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Good win for the u20s tonight to top the group and go straight through to the semi final, made hard work of it at times with 2 breaches giving Derry two 2pointers but done well to bounce back in a second half where Derry had more of the ball. I wouldn't be surprised to see these teams meet again.
NPadraigAbu (Donegal) - Posts: 122 - 01/04/2026 21:12:14
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Good win from a good team.
EP (Donegal) - Posts: 86 - 01/04/2026 22:02:48
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Replying To NPadraigAbu: "Good win for the u20s tonight to top the group and go straight through to the semi final, made hard work of it at times with 2 breaches giving Derry two 2pointers but done well to bounce back in a second half where Derry had more of the ball. I wouldn't be surprised to see these teams meet again." Great win if not a great performance especially in the 10 minutes before and after half time. As you alluded to they were the masters of their near downfall with the cheap scores from breaches and coughing up a cheap goal. The breach thing is really poor all around when you consider last year's Ulster Final and the dramatic ending when a breach effectively ended the game when Donegal had Tyrone firmly against the wall. Great performances from Aran Neely and Shane Callaghan. Turlough Carr made a big difference when he came on bringing an air of calm and confidence in possession. The likes of Finbarr, Max and Kevin Muldoon can play way better plus a fully fit Turlough Carr and a returning Conor McCahill can bring massive improvement. I definitely prefer going straight into the semi final but Ulster looks incredibly strong again between Derry (who can also improve massively from tonight's performance), Armagh and Tyrone.
panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2924 - 01/04/2026 22:10:27
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Replying To NPadraigAbu: "Good win for the u20s tonight to top the group and go straight through to the semi final, made hard work of it at times with 2 breaches giving Derry two 2pointers but done well to bounce back in a second half where Derry had more of the ball. I wouldn't be surprised to see these teams meet again." That Derry team is some team, they where the best team at this level I seen last year and again this year, maybe there is a wee bit of a flat track bulky about them and when Tyrone last year and Donegal this year but a fight up to them they couldn't rise, every other game they win very very easy Derry or Donegal would beat any team in any other province at under 20 level. 2 very good sides
Liftball (Armagh) - Posts: 61 - 01/04/2026 22:19:36
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Replying To Liftball: "That Derry team is some team, they where the best team at this level I seen last year and again this year, maybe there is a wee bit of a flat track bulky about them and when Tyrone last year and Donegal this year but a fight up to them they couldn't rise, every other game they win very very easy Derry or Donegal would beat any team in any other province at under 20 level. 2 very good sides" Your own u20s look to be going very good aswell, big game against Tyrone for that group. Looks like Derry, Tyrone, Donegal and Armagh could all make a run at an Ulster title
NPadraigAbu (Donegal) - Posts: 122 - 02/04/2026 11:21:06
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Replying To Liftball: "That Derry team is some team, they where the best team at this level I seen last year and again this year, maybe there is a wee bit of a flat track bulky about them and when Tyrone last year and Donegal this year but a fight up to them they couldn't rise, every other game they win very very easy Derry or Donegal would beat any team in any other province at under 20 level. 2 very good sides" You could put a blanket over Tyrone, Derry and Donegal the last two years. Tyrone came out on top of the triangle on each occasion before sauntering to back to back All Irelands. Probably the best 3 teams in the country.....they certainly were last year. Looking like a repeat this year but Armagh looking strong too and ye pushed Tyrone hard last year as well. Very tough to call Ulster at this stage. Donegal can improve alot on last night's performance. Getting McCahill back can be massive.
panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2924 - 02/04/2026 20:56:26
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I really like what Spillane said the other day. That other teams will now smell blood and know now that that Kerry on occasion can be got at.
Obviously the summer will be different but I fancy ourselves against them if we meet again.
But there may be a chance they are gone before then tbh.
Hard to know, ulster will be tough. But even if we don't win it again, we should still be setting our eyes on SAM.
(Hopefully no more stupid actions from Murphy though)
eddieSize5Balls (Donegal) - Posts: 329 - 03/04/2026 05:06:54
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Replying To Curlew66: "Congratulations Dun na nGall on an outstanding team performance.
Looking at the match programme it must have been a very proud day for the St Naul club with three players on the team. What level do they compete at in the club championship? Best compliment one could pay Gavin Mulreany is that your regular keeper hasn't been missed atall. He had a very good league campaign between kicking points, saving goals and steady kick outs. He pulled off two great saves on Sunday from O'Connor and Kennedy. Took a risk coming so far from goal to contest a high ball at the end line but his club mate Mogan saved the day clearing G O 'Sullivan goal bound shot off the line.
