is fit. Afterall it was Tyrone who originally moved Morgan out to the 45 to address Patton's boom kickouts in 2018/2019.

2. Tyrone still have a core of 2021 All Ireland winners in their ranks, yes they have introduced a lot of new talent who will need time to settle in, its not beyond them to beat anyone on any given day.

3. Brian Dooher will likely have Tyrone sit deep and try to mirror Donegal in such a way that cancels out the long kickout and also protects against runners coming through the middle in numbers. It means we are unlikely to see the gung ho type of display this Sunday, if anything it could be a more boring patience based game.

4. Colm Kilpatrick will likely be back for Tyrone in midfield along with big Kennedy, they can go toe to toe with Donegal in an aerial midfield battle, which Derry seemed to be more limited in.

5. Tyrone attack of Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan can operate in tight packed defences and will get scores away regardless of who marks them.

Overall I think the Derry v Tyrone National League match is probably the best template for what to expect in this game, I think Donegal can win it, but It might be a tighter game than most anticipate. Donegal 0-16 v 0-13 Tyrone scoreline."
Agree with you there. Anyone thinking we're just going to easily roll Tyrone over is mistaken. Even in Jim's first term in charge we had bother getting the best of them so I don't see it being any different this Sunday either. I do think we can and will get the better of them, but it'll be tight. I'll be going for a 0-14 - 0-12 win.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9746 - 24/04/2024 16:05:29    2540444

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Replying To Commodore:  "Looking ahead to the Tyrone game, while I can understand the logic of us being favourites since we beat strong favourites Derry last weekend, but I think anyone who assumes we will beat this Tyrone team easily are delusional for the following reasons.

1. Tyrone don't need 3 weeks to adjust their tactics to avoid the pitfalls Derry made, Morgan will support play out of defense, but probably drop marginally for kick-outs if Shaun Patton is fit. Afterall it was Tyrone who originally moved Morgan out to the 45 to address Patton's boom kickouts in 2018/2019.

2. Tyrone still have a core of 2021 All Ireland winners in their ranks, yes they have introduced a lot of new talent who will need time to settle in, its not beyond them to beat anyone on any given day.

3. Brian Dooher will likely have Tyrone sit deep and try to mirror Donegal in such a way that cancels out the long kickout and also protects against runners coming through the middle in numbers. It means we are unlikely to see the gung ho type of display this Sunday, if anything it could be a more boring patience based game.

4. Colm Kilpatrick will likely be back for Tyrone in midfield along with big Kennedy, they can go toe to toe with Donegal in an aerial midfield battle, which Derry seemed to be more limited in.

5. Tyrone attack of Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan can operate in tight packed defences and will get scores away regardless of who marks them.

Overall I think the Derry v Tyrone National League match is probably the best template for what to expect in this game, I think Donegal can win it, but It might be a tighter game than most anticipate. Donegal 0-16 v 0-13 Tyrone scoreline."
I agree with all this.

There's also the emotional element of having to try to ground the team after the buzz of ambushing derry. They'll be feeling on top of the world after that. No better man than mcGuinness for this task of course. But in some way Tyrone might find it easier to get the minds focused for this one as they mixed the good with the bad against cavan and have plenty they will want to improve on

High_and_wide (Donegal) - Posts: 84 - 24/04/2024 17:01:46    2540455

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Smart money goes on Tyrone for this one. Optimism is bubbling in the Donegal camp at present. Tyrone is the one team that won't care in the slightest.

Short turn-around from the weekend, don't expect a shoot-out. Match-ups are crucial. I expect an extra man-marker to come into the team, and would be delighted if EBG, McColgan, or C. O'Donnell get minutes. Hopefully everyone got through Saturday unscathed. McHugh always comes in for particular close attention v Tyrone, but it's been Conor Meyler with the hatchet for the last few meetings. Given McHugh's form, it's an ominous task for whomever gets the job.

SurelyToGod (Donegal) - Posts: 452 - 24/04/2024 17:06:46    2540458

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Hard luck to our u20s tonight, always hard to play any Derry team at underage but plenty of players who can come through to the seniors. Thought the referee was very poor.

NPadraigAbu (Donegal) - Posts: 105 - 24/04/2024 20:58:28    2540490

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Tyrone will score but I think we'll score more.

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1208 - 24/04/2024 22:07:15    2540500

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Replying To NPadraigAbu:  "Hard luck to our u20s tonight, always hard to play any Derry team at underage but plenty of players who can come through to the seniors. Thought the referee was very poor."
Yeah it was all level with the 3 minutes of Injury time played, but referee allowed it to run over long enough for Derry to get the next score. Feel bad for the Donegal squad, I thought overall they were the better side.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1332 - 25/04/2024 09:11:07    2540545

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Replying To SurelyToGod:  "Smart money goes on Tyrone for this one. Optimism is bubbling in the Donegal camp at present. Tyrone is the one team that won't care in the slightest.

