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Donegal GAA thread

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "I don't see the point of risking key players in games that mean nothing, we are already promoted, now Paddy and Ryan could be out for a while, the focus should be on Derry and even then the bigger focus should be getting it right for the group stages of the All Ireland series.
Derry remind me a bit of ourselves in 2020, being hyped by the media, back to back Ulster Champions, I don't know what Sunday will tell us either, I expect Dublin to beat them even if Derry go all out for the win, Derry are reaching their peak and with Mickey there now the potential is there to land the big one, just hard to know, the wheels can come off the cart very quick too."
but if you take 5 or so of our key players out and replace them with fringe players you risk losing the game and losing confidence at a time when momentum is key

High_and_wide (Donegal) - Posts: 84 - 25/03/2024 18:19:18    2533698

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any word on tickets for final yet, is any of the Supermarkets in the county selling them and what price Hogan stand.

jacktheboy (Donegal) - Posts: 475 - 25/03/2024 18:42:28    2533703

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Replying To Liftball:  "
Replying To Commodore:  "This would be my current ranking and logic for that ranking

Tier 1 - Dublin, Derry & Kerry - Likely serious All Ireland challengers

Tier 2 - Mayo, Tyrone, Galway - Potential All Ireland challengers, but not consistently firing on all cylinders at this point in the year.

Tier 3 - Armagh, Donegal, Monaghan, Roscommon - Armagh and Donegal look good in Division 2, while Monaghan and Roscommon struggling in Division 1, all of these sides have potential to move into the Tier 2 bracket come Championship."
I agree with tier 1 but over the last 2/3 years I'd have Armagh and Donegal along with Tyrone, mayo and Galway, although I do think Galway have massive potential to go to tier 1"
Totally disagree, Armagh seem to do pretty in the League but when it comes to Championship there is always a huge drop off snd flatter to deceive. It remains to be seen if Donegal step up this year but they have gone backways for a few years. Injuries so far are hampering their progress to date
Hopefully that improves.

Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 461 - 25/03/2024 19:19:56    2533711

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "I suppose the thinking is that injuries can and will happen at any time. Paddy and Ryan could just as easily have done themselves an injury in Convoy as in Ballybofey on Saturday night. It's very unfortunate. Really hope the injuries aren't too bad and that with a bit of rest and recovery between now and the Derry game they'll be good to go. (Who knows - maybe a bit of mid games are afoot?)

Derry are going well but like you say, if we could cause an upset and turn them over, would that disruption to their momentum be fatal? Maybe not. Harte has a proven track record of getting Tyrone going again in the old qualifier system."
I take your point regarding injuries but I'd still be inclined to have rested Paddy and Ryan, I hope the injuries they got were just knocks and clear up quick, them fellas have done some very hard miles for us and I would think there's other fellas mad to make a case for themselves and a run out against Meath the last day was an ideal opportunity for them.
What I would say is that Derry aren't Tyrone, had a wee listen there to Paddy Bradley on the DL Debate a while ago, them Tyrone fellas and Mickey were bound together by many things, they had massive talent but also a massive bond and spirit of them against the rest, the battles with Kerry, Mickey not speaking to RTE and all that, the siege mentality was strong.
I think there's a bit of discomfort amongst some of the Derry folk regarding Mickey, if things do start to go pear shaped the knives will be out pretty quick.
I have Derry among the the top 3, maybe the top 2 in the country along with Dublin, this season is their chance I think, Dublin look the biggest obstacle to them from this far out, there's a lot of football to be played between now and then though.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3170 - 25/03/2024 20:12:02    2533727

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Replying To jacktheboy:  "any word on tickets for final yet, is any of the Supermarkets in the county selling them and what price Hogan stand."
Tickets for sale on gaa.ie ( ticketmaster). 30 euro for the Hogan Stand on Easter Sunday. Good double header.

letsgetgoing (Roscommon) - Posts: 716 - 25/03/2024 20:30:58    2533735

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Replying To jacktheboy:  "any word on tickets for final yet, is any of the Supermarkets in the county selling them and what price Hogan stand."
Tickets online so probably in the usual shops now too. If you need kids tickets you need to go to the Cusack side. 30 for adults, 5 for kids.

WeGoAgain (Donegal) - Posts: 62 - 25/03/2024 20:40:48    2533737

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "I suppose the thinking is that injuries can and will happen at any time. Paddy and Ryan could just as easily have done themselves an injury in Convoy as in Ballybofey on Saturday night. It's very unfortunate. Really hope the injuries aren't too bad and that with a bit of rest and recovery between now and the Derry game they'll be good to go. (Who knows - maybe a bit of mid games are afoot?)

Derry are going well but like you say, if we could cause an upset and turn them over, would that disruption to their momentum be fatal? Maybe not. Harte has a proven track record of getting Tyrone going again in the old qualifier system."
Did anyone see what happened Patrick McBrearty? I didn't see him down and didn't see him go off and nobody around me seemed to know what happened him.

