DONEGAL DEFENDER EAMON MCGEE says that ‘one or two silly moments’ cost his team in Sunday’s Ulster final against Tyrone.
Donegal were 0-7 to 0-4 up at half-time and extended the lead with the opening point of the second half.
Thereafter, Donegal failed to fire in the final third and Tyrone outscored them 0-9 to 0-4 in the second half, with three wonder points by Sean Cavanagh, Peter Harte and Kieran McGeary turning the tables in favour of the Red Hands.
Donegal’s performance in the second half, particularly their lateral movement with little in terms of penetrative bursts and a refusal to kick long into the full-forward line, has come in for some sharp criticism.
[adrotate group=”43″]“The general feeling was we were happy where we were at half-time,” McGee told Joe Molloy on Newstalk’s Off The Ball programme last night.
“We thought we could have pushed on. We went 8-4 up and if we’d got another point or two we’d have broken them.
“We kind of stuttered, Tyrone dug deep and pulled out some amazing points. We just didn’t push on.
[adrotate group=”68″]“They’re unbelievably well coached and they knew where to get at us. We took the ball into contact a lot and got turned over. We played into their hands a wee bit.
“It’s not as if we were way, way behind. It was the small, refereeing calls – which go in every game – and one or two silly moments by ourselves.”
Writing yesterday in The Irish Times, former Donegal manager Jim McGuinness suggested that Donegal were one-dimensional.
McGee said: “Jim is entitled to his opinion. There might be something to what he said. Maybe we do have to bring in another dimension. That’s the good thing about the second chance in the qualifiers. If you have to use that diagonal ball, or whatever Jim is talking about, then I’m sure we’ll take it on.”
[adrotate group=”46″]After the game on Sunday, the waiting media were informed that no Donegal players were being made available for interviews and it was only the manager, Rory Gallagher, who spoke with reporters.
McGee said:“Some people think that the media are the big, bad enemy. I don’t have that view. If we’d won, we’d have been out in front doing plenty of interviews, so when we lose we have to take it as well.”
[adrotate group=”38″]Listen to Eamon McGee’s interview with Off The Ball here: http://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/Off_The_Ball/GAA_on_Off_The_Ball/149563/Eamon_McGee_on_Ulster_final_defeat
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