Donegal Forum

Championship 2020

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Replying To thelowball:  "Donegal gutted out a great result on an atrocious day. On a day when ball handling was crucial as to the games outcome, with Murphy and Ryan basically non factors, boys like Langan, Mogan ,Thompson and McFadden brought the game to Tyrone. Talking of all stars at this stage Thompson and McFadden would have to be in the conversation before Langan. How would this performance stack up against a slick Kerry or Dublin attack?Tyrone appear to be on downward spiral, sad to hear Mickey Harte griping about Donegal's containment of McKenna, after the abuse Murphy suffered for years at the hands of McMahon,Hampsey etc."
Maybe Thompson alright but in the case of Langan he was excellent in the Sigerson, continued onto the league and then the club championship when not curtailed by injury. The point we were making is if he continues the level of form he has shown consistently this calendar year.

panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2479 - 02/11/2020 15:06:32    2304446

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I think when you go back and watch a replay of the game that Ryan McHugh actually played very well yesterday. Often the first out choice as receiver from the back and did nothing stupid with it. Never gave the ball away and knitted play very well. It was that kind of day being sure not to take the ball into contact.
On Patton he mixed the good with the very bad. What has become a clear pattern for him this year is that he does not control his area under a high ball coming in. It has happened repeatedly in club and county football this year and needs addressing especially against any team that goes route one and that team could very well be Armagh.
Overall the team played very well in the conditions but some already mentioned in other posts tend to carry the ball stupidly into contact situations and then get turned over.
My one fear would be that on a drier day would we have the pace in the team as picked yesterday to live with a Kerry or Dublin? Ideal team for yesterday's conditions but not enough pace as we come down the home straight.
But overall a great performance and so now onwards and upwards.

fionmaccumhaill (Donegal) - Posts: 21 - 02/11/2020 15:21:59    2304456

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Looking forward some questions crossed my mind.Is McBrearty still an automatic starter with Thompson very reliable with left footed frees and Gallen although inexperienced possibly a better team player and a really good football brain.What has happened to the form of O'Baoill and Ward who were starters before the lockdown and now have been leapfrogged by McKelvey ,McClean,Mogan and Eoin McHugh coming back in to favour.If Jason McGee comes back in will it be at the expense of McGonigle who is doing very well at the moment.What do you think guys.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 698 - 02/11/2020 21:09:15    2304616

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Replying To gunman:  "Looking forward some questions crossed my mind.Is McBrearty still an automatic starter with Thompson very reliable with left footed frees and Gallen although inexperienced possibly a better team player and a really good football brain.What has happened to the form of O'Baoill and Ward who were starters before the lockdown and now have been leapfrogged by McKelvey ,McClean,Mogan and Eoin McHugh coming back in to favour.If Jason McGee comes back in will it be at the expense of McGonigle who is doing very well at the moment.What do you think guys."
I think it will be a horses for courses approach gunman. Having the option of Paddy or Murphy inside with either moving out creates quite a headache for any opposition. Gallen is a great option to spring but if his rumoured form in training continues then they will have little option in starting him. In the cases of Ward and O'Baoill I think both must have had fitness issues. Ward has always been a model of consistency and showed up well for Eunans that I can think of no other reason. Similarly Daire looked way way off against Kerry that again he must've been carrying something. Both will have a race against time now with the condensed season. As for Jason much will depend on how he is going in training. He had a very serious injury so the softly softly approach adopted by Cloughaneely will do no harm at inter county. He is such a young guy with years ahead of him its important that he is protected. We should have enough with what we got for the remaining games in Ulster hopefully. Good to see Eoin McHugh doing well. He has obviously worked hard on his conditioning and with his pace he gives plenty of tactical options.

panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2479 - 02/11/2020 22:29:18    2304638

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Replying To gunman:  "Looking forward some questions crossed my mind.Is McBrearty still an automatic starter with Thompson very reliable with left footed frees and Gallen although inexperienced possibly a better team player and a really good football brain.What has happened to the form of O'Baoill and Ward who were starters before the lockdown and now have been leapfrogged by McKelvey ,McClean,Mogan and Eoin McHugh coming back in to favour.If Jason McGee comes back in will it be at the expense of McGonigle who is doing very well at the moment.What do you think guys."
A fully fit mcbrearty is a starter for me. He gives you a out ball and as a few folks have mentioned donegal got turned over too much in the tackle and sometimes you need a kick pass out ball and mcbrearty gives this option. He's also going to score a few from play. It doesn't mean gallen doesn't start though as he could drift out a bit and play make. Maybe nod would be under pressure though I think he's a lot of quality and might have suited coming off the bench yesterday as well i.e. when the game opened up, with players tiring. You could potentially move langan to midfield to accommodate them all and move mogan back to wing half back though the team maybe becomes too offensively minded then. Mogan does have to start for me as he's got real pace. Mcgonagle is hard enough to drop though he did turn the ball over a little too much yesterday. A fully fit jason mcgee has to come into the reckoning as well. These are all nice decisions to have .

