National Forum

Donegal GAA thread

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To rorysboys:  "Any word on your pal Jim. He said he was willing to help out this year so I would say he'll be there in some capacity next year. Keep us informed lad."
Sure come on down to Naomh conaill and have a look at our setup. Maybe you might even become a member, as you don't seem to have a club.
When there who knows, you might even bump into jim, you can ask him yourself then.
Our club is always open in terms of welcoming outsiders to get involved in the community.
We can start you off as a waterboy, maybe one day you could progress to starting on our 4th team.
Rorysboys to waterboy has a nice tone to it, lol

The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 711 - 18/07/2023 12:18:35    2495375

Link

Replying To SurelyToGod:  "There should be no talk of a manager until McGee and McGrath are ousted. No clubs should be entertaining any nominations until then. They need to speak up and be heard, now.

Ye thought club membership numbers were down this year? Just wait till you see what's coming after this shambles. When the gate admissions go up and the underage matches, reserves, second teams fall apart it won't be the heads of the county board looked for, it will be the club chairs, and rightfully so."
SurelyToGod, now you're talking!

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 763 - 18/07/2023 12:21:35    2495377

Link

Replying To SignTheContract:  "Pauric McShea, writing in the Democrat, suggests that he wouldn't be too worried if Barry McGowan and Manus Boyle were involved with the senior team. Do either of these lads have any coaching achievements? Otherwise it's a strange call, and dare I say it, old fashioned."
Old fashioned like the man who said it.

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 625 - 18/07/2023 12:30:56    2495380

Link

Replying To SignTheContract:  "Pauric McShea, writing in the Democrat, suggests that he wouldn't be too worried if Barry McGowan and Manus Boyle were involved with the senior team. Do either of these lads have any coaching achievements? Otherwise it's a strange call, and dare I say it, old fashioned."
They managed Killybegs this year.

Killybegs got relegated winning just two games out of 12 with a - 85 score difference.

Old fashioned would be an understatement

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1184 - 18/07/2023 12:52:18    2495387

Link

Replying To The keeper:  "Sure come on down to Naomh conaill and have a look at our setup. Maybe you might even become a member, as you don't seem to have a club.
When there who knows, you might even bump into jim, you can ask him yourself then.
Our club is always open in terms of welcoming outsiders to get involved in the community.
We can start you off as a waterboy, maybe one day you could progress to starting on our 4th team.
Rorysboys to waterboy has a nice tone to it, lol"
Where will your 2nd strongest team be playing in the Champ - Senior B or Junior A?

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1184 - 18/07/2023 12:53:54    2495390

Link

Replying To peiledoir20:  "Where will your 2nd strongest team be playing in the Champ - Senior B or Junior A?"
Good question. Reserve championship doesn't seem to be big enough now for some clubs .

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2613 - 18/07/2023 14:06:16    2495411

Link

Replying To The keeper:  "Sure come on down to Naomh conaill and have a look at our setup. Maybe you might even become a member, as you don't seem to have a club.
When there who knows, you might even bump into jim, you can ask him yourself then.
Our club is always open in terms of welcoming outsiders to get involved in the community.
We can start you off as a waterboy, maybe one day you could progress to starting on our 4th team.
Rorysboys to waterboy has a nice tone to it, lol"
Is your fourth team your second or third team. I hear it's a bit complicated.. I don't rattle on about Mc Guinness in most of my posts that's you my friend. Enjoy being champions cause I believe it's going to end this year. Lol.. please have a word with Jim and get him to change his mind, your the man that he respects.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2613 - 18/07/2023 14:12:59    2495413

Link

Just thinking folks, we finished between two teams who went on to an all Ireland semi final and done very well in them games..where does that leave us..Does it mean we'll all Ireland semi final standard or am I clutching at straws. Just an interesting thought???