Not only are injuries to Ryan and Patrick worrying, but also not having Brendan McCole, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Jason McGee, Conor O'Donnell etc getting any game time is very worrying also. Meath match would have been ideal for giving lads a run out who are on the way back from long-term injuries, but none of them featured except for Niall O'Donnell.

One huge positive on Saturday night was the return of Caolan McColgan, his pace and energy haven't dropped at all, I thought he was impressive and Jim commented on that afterwards.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1332 - 26/03/2024 07:30:40    2533786

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Replying To Commodore:  "Did anyone see what happened Patrick McBrearty? I didn't see him down and didn't see him go off and nobody around me seemed to know what happened him.

Not only are injuries to Ryan and Patrick worrying, but also not having Brendan McCole, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Jason McGee, Conor O'Donnell etc getting any game time is very worrying also. Meath match would have been ideal for giving lads a run out who are on the way back from long-term injuries, but none of them featured except for Niall O'Donnell.

One huge positive on Saturday night was the return of Caolan McColgan, his pace and energy haven't dropped at all, I thought he was impressive and Jim commented on that afterwards."
I can't for the life of me understand why Jim didn't rest some or all of these lads last weekend? It was an ideal opportunity to give key men a weekends rest and give new lads a run out. It was a dead rubber match meaning nothing, yet went full strength as much as we could. And then Jim was on after complaining about there being too many games!

PeterQ92 (Donegal) - Posts: 154 - 26/03/2024 14:51:08    2533895

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I thought the full forward line worked better without Paddy McBrearty after he went off on Saturday evening.

There was one nice piece of play where Jamie Brennan, Oisin Gallen and Aaron Doherty worked a lovely score together, I think it was point number 4 or 5.

Aaron Doherty also played a fantastic ball into Jamie Brennan for the goal which would have probably have seen Paddy go himself. Oisin is also a smart footballer too when it comes to creating space for quick and nippy corner forwards to take advantage. So these three might work well together especially as Jamie is getting some confidence back.

Although Paddy is a legend and brings a ton of experience, he might not be hugely missed for game on Sunday. He does have a tendency to slow down an attack or make us predictable when he pops up on the loop. His accuracy at free kicks is highly valuable and he usually occupies a good man marker on the opposition team. But it's not a disaster he is out by any means. Hopefully, he won't be out for long though.

Al_Maguire (Donegal) - Posts: 259 - 26/03/2024 15:27:25    2533909

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From where I was standing, I think Patrick McBrearty pulled up after kicking for a point. He walked about for a bit, then the physio came over and he walking down the tunnel. Possibly Looked like a calf strain or maybe groin.

I though Niall O'Donnell worked well when he came on, intelligent runs and passes and 2 good points. And Good to see Caolan McColgan back on the pitch, he made a couple of good runs, one of them was a dummy run that opened up the space for Jamie Brennan's goal.

Some powerful running & ball carrying from Ciaran Moore and a great bit of high fielding also.

The_viewer (Donegal) - Posts: 11 - 26/03/2024 15:32:37    2533913

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Replying To PeterQ92:  "I can't for the life of me understand why Jim didn't rest some or all of these lads last weekend? It was an ideal opportunity to give key men a weekends rest and give new lads a run out. It was a dead rubber match meaning nothing, yet went full strength as much as we could. And then Jim was on after complaining about there being too many games!"
I have said that repeatedly, didn't make any sense, yes you can also pick up an injury in training but it's less likely imo.
Paddy need to minded more at his age now, Ryan too, we need them fresh for the Championship.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3170 - 26/03/2024 15:38:36    2533916

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Plenty people criticising management for not resting players against Meath. The injury Paddy sustained could have happened in training. Big problem for Donegal is we are still too dependant on players who have had a lot of miles on the clock and it's asking a lot of their bodies to play in every game. We're paying the price for the neglect of our underage teams for years.

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 621 - 26/03/2024 16:21:55    2533929

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Replying To greenfan:  "Plenty people criticising management for not resting players against Meath. The injury Paddy sustained could have happened in training. Big problem for Donegal is we are still too dependant on players who have had a lot of miles on the clock and it's asking a lot of their bodies to play in every game. We're paying the price for the neglect of our underage teams for years."
And we continue to neglect our underage teams. Academy is 16/17 months going on and nothing resolved even with changes at executive level in December. What happens in 3/4 years when McGuinness walks away from the seniors? People are delusional if they think Donegal GAA is in good state just cause Jim McGuinness is our senior manager. It's great to have McGuinness back as he is our best manager bar none, but beneath the surface, we are miles and miles behind and with each passing year, falling further behind. We always have good footballers in Donegal, but off the pitch we are a div 4 operation.

ryan (Donegal) - Posts: 748 - 26/03/2024 17:35:42    2533948

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Replying To ryan:  "And we continue to neglect our underage teams. Academy is 16/17 months going on and nothing resolved even with changes at executive level in December. What happens in 3/4 years when McGuinness walks away from the seniors? People are delusional if they think Donegal GAA is in good state just cause Jim McGuinness is our senior manager. It's great to have McGuinness back as he is our best manager bar none, but beneath the surface, we are miles and miles behind and with each passing year, falling further behind. We always have good footballers in Donegal, but off the pitch we are a div 4 operation."
Perhaps the county board should consider appointing Jim as the head of development along with his managerial duties. The managers job should be a full time paid post.