Defence is more challenging. I would say mckelvey starting comes down to how he's going in training. Mcfadden-ferry (mcff) made his debut in an ulster final based on that. It's possibly as straight forward perform in training and your in.

Through substitutes yesterday the defence at the start of the second half was more or less ban, mcmenamin, Paul brennan, Ryan mchugh, mccclean and mogan. That's hardly a very defensive back 6. It's probably based on having the best players in the field though mcclean got a little caught for the Bradley point and we could have conceded more goals in the second half. It's a little surprising and maybe concerning that mcclean was the sub for mcgee. Though it was good to see mcgrath look good when he came on and if he gets anyways close to his he'll be a starter the next day. And I hope Neil mcgees back spasms won't keep him out as we can't afford to be without him. Maybe murphy becomes more defensively minded.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 350 - 02/11/2020 23:24:55    2304653

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Replying To panamasam:  "I think it will be a horses for courses approach gunman. Having the option of Paddy or Murphy inside with either moving out creates quite a headache for any opposition. Gallen is a great option to spring but if his rumoured form in training continues then they will have little option in starting him. In the cases of Ward and O'Baoill I think both must have had fitness issues. Ward has always been a model of consistency and showed up well for Eunans that I can think of no other reason. Similarly Daire looked way way off against Kerry that again he must've been carrying something. Both will have a race against time now with the condensed season. As for Jason much will depend on how he is going in training. He had a very serious injury so the softly softly approach adopted by Cloughaneely will do no harm at inter county. He is such a young guy with years ahead of him its important that he is protected. We should have enough with what we got for the remaining games in Ulster hopefully. Good to see Eoin McHugh doing well. He has obviously worked hard on his conditioning and with his pace he gives plenty of tactical options."
Lovely options in the forwards, personally wud love to see Jason M L and Ciaran af half forwards Jamie Patrick and Gallen at full, MM sweeping behind hugh and mc Gonagle and he could rotate with ML when needs must.

Tyrion (Donegal) - Posts: 39 - 02/11/2020 23:28:43    2304654

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There was interesting pictures in the ulster gaa twitter account, one of some of the beaten tyrone team and one of mcfadden eoin mchugh and mogan. Both teams gave everything yesterday, with it all left on the field. The empty look on their faces versus the complete sense of satisfaction on the donegal lads faces. It's fine lines and fair play to both teams.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 350 - 03/11/2020 00:02:14    2304661

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Replying To gunman:  "Looking forward some questions crossed my mind.Is McBrearty still an automatic starter with Thompson very reliable with left footed frees and Gallen although inexperienced possibly a better team player and a really good football brain.What has happened to the form of O'Baoill and Ward who were starters before the lockdown and now have been leapfrogged by McKelvey ,McClean,Mogan and Eoin McHugh coming back in to favour.If Jason McGee comes back in will it be at the expense of McGonigle who is doing very well at the moment.What do you think guys."
I think McBrearty has to start if he is fit. He is still our best forward and proven on the big stage. I would have a full forward line of Jamie, McBrearty and Gallen. MM never plays at full forward so I see no reason why we can't have those 3 in our full forward line. We could pick a forward line like this: Thompson, Murphy, NOD, McBrearty, Gallen, Jamie Brennan

I have no answer to why Daire O'Baoill and Caolan Ward are not in contention. They are two terrific players and surely Daire O'Baoil offers a lot coming from the bench. Possibly it is horses for courses but just think they have gone down the pecking order.

If Jason McGee was fully fit I think he would start. But what an option from the bench.

Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1734 - 03/11/2020 09:21:44    2304681

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Replying To gunman:  "Looking forward some questions crossed my mind.Is McBrearty still an automatic starter with Thompson very reliable with left footed frees and Gallen although inexperienced possibly a better team player and a really good football brain.What has happened to the form of O'Baoill and Ward who were starters before the lockdown and now have been leapfrogged by McKelvey ,McClean,Mogan and Eoin McHugh coming back in to favour.If Jason McGee comes back in will it be at the expense of McGonigle who is doing very well at the moment.What do you think guys."
Paddy McBrearty will still be an automatic starter if he gets back to full fitness. Jason McGee is a better footballer than McGonigle in terms of his kicking ability, but Caolan is clearly improving, and his strong physical direct runs at Tyrone were really impressive, a little bit like Ryan Bradley if not better.

I was impressed by the grit shown by Ciaran Thompson, and Jamie Brennan had a great game too.
Stephen McMenamin was excellent again, he is a key player for Donegal, I think he is everything you want from a full or corner back.

If you looked at Donegal back in 2015-2017, we were lacking in the middle, Michael Murphy was often helping out. Now we have a number of players at half forward and midfield who are capable high fielders, and serious footballers. Its a credit to those who are developing players at underage.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 529 - 03/11/2020 10:01:32    2304695

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Replying To Green_Gold:  "I think McBrearty has to start if he is fit. He is still our best forward and proven on the big stage. I would have a full forward line of Jamie, McBrearty and Gallen. MM never plays at full forward so I see no reason why we can't have those 3 in our full forward line. We could pick a forward line like this: Thompson, Murphy, NOD, McBrearty, Gallen, Jamie Brennan

I have no answer to why Daire O'Baoill and Caolan Ward are not in contention. They are two terrific players and surely Daire O'Baoil offers a lot coming from the bench. Possibly it is horses for courses but just think they have gone down the pecking order.

