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Donegal GAA thread

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Big scramble for tickets. Remember Newry in 2023 when we were looking around to see if we could actually spot any Donegal supporters. They were thin on the ground that day.

AudiMan (Donegal) - Posts: 688 - 20/07/2025 21:43:01    2626746

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Replying To rorysboys:  "Don't think that's true. What i read that if your a paid up member you'll get a ticket."
Yes totally understand that, but when you're on foireann.ie you can click the LGFA box and that's where the confusion is happening. County board has stated that's it's two different organisations!

Whyme923 (Donegal) - Posts: 43 - 20/07/2025 22:18:51    2626756

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Replying To Whyme923:  "Yes totally understand that, but when you're on foireann.ie you can click the LGFA box and that's where the confusion is happening. County board has stated that's it's two different organisations!"
Really disappointing from Donegal if this is true. Especially with 3 women as main officers. It's simply administrative that they're LGFA on foireann. They join the club as members, not specifically to GAA or LGFA.

donegalgael-12 (Donegal) - Posts: 16 - 21/07/2025 00:00:53    2626771

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Replying To donegalgael-12:  "Really disappointing from Donegal if this is true. Especially with 3 women as main officers. It's simply administrative that they're LGFA on foireann. They join the club as members, not specifically to GAA or LGFA."
Yeah I totally agree. I got confirmation from our own secretary in the club. What I've said is true. Terrible from the county board and the secretary on the county board is not listening at all

Whyme923 (Donegal) - Posts: 43 - 21/07/2025 09:09:23    2626788

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Replying To Whyme923:  "Yes totally understand that, but when you're on foireann.ie you can click the LGFA box and that's where the confusion is happening. County board has stated that's it's two different organisations!"
The adult members for allocations are only counted off GAA members and not LGFA as they are 2 separate registrations\insurance\etc. Most clubs will register all adult LGFA members as GAA also so that they are counted but it's something very nuanced that you can easily see a new club registrar not knowing.

dgl_gaa (Donegal) - Posts: 72 - 21/07/2025 09:30:23    2626792

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Replying To dgl_gaa:  "The adult members for allocations are only counted off GAA members and not LGFA as they are 2 separate registrations\insurance\etc. Most clubs will register all adult LGFA members as GAA also so that they are counted but it's something very nuanced that you can easily see a new club registrar not knowing."
Yeah that seems to be the case.

Whyme923 (Donegal) - Posts: 43 - 21/07/2025 11:02:35    2626815

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Looking ahead to the All Ireland final, Jim and the team face a major tactical headache with Kerry.

Unlike Louth, Monaghan and Meath, Kerry are consistently one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the Country, have experienced players in all positions and a strong bench. Tactically they can deal with pretty much anything on offer and they have the physicality and fitness to go the distance with us.

Now in saying, I suspect Kerry won't want Donegal running at them in numbers, as that is very difficult to stop once in motion and we can get scores away. So I expect Kerry will try to stop Donegal at source, which isn't easy to do if Donegal win kick-outs and break at pace, so we could see Kerry shock everyone and give us our short kick-outs, and they would fancy their set defense and midfield to turn us over when running out of our own half. They basically would slow us up and halt any momentum.

At the other end, Donegal won't want Kerry breaking at pace and kicking long into their full forward line, so I wouldn't be surprised if we sit deep and let Kerry have their short kick-outs too, only pushing up on the odd kick-out. If both teams kick long or kick out around the middle, it can be difficult to win a high percentage with any certainty.

Difficult game to call at this point.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1423 - 21/07/2025 12:07:42    2626850

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Another factor that comes into the game is the scoring goals. Donegal have been much heavier into the canal end and that's been the second half first the quarter and the semi. It's also easier to push up on the kickouts when keeper is kicking out towards the hill. It also highlights Thompsons two 2 pointers into the hill against monaghan as very good kicks.

In the hurling yesterday tipp struggled in the first half and Cork fell apart shooting into the hill. The experts didn't seem to mentioning this difficulty. One of the tipp players called out the difficulties in an interview earlier.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 912 - 21/07/2025 13:22:59    2626878

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Why do you think it is that it's easier to score into one end of the ground than the other? I always found that in different grounds we had ends that seemed easier to score into, weird.
If we win the toss on Sunday we should kick into the hill end for the first half so, games seems to open up in the 3rd quarter usually.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3369 - 21/07/2025 14:59:22    2626917

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "Why do you think it is that it's easier to score into one end of the ground than the other? I always found that in different grounds we had ends that seemed easier to score into, weird.
If we win the toss on Sunday we should kick into the hill end for the first half so, games seems to open up in the 3rd quarter usually."
From a spectator point of view a packed Hill seems to be more intimidating to kick into than a full Canal End.

