1 Donegal’s bench stands up to the test
THERE have been considerable concerns expressed about the true depth of Donegal’s squad, outside of the first fifteen, this summer.
On Saturday night, though, those fears were roundly put to bed as Rory Gallagher’s replacements produced the goods.
With Donegal struggling around the middle third in the second quarter, Martin McElhinney was sent on and the St Michael’s man’s power and directness really helped them gain a foothold.
Anthony Thompson came on for the injured Eamon McGee and gave Donegal an energy that had been absent during the first half. The introduction of McElhinney and Thompson at the break helped turn the tide in Donegal’s favour.
When Paddy McGrath was black carded, Gallagher was forced into another defensive change – but Declan Walsh shored things up in the final 20 minutes.
Leo McLoone’s recent return to the panel has added a significant string to the Donegal bow. The Glenties man scored a late point that was just over the crossbar and Christy Toye netted with his first touch in injury time.
David Walsh made a late cameo and he remains another viable option while Darach O’Connor’s return this week gives Gallagher a different dynamic.
2 Score famines a huge concern
AN UNWANTED feature of Donegal’s summer has been the prolonged periods without registering a score.
Generally, the famine has come after a blistering start.
Against Tyrone, Donegal were 0-6 to 1-0 up after just 14 minutes, but they were scoreless from then until Martin McElhinney’s goal in added time at the end of the first half.
Against Armagh, on a day when Donegal pulverised the Orchard in the first half, they scored 1-2 in the second half and the Ulster semi-final with Derry had two lengthy spells where Donegal failed to trouble the scoreboard operator – managing one point in 24 minutes after racing into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead and they scored just once in the final 25 minutes.
Donegal might well have retained the Anglo-Celt, but for wayward shooting against Monaghan in the final. Having gone 0-3 to 0-1 up after six minutes, their next score wasn’t for another 27 minutes and they were a full hour without a point from play that afternoon.
On Saturday night, the trend continued, as Donegal were kept scoreless between the 16th and 43rd minutes.
“What is concerning is the way that we have allowed other teams to dominate in the second quarter,” said Rory Gallagher.
“That’s something that we have to address. There is no reason for it and there’s no plan to do that.”
3 McFadden relishes his new role
COLM McFadden’s re-invention has been one of the big success stories of Rory Gallagher’s tenure so far.
The 32-year-old St Michael’s forward was handed a deep-lying role for Donegal’s Championship opener against Tyrone – and made an instant impact.
McFadden’s in-game intelligence and razor-sharp left foot make him a perfect fit as a playmaker.
McFadden had a big hand in all three Donegal goals on Saturday evening, providing the assist for Patrick McBrearty and Christy Toye while it was from his perfect pass that Michael Murphy was able to knock down for Ryan McHugh to finish.
“I’ve enjoyed it there, to be honest,” McFadden said.
“It’s a different role to inside, especially in Ulster football when you’ve a man hanging out of you and two men in front of you and there’s three or four ahead of them again. It’s hard to get the ball. It’s something different and I’m glad to be playing where Rory puts me. You adapt to whatever’s put in front of you.”
4 A case for the defence
THERE’S a school of thought that suggests that Donegal aren’t as defensively solid under Rory Gallagher as they had been during Jim McGuinness’s reign – but the statistics are there to disprove that theory.
Paul Durcan kept his fourth clean sheet in a row on Saturday evening.
The only blot on the copybook this summer was Darren McCurry’s early goal for Tyrone in Ballybofey.
The 1-10 conceded against Tyrone is the highest leaked in this year’s Championship.
Over the five games, Donegal have conceded an average of 10.6 points. It’s a number bettered only by the 9.5 average conceded in 2011, McGuinness’s first year at the helm.
It was 12.1 points in 2012, 13.8 in 2013 and last year 13.5.
5 The Murphy dilemma continues
RORY Gallagher surely had a smile to himself on Saturday morning when he woke to the ‘news’ that Michael Murphy was going to miss the game.
Gallagher had been at pains to insist that Murphy was fine but when Brendan Devenney, speaking on UTV, mischievously said that the captain was ‘100 per cent’ out, the seeds of doubt were planted.
Murphy led Donegal out to a thundering roar from the Donegal supporters, clearly buoyed by seeing their talisman taking to the field.
Again, it was Murphy who produced the magical moments. He did his best work inside after starting the game at centrefield, prompting yet more questions for Rory Gallagher on where the Glenswilly is better suited.
“We’ll see him all over the place. He likes to be where the action is,” was the manager’s response.
Earlier this year, former Laois player turned Newstalk pundit Colm Parkinson said of
Murphy: “You can’t coach players to do the things Murphy does at the business end of the field.”
The player himself is willing to play anywhere for the county.
“I enjoy the two roles,” he said at the start of this year’s National League.
“Being out the field, creating things, touching the ball a bit more and influencing things; I like being inside too, the danger thing of scoring scores and making scores.”
It’s a debate that appears endless.
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