Open to correction here but I think Caolan McGonagle played underage soccer at International level. His goal may well have been a 'perfectly executed chip' and not just 'going for a point' as most commentators have described it." St. Nauls compete in the Junior Gaeltacht championship. They play in the Senior Championship. Explain that one.
MickyThePost (Donegal) - Posts: 31 - 03/04/2026 10:23:06
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Replying To eddieSize5Balls: "I really like what Spillane said the other day. That other teams will now smell blood and know now that that Kerry on occasion can be got at.
Obviously the summer will be different but I fancy ourselves against them if we meet again.
But there may be a chance they are gone before then tbh.
Hard to know, ulster will be tough. But even if we don't win it again, we should still be setting our eyes on SAM.
(Hopefully no more stupid actions from Murphy though)" I think if we win Sam again it will largely be because of Murphy and we wouldn't have won the last one either without him, don't judge the man on one mistake.
Michael has carried Donegal on his back since he was a teenager,
we will never see his likes again, enjoy him while we still have him, there's lads in that squad who will talk years from now about having soldiered with the greatest player Donegal ever had.
We have the beating of anyone in Ireland if we get the performance right, let them worry about playing us,
to hell with Kerry and there big egos.
Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3812 - 03/04/2026 12:15:31
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Replying To MickyThePost: "St. Nauls compete in the Junior Gaeltacht championship. They play in the Senior Championship. Explain that one." Looking for a handy trophy?
peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1534 - 03/04/2026 12:49:50
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Replying To Tirchonaill1: "I think if we win Sam again it will largely be because of Murphy and we wouldn't have won the last one either without him, don't judge the man on one mistake.
Michael has carried Donegal on his back since he was a teenager,
we will never see his likes again, enjoy him while we still have him, there's lads in that squad who will talk years from now about having soldiered with the greatest player Donegal ever had.
We have the beating of anyone in Ireland if we get the performance right, let them worry about playing us,
to hell with Kerry and there big egos." A mistake? I'm not sure but only those in the dressing room will know that. I did write a post about the incident specifically but it got blocked by the site admin so I got to be careful in what I write here about it.
panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2924 - 03/04/2026 15:06:40
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Replying To MickyThePost: "St. Nauls compete in the Junior Gaeltacht championship. They play in the Senior Championship. Explain that one." Their Irish is a bit ropey!
Beagslife (Donegal) - Posts: 6 - 03/04/2026 15:55:26
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Replying To Tirchonaill1: "I think if we win Sam again it will largely be because of Murphy and we wouldn't have won the last one either without him, don't judge the man on one mistake.
Michael has carried Donegal on his back since he was a teenager,
we will never see his likes again, enjoy him while we still have him, there's lads in that squad who will talk years from now about having soldiered with the greatest player Donegal ever had.
We have the beating of anyone in Ireland if we get the performance right, let them worry about playing us,
to hell with Kerry and there big egos." Kerry big egos most kerry people dont get ahead themselevs cutr maybe egos is bit harsh now who is coming across as arrogant ye are best right now but still early.
Dismissing kerry or others ye have how many all irelands should know they cant be dismissed
Dont worry philly has ye miles ahead so pressure is on
Gaaforlife2023 (Longford) - Posts: 1255 - 03/04/2026 20:00:52
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Replying To eddieSize5Balls: "I really like what Spillane said the other day. That other teams will now smell blood and know now that that Kerry on occasion can be got at.
Obviously the summer will be different but I fancy ourselves against them if we meet again.
But there may be a chance they are gone before then tbh.
Hard to know, ulster will be tough. But even if we don't win it again, we should still be setting our eyes on SAM.
(Hopefully no more stupid actions from Murphy though)" The smug talk on some forums kerry be gone based one match maybe ye need be careful too
Spillane made fair point but also cute
Gaaforlife2023 (Longford) - Posts: 1255 - 03/04/2026 20:02:24
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Replying To Gaaforlife2023: "The smug talk on some forums kerry be gone based one match maybe ye need be careful too
Spillane made fair point but also cute" Nothing smug about it. They were battered in a big game by the team they battered last summer.
No one is saying they won't win it all again but other teams like Armagh, Galway and Mayo will fancy their chances now, especially if you nullify Clifford.
eddieSize5Balls (Donegal) - Posts: 329 - 03/04/2026 23:43:37
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Replying To Gaaforlife2023: "The smug talk on some forums kerry be gone based one match maybe ye need be careful too
Spillane made fair point but also cute" Totally agree. Donegal have won the Division 1 League. It's a National Title but the Championship is totally different ball game.