RoryGall35 (Donegal) - Posts: 193 - 18/07/2023 14:49:55    2495421

Link

Replying To RoryGall35:  "Just thinking folks, we finished between two teams who went on to an all Ireland semi final and done very well in them games..where does that leave us..Does it mean we'll all Ireland semi final standard or am I clutching at straws. Just an interesting thought???"
As bad as things were this year, I am of the opinion that with a more settled background, a proper run of S&C and with less injuries/players opting out, we could have been in the quarter final mix at least. There are good players there - just need the powers-that-be to do their jobs and give them the tools to succeed.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9746 - 18/07/2023 15:24:19    2495435

Link

Replying To RoryGall35:  "Just thinking folks, we finished between two teams who went on to an all Ireland semi final and done very well in them games..where does that leave us..Does it mean we'll all Ireland semi final standard or am I clutching at straws. Just an interesting thought???"
We were probably (in terms of our first XV) on a par with Armagh, Monaghan and slightly better than Cork. Derry could have had 6 goals against us only for Parton, Tyrone ran us ragged and I have no doubt Kerry and Dublin would have blitzed us in the wide open spaces of Croker.

That probably seems overly negative but it was without 8/9 missing players. Getting those back would undoubtly improve us.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1184 - 18/07/2023 15:39:19    2495439

Link

Replying To peiledoir20:  "We were probably (in terms of our first XV) on a par with Armagh, Monaghan and slightly better than Cork. Derry could have had 6 goals against us only for Parton, Tyrone ran us ragged and I have no doubt Kerry and Dublin would have blitzed us in the wide open spaces of Croker.

That probably seems overly negative but it was without 8/9 missing players. Getting those back would undoubtly improve us."
Yeah but would Tyrone have ran us ragged if we had a settled squad with a good bank of fitness work done? I don't think that player-for-player Tyrone are all that much better than us. Derry either for that matter. But they didn't have all the behind the scenes BS our lads had to contend with. If I met any panel member out and about I'd shake their hand because they kept at it, in spite of the utter mess from above.

This might be wishful thinking but if Jim could get a hold of this panel, get every man up to the Downings hotel (or wherever) again. Focus some minds and get the hard yards put in before the 2024 NFL, then we'd see a totally different Donegal beast. But then again Jim isn't stupid - I would hazard a guess that there are several red line items that would need addressing before he'd entertain any thoughts of taking the senior team again.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9746 - 18/07/2023 17:02:55    2495473

Link

Replying To rorysboys:  "Is your fourth team your second or third team. I hear it's a bit complicated.. I don't rattle on about Mc Guinness in most of my posts that's you my friend. Enjoy being champions cause I believe it's going to end this year. Lol.. please have a word with Jim and get him to change his mind, your the man that he respects."
I've said it before son. You have an unhealthy obsession with our club and can't resist having a sly dig whenever you can. Concentrate on your own club. You had a good enough year, promotion to div 2, a league final last weekend (commiserations by the way) in DB park and have a new pitch. Let our management teams worry about the team selections. They've done a good enough job so far.

tidytownman (Donegal) - Posts: 298 - 18/07/2023 18:59:45    2495499

Link

Jim won't entertain the idea. I hope I'm wrong. Between the county board and the fact we don't have defenders to compete against the top teams.

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1208 - 18/07/2023 19:46:45    2495505

Link

Replying To RoryGall35:  "Just thinking folks, we finished between two teams who went on to an all Ireland semi final and done very well in them games..where does that leave us..Does it mean we'll all Ireland semi final standard or am I clutching at straws. Just an interesting thought???"
Derry could have bet us out the gate. By 14 plus. If it wasn't for Gallen we were goosed. Derry had seven clear cut goal chances. They should have scored 2/3 Vs us and also v Kerry so take that in the whole occasion.

As for Monaghan. A limited team who are tactically the best in the country to get out of the best players they have. A well machined team with half decent players. Sounds degrading of Monaghan but it's a credit to them in a sense.

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1208 - 19/07/2023 02:03:17    2495527

Link

Replying To RoryGall35:  "Just thinking folks, we finished between two teams who went on to an all Ireland semi final and done very well in them games..where does that leave us..Does it mean we'll all Ireland semi final standard or am I clutching at straws. Just an interesting thought???"
At full strength with a top management team in charge, I would consider us to be All Ireland contenders, I believe we have the talent and depth to achieve that.

People harp on about Dublin and Kerry, but watching Kerry at the weekend, only David Clifford really stood out from that Kerry panel against Derry as an amazing player. Looking at the rest of the Kerry panel, they have good players, but hardly any better than the rest of us. Dublin have a lot of top level quality players who are well drilled, but again, I don't see many of them being on a different level from the rest of us.