Although that didn't stop us banging in two early goals against Mayo in 2012.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1277 - 21/07/2025 15:35:02    2626925

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "Why do you think it is that it's easier to score into one end of the ground than the other? I always found that in different grounds we had ends that seemed easier to score into, weird.
If we win the toss on Sunday we should kick into the hill end for the first half so, games seems to open up in the 3rd quarter usually."
Donegal 11 monaghan 1.15 first half
Donegal 1.15 Monaghan 5 second half
Donegal 13 meath 8 at first half
Donegal.3.13 to meath 7 second half
Kerry 13 Armagh 1.11 first half
Kerry 19 Armagh 10 second half
Kerry 1.9 Tyrone 9
Kerry 11 Tyrone 8

So for the Donegal matches it's been a huge difference in the scoring going into the canal end. Monaghan did a bit of a Cork on it in the second half as well.
Big difference for Kerry vs armagh too. Kerry vs Tyrone wasn't really a difference and that was the really warm Saturday and wind was not blowing.
Against meath it was noticeably favouring the team playing into the canal.

I would say the difference has always been there, it's just becoming more pronounced with new rules. Teams kicking the two pointers easily and the defending teams push out and leave space in the inside for goals. And as you say it really seems to benefit the team playing into the hill in the first half.

Armagh would have a pronounced scoring goal. from the terrace /TV side it's a good bit easier to score from right to left.
The carpark side end of the O'Donnell park seems easier to score into.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 912 - 21/07/2025 16:31:20    2626955

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Last couple of matches it's been very pronounced how harder hill 16 has been to davin end so id say both sides will want to kick into hill first half however Donegal are better than most teams playing into wind. We opened up on a few teams this season kicking into the tougher end in second half.

If Kerry have wind and want to try and push too aggressively at us, they can get caught with our ability to counter.

shaggykev (Donegal) - Posts: 406 - 21/07/2025 16:59:42    2626961

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I have heard corner forwards talking about "the scoring goals" on various pitches over the years, nothing too scientific but at the same time I've heard it too often for it not to be a factor, whether it's all psychological or what

I did hear on a podcast earlier in the year where people were talking about the strong winds impacting games in the league almost to a farcical level, and someone said how many GAA pitches are built facing a similar direction for sunlight and grass growing, and that has an impact as prevailing winds in Ireland tend to be South-South Westerly (I think it was). So that could be a factor too

In Croker the past few weeks if there is any wind it seems to be blowing in to the Canal End so the Hill definitely seems trickier to shoot into

CCFabu (Donegal) - Posts: 248 - 21/07/2025 17:03:44    2626965

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "From a spectator point of view a packed Hill seems to be more intimidating to kick into than a full Canal End.

Although that didn't stop us banging in two early goals against Mayo in 2012."
I think though Peiledoir there's a difference between a packed Hill with two sets of supporters and a packed Hill full of Dublin supporters. I got a good view of both those goals in 2012, from the Nally side of the Hill! Jimmy McGuinness had spotted that weakness in our full back line and smartly exploited it. Mentioned it in his book. He probably has a few more plans for Sunday that we haven't seen. I won't be surprised to see Donegal kick it a bit more and longer as Kerry will plan to slow down their running game. Either way it should be a cracking game of football.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8181 - 21/07/2025 17:13:56    2626971

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "From a spectator point of view a packed Hill seems to be more intimidating to kick into than a full Canal End.

Although that didn't stop us banging in two early goals against Mayo in 2012."
I think though Peiledoir there's a difference between a packed Hill with two sets of supporters and a packed Hill full of Dublin supporters. I got a good view of both those goals in 2012, from the Nally side of the Hill! Jimmy McGuinness had spotted that weakness in our full back line and smartly exploited it. Mentioned it in his book. He probably has a few more plans for Sunday that we haven't seen. I won't be surprised to see Donegal kick it a bit more and longer as Kerry will plan to slow down their running game. Either way it should be a cracking game of football.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8181 - 21/07/2025 17:14:05    2626972

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