Kerry are still the team to beat and will be chomping at the bit after their hammering last weekend.
Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 893 - 04/04/2026 07:55:29
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Replying To Gaaforlife2023: "Kerry big egos most kerry people dont get ahead themselevs cutr maybe egos is bit harsh now who is coming across as arrogant ye are best right now but still early.
Dismissing kerry or others ye have how many all irelands should know they cant be dismissed
Dont worry philly has ye miles ahead so pressure is on" Anyone dismissing based on last isn't worth your time reading their posts. Kerry were missing 3 of their most important players. Ryan was a big loss as Murphy's kick outs were poor especially in that first half period Donegal made hay. It'll be a completely different game if they meet later in the summer but from a Donegal perspective it heals some scars from last summer. Jim made a mistake not starting big Hugh and having Jason fully fit is a big bonus. We'll need these lads if there is a repeat pairing later in the year.
panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2924 - 04/04/2026 14:33:06
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The league final was a strange game. Yes, Donegal were very strong, bossed posession and played the game on our terms. But Kerry weren't at the races at all. I couldn't believe how passive they were in defence. Other teams won't give us that time on the ball.
The one downside is that we've shown our hand a bit early. For example McColgan did very well on Clifford, but in reality Clifford was starved of possession so the jury is still out on that one. If that's the match up next time then surely Clifford will be sent to the edge of the square and given high balls in as he has a good head of height above McColgan.
Max was brilliant. It's fantastic to see the youth being given such a chance. Looking forward to Turlough Carr and Conor McCahill getting back to fitness as we might be seeing more of them in the championship I reckon.
The most pleasing thing was our kickout press. I think that press can be used against any team, faster lads protecting against shorts and then bigger lads out getting physical in the middle of the field. It might be the blueprint for a kickout press that other teams could easily use as well.
One last thought. We have a lot of young lads showing good form in the forward line. Then Langan playing number 11 and Murphy doing a full game at 14 makes sense. There's very little room to squeeze in our other lads who are coming back from injury. I wonder could Gallen be used as an impact sub. He usually has 25 minutes of brilliance in him before he goes quiet for the rest of the game. Maybe its because of an ongoing injury , who knows. But he could be a great player to bring off the bench. Many thought Murphy would be sprung from the bench this year but that looks unlikely with the form he's in.
High_and_wide (Donegal) - Posts: 107 - 04/04/2026 14:36:25
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Wee jammy
farneygael3 (Monaghan) - Posts: 603 - 04/04/2026 16:08:33
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Replying To High_and_wide: "The league final was a strange game. Yes, Donegal were very strong, bossed posession and played the game on our terms. But Kerry weren't at the races at all. I couldn't believe how passive they were in defence. Other teams won't give us that time on the ball.
The one downside is that we've shown our hand a bit early. For example McColgan did very well on Clifford, but in reality Clifford was starved of possession so the jury is still out on that one. If that's the match up next time then surely Clifford will be sent to the edge of the square and given high balls in as he has a good head of height above McColgan.
Max was brilliant. It's fantastic to see the youth being given such a chance. Looking forward to Turlough Carr and Conor McCahill getting back to fitness as we might be seeing more of them in the championship I reckon.
The most pleasing thing was our kickout press. I think that press can be used against any team, faster lads protecting against shorts and then bigger lads out getting physical in the middle of the field. It might be the blueprint for a kickout press that other teams could easily use as well.
One last thought. We have a lot of young lads showing good form in the forward line. Then Langan playing number 11 and Murphy doing a full game at 14 makes sense. There's very little room to squeeze in our other lads who are coming back from injury. I wonder could Gallen be used as an impact sub. He usually has 25 minutes of brilliance in him before he goes quiet for the rest of the game. Maybe its because of an ongoing injury , who knows. But he could be a great player to bring off the bench. Many thought Murphy would be sprung from the bench this year but that looks unlikely with the form he's in." I never agree with this showing your hand nonsense, if your good enough you'll win whatever match it is, we got great value out of the league in getting a look at a lot of young players who will be pushing for Championship starting places,
plus we gave the the all Ireland Champions a lesson in the final and showed the rest of the country that Kerry aren't that great after all.
Ok if we meet them in the Summer it will be a closer match but we have the beating of them if we play well.
Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3812 - 04/04/2026 21:55:01
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