If Jason McGee was fully fit I think he would start. But what an option from the bench."
In my mind it has to be fitness issues with both Daire and Ward. Daire looked woefully short against Kerry and got badly exposed on a couple of occasions which wouldn't normally happen imo. Similarly Ward was nowhere near his usual consistent levels in the same game. There is no doubt if either were at their usual levels they would have got game time at the weekend. Hopefully both can get over what is ailing them and get back to somewhere near their best over the coming weeks.

panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2479 - 03/11/2020 11:40:19    2304744

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christ any chance MacNeillis and Carroll would throw their hats in as well that would be fantastic , serious all ireland contenders then

ballyshannon (Donegal) - Posts: 152 - 03/11/2020 11:46:32    2304750

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Replying To panamasam:  "In my mind it has to be fitness issues with both Daire and Ward. Daire looked woefully short against Kerry and got badly exposed on a couple of occasions which wouldn't normally happen imo. Similarly Ward was nowhere near his usual consistent levels in the same game. There is no doubt if either were at their usual levels they would have got game time at the weekend. Hopefully both can get over what is ailing them and get back to somewhere near their best over the coming weeks."
I think Daire is struggling with his form, he took a particular roasting in Kerry and if you think back to the Tyrone League game, he's had a soft turnover that was punished with a goal by McKenna at the end of the game so that could have cost him in the shake up for Sunday but he will certainly be needed as the championship progresses.

ManusFromHeaven (Donegal) - Posts: 326 - 03/11/2020 12:16:02    2304764

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I see McStay has us as a serious contender for the All-Ireland, nothing new in that really I think most of the media had us in and around the top teams but were waiting to see how the match with Tyrone played out before considering us real contenders. He was impressed with how we battled back after going 5-1 down and then again with the Tyrone goal. I was most impressed with the response to their goal personally, against the wind to get four points on the trot after that was seriously impressive. Especially when you consider we had already missed a couple of easy enough scores before the goal too, heads could have dropped easily.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1161 - 03/11/2020 12:16:28    2304767

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Replying To ManusFromHeaven:  "I think Daire is struggling with his form, he took a particular roasting in Kerry and if you think back to the Tyrone League game, he's had a soft turnover that was punished with a goal by McKenna at the end of the game so that could have cost him in the shake up for Sunday but he will certainly be needed as the championship progresses."
Fair enough Manus hopefully he finds it over the next few weeks as he is a great asset when fully firing.

panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2479 - 03/11/2020 13:37:49    2304804

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Replying To panamasam:  "Fair enough Manus hopefully he finds it over the next few weeks as he is a great asset when fully firing."
Totally agree we need daire to be playing well. It must be a dip in form or maybe lockdown didn't help. On form I would still have him as a starting wing half back.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 880 - 03/11/2020 13:50:21    2304812

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Replying To ballyshannon:  "christ any chance MacNeillis and Carroll would throw their hats in as well that would be fantastic , serious all ireland contenders then"
I wish buddy.. Serious talent there..

RoryGall35 (Donegal) - Posts: 104 - 03/11/2020 13:57:55    2304818

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Replying To ballyshannon:  "christ any chance MacNeillis and Carroll would throw their hats in as well that would be fantastic , serious all ireland contenders then"
I wish buddy.. Serious talent there..

RoryGall35 (Donegal) - Posts: 104 - 03/11/2020 13:58:20    2304819

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Replying To ballyshannon:  "christ any chance MacNeillis and Carroll would throw their hats in as well that would be fantastic , serious all ireland contenders then"
Hopefully Mc niallas will come back next year. If he doesn't I would say we can forget about him. I think he'll be hitting 28 next year and he doesn't strike me as a player who will play in his thirties.

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 880 - 03/11/2020 14:16:12    2304836

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Totally agree we need daire to be playing well. It must be a dip in form or maybe lockdown didn't help. On form I would still have him as a starting wing half back."
Wouldn't be too worried. It's an intense 6 week Championship and minutes need to be managed very carefully. If he's not in form now, Bonner will be trying to have him ready for the last two or three weeks should we get there. Currently Mogan, McHugh, P Brennan, MacCeallbhaí are all in good shape and in excellent form. No need to panic.

SurelyToGod (Donegal) - Posts: 197 - 03/11/2020 14:47:14    2304851

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I'm sure most of us can still remember the bad old days when we went into Ulster finals cautiously optimistic about beating Armagh, only to end up being well beaten. Bonner and co will be reminding the players of that no doubt. We are in a period of dominance at the minute in Ulster and long may it continue. I think if our focus is right we have better players than Armagh at this moment in time, and we should get the job done.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 7105 - 03/11/2020 17:48:24    2304907

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