Short turn-around from the weekend, don't expect a shoot-out. Match-ups are crucial. I expect an extra man-marker to come into the team, and would be delighted if EBG, McColgan, or C. O'Donnell get minutes. Hopefully everyone got through Saturday unscathed. McHugh always comes in for particular close attention v Tyrone, but it's been Conor Meyler with the hatchet for the last few meetings. Given McHugh's form, it's an ominous task for whomever gets the job."
Yeah Tyrone would love nothing better than to burst our bubble. They're at their best when people have been writing them off which makes me extremely wary about Sunday's match. They have forwards who can do damage and also have players who can tag our key men for attention.

Special word for Mattie Donnelly. What a warrior he has been for Tyrone over the years. He suffered a horrific injury over 9 months ago. The easiest thing in the world would have been to call it a day, given he has Ulster medals and an All-Ireland in his back pocket. But he battled his way back and was MOTM against Cavan last weekend in his first match.

Looking forward to the match, hopefully we'll get another good day & a packed crowd.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9746 - 25/04/2024 09:19:26    2540548

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I think Tyrone have to be favourites for Sunday, they've been operating in Division 1 . They're doing a great job of telling everyone how tired they are after extra time last week and telling everyone how good Donegal look. Not sure the favourites tag suits Donegal, would be concerned about the hype.

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 625 - 25/04/2024 09:19:52    2540549

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Replying To SurelyToGod:  "Smart money goes on Tyrone for this one. Optimism is bubbling in the Donegal camp at present. Tyrone is the one team that won't care in the slightest.

Short turn-around from the weekend, don't expect a shoot-out. Match-ups are crucial. I expect an extra man-marker to come into the team, and would be delighted if EBG, McColgan, or C. O'Donnell get minutes. Hopefully everyone got through Saturday unscathed. McHugh always comes in for particular close attention v Tyrone, but it's been Conor Meyler with the hatchet for the last few meetings. Given McHugh's form, it's an ominous task for whomever gets the job."
Yeah expecting it to be a fairly tight game, very different in nature to the Derry game, expecting Tyrone to sit back and not leave space behind for runners or over the top kick-outs in an effort to avoid conceding goals. If they don't concede goals, Tyrone will likely fancy themselves to rival us in point taking stakes and possibly take the win.

Winning the midfield battle will be key, as I can't see both sides simply letting the other have short kick-outs uncontested for a full game. Kennedy and Kilpatrick are a match for our midfield in the aerial stakes.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1332 - 25/04/2024 09:33:13    2540554

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Replying To NPadraigAbu:  "Hard luck to our u20s tonight, always hard to play any Derry team at underage but plenty of players who can come through to the seniors. Thought the referee was very poor."
Donegal we're in complete control and on the front foot in the first half. For some reason came out in the 2nd half and sat back a bit more when Derry were there for the taking. Substitutions made far too late in the game which is a pity as they all made contributions. Game lost on the line.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1184 - 25/04/2024 09:57:20    2540556

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Usual stuff from an SP team really. No tactics to speak of. Players disinterested and had the look of a group who wanted to be done with the whole thing.

No real surprises in what was on show there last night.

Samsforthehills (Donegal) - Posts: 1075 - 25/04/2024 10:28:05    2540563

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Replying To Samsforthehills:  "Usual stuff from an SP team really. No tactics to speak of. Players disinterested and had the look of a group who wanted to be done with the whole thing.

No real surprises in what was on show there last night."
Sp bashing again . Silly statement we fought hard and were very unlucky not to get a draw against a very good Derry team. What would you have done any different.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2613 - 25/04/2024 11:04:12    2540571

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Sp bashing again . Silly statement we fought hard and were very unlucky not to get a draw against a very good Derry team. What would you have done any different."
Id have had a good Glenswilly player in the team before an average Milford one for starters.

Samsforthehills (Donegal) - Posts: 1075 - 25/04/2024 11:12:56    2540574

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Replying To Samsforthehills:  "Id have had a good Glenswilly player in the team before an average Milford one for starters."
So we're back to the club preference again. I know the two players your on about, don't think there's a big difference in class to be honest. You're probably from glenswilly so you obviously think that your clubman is a better player. That's why there's very little interest in managing Donegal under age teams.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2613 - 25/04/2024 11:42:16    2540579

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