This season showed us a glimpse of a powerful back 6 with Caolan McColgan and Mark Curran being added, its not the finished project, but maybe with Jack McKelvey and others added it will finished that part of the jigsaw. Our midfield is powerful if Jason McGee and Caolan McGonigle can stay fit, I think our attack can be outstanding if we can keep Oisin Gallen and Michael Langan full fit and get Niall O'Donnell, Shane O'Donnell and Ryan McHugh back along with a few others.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1332 - 19/07/2023 07:43:48    2495531

Link

Replying To SurelyToGod:  "There should be no talk of a manager until McGee and McGrath are ousted. No clubs should be entertaining any nominations until then. They need to speak up and be heard, now.

Ye thought club membership numbers were down this year? Just wait till you see what's coming after this shambles. When the gate admissions go up and the underage matches, reserves, second teams fall apart it won't be the heads of the county board looked for, it will be the club chairs, and rightfully so."
I doubt most club chairmen would care too much as they are often doing a job nobody else wants to.

And just a query, who do you think will be the ones coming for their heads? The same club members that aren't showing up to call for the heads of the executive?

SignTheContract (Donegal) - Posts: 197 - 19/07/2023 09:06:29    2495536

Link

Replying To TheRock2121:  "Jim won't entertain the idea. I hope I'm wrong. Between the county board and the fact we don't have defenders to compete against the top teams."
I don't know about that. After the infamous mess in the defeat to Armagh in 2010 would you have had much confidence in our defence? Lacey and Neil McGee yes, but there were a lot of big questions about the rest.

Now Lacey and McGee were generational players. But the improvement in the others was very conspicuous once Jim got a hold of them and perhaps more importantly organised them. He also instilled a level of aggression in the whole team, not just the defence. We were always seen as nice footballers, but when we added a nasty aggressive streak it was no coincidence that results started to improve.

Saying we don't have defenders is a bit of a cop out in my opinion. The likes of McCole, McColgan and Curran are improving all the time. Who knows, maybe in 2024 the likes of McFadden-Ferry and Morrison could be back in the fold. Who knows what their ceiling could be if the conditons were optimal within the coaching, S&C, and management setups.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9746 - 19/07/2023 10:21:38    2495555

Link

Replying To tidytownman:  "I've said it before son. You have an unhealthy obsession with our club and can't resist having a sly dig whenever you can. Concentrate on your own club. You had a good enough year, promotion to div 2, a league final last weekend (commiserations by the way) in DB park and have a new pitch. Let our management teams worry about the team selections. They've done a good enough job so far."
Can the keeper not respond himself or maybe you have a few accounts. So I'm a na rossa man now that's glenswilly. St eunans . Killybegs I'm accused of being from. Lol

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2613 - 19/07/2023 10:30:32    2495559

Link

Replying To TheRock2121:  "Jim won't entertain the idea. I hope I'm wrong. Between the county board and the fact we don't have defenders to compete against the top teams."
Totally agree with your last point, saying it this last few years but nobody listens to rorysboys. You need the players to be successful just look at Jack o Connor , he done nothing in Kildare but is going for his second all Ireland in two years in Kerry. If you having the tools you'll win nothing .

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2613 - 19/07/2023 10:35:13    2495563

Link

Replying To Commodore:  "At full strength with a top management team in charge, I would consider us to be All Ireland contenders, I believe we have the talent and depth to achieve that.

People harp on about Dublin and Kerry, but watching Kerry at the weekend, only David Clifford really stood out from that Kerry panel against Derry as an amazing player. Looking at the rest of the Kerry panel, they have good players, but hardly any better than the rest of us. Dublin have a lot of top level quality players who are well drilled, but again, I don't see many of them being on a different level from the rest of us.

This season showed us a glimpse of a powerful back 6 with Caolan McColgan and Mark Curran being added, its not the finished project, but maybe with Jack McKelvey and others added it will finished that part of the jigsaw. Our midfield is powerful if Jason McGee and Caolan McGonigle can stay fit, I think our attack can be outstanding if we can keep Oisin Gallen and Michael Langan full fit and get Niall O'Donnell, Shane O'Donnell and Ryan McHugh back along with a few others."
I'd have Aaron Doherty ahead of Niall O'Donnell, it's been a while since Niall shone for the county. And to be honest, he never really replicated his club form for the county.

SignTheContract (Donegal) - Posts: 197 - 19/07/2023 10:48:08    2495568

Link