Ulsterchamps72 (Donegal) - Posts: 103 - 26/03/2024 18:31:19    2533963

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Replying To ryan:  "And we continue to neglect our underage teams. Academy is 16/17 months going on and nothing resolved even with changes at executive level in December. What happens in 3/4 years when McGuinness walks away from the seniors? People are delusional if they think Donegal GAA is in good state just cause Jim McGuinness is our senior manager. It's great to have McGuinness back as he is our best manager bar none, but beneath the surface, we are miles and miles behind and with each passing year, falling further behind. We always have good footballers in Donegal, but off the pitch we are a div 4 operation."
One of the big reasons we're falling behind is the lack of people wanting to manage county under age teams.. it's nearly all the same names every year. One all Ireland appearance ever is a dreadful stat for a big county..

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2604 - 26/03/2024 19:32:58    2533978

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Replying To Al_Maguire:  "I thought the full forward line worked better without Paddy McBrearty after he went off on Saturday evening.

There was one nice piece of play where Jamie Brennan, Oisin Gallen and Aaron Doherty worked a lovely score together, I think it was point number 4 or 5.

Aaron Doherty also played a fantastic ball into Jamie Brennan for the goal which would have probably have seen Paddy go himself. Oisin is also a smart footballer too when it comes to creating space for quick and nippy corner forwards to take advantage. So these three might work well together especially as Jamie is getting some confidence back.

Although Paddy is a legend and brings a ton of experience, he might not be hugely missed for game on Sunday. He does have a tendency to slow down an attack or make us predictable when he pops up on the loop. His accuracy at free kicks is highly valuable and he usually occupies a good man marker on the opposition team. But it's not a disaster he is out by any means. Hopefully, he won't be out for long though."
I agree completely that we played far better when Paddy went off on Saturday evening, we were far more direct, getting men ahead of the ball. We haven't been attacking fluidly of late in our league games. Last week against Kildare, Paddy and Oisín had one shot each at the target. It has been noticeable that teams have been allowed retreat into their defensive shape in recent games. We have been relying on shooting drill type routines, working in little triangles to open up shooting opportunities from the outside. I honestly believe that this has been part of the plan by Jim, to disguise his hand for the summer ahead. Paddy has been central to this. He is Jim's Captain, and think he has been implementing Jim's plan.

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 763 - 26/03/2024 19:34:50    2533980

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Replying To rorysboys:  "One of the big reasons we're falling behind is the lack of people wanting to manage county under age teams.. it's nearly all the same names every year. One all Ireland appearance ever is a dreadful stat for a big county.."
At minor level I mean

rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2604 - 26/03/2024 20:04:45    2533987

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Replying To rorysboys:  "One of the big reasons we're falling behind is the lack of people wanting to manage county under age teams.. it's nearly all the same names every year. One all Ireland appearance ever is a dreadful stat for a big county.."
A consequence of the previous administration. Hopefully there will be a change in the coming years.

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 763 - 26/03/2024 21:13:17    2534003

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Replying To Ulsterchamps72:  "Perhaps the county board should consider appointing Jim as the head of development along with his managerial duties. The managers job should be a full time paid post."
Agree fully

ryan (Donegal) - Posts: 748 - 26/03/2024 22:20:24    2534011

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Replying To ryan:  "And we continue to neglect our underage teams. Academy is 16/17 months going on and nothing resolved even with changes at executive level in December. What happens in 3/4 years when McGuinness walks away from the seniors? People are delusional if they think Donegal GAA is in good state just cause Jim McGuinness is our senior manager. It's great to have McGuinness back as he is our best manager bar none, but beneath the surface, we are miles and miles behind and with each passing year, falling further behind. We always have good footballers in Donegal, but off the pitch we are a div 4 operation."
To be fair, we have been financially miles behind many Counties for the last 15-20 years, particularly Dublin, Mayo and Kerry who income wise are on a different level to most other Counties. It took Donegal GAA over 10 years to raise 1.3 million to complete the Convoy Centre of Excellence, which is only open 1-2 years now and a big chunk of that came from Central funding.

The rumoured figure for Mayo GAA's McHale Park redevelopment over 12 years ago was €20 million, also the Connacht Dome is based in Mayo with Fine Gael's Alan Dillon now seeking Government funding for a 2nd dome in Mayo. Apparently their funding from abroad is also on a different level and this has no doubt helped create structures at underage to maximise their potential at underage and senior level and keep them at the Football's top tier for so long over the last 10-15 years.

As for Donegal GAA, I think Electing Mary Coughlan as County Chairperson was a masterstroke, I believe she will make a massive positive difference to how things are managed and create structures and funding models to set Donegal GAA sailing in the right direction.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1332 - 27/03/2024 07:48:32    2534038

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