Donegal’s rising tide will lift all boats
In the immediate aftermath, some were so taken with the performance of the Ulster champions against Cork that the labelled them as ‘unbeatable’.
Two years ago many of these same players were humiliated in Crossmaglen by an Armagh side we had tanked only a few weeks earlier. Yet now they are considered the team of the year? If that really is the case somebody should quickly get Jim McGuinness into Dáil Eireann to see if he can turn our economy around with similar haste.
It is impossible not to be impressed by what McGuinness and his players have achieved in such a short spell. I assign ownership of the players to Jim as he is the primary reason they find themselves in an All-Ireland final later this month. The players would openly admit that themselves.
On an individual level they have obviously given extraordinary levels of commitment and personal sacrifice, but without the astute guiding hand that McGuinness provides, such effort wouldn’t have gained such swift dividends. For me the most impressive aspect about Donegal’s style of play, is the consistent high levels of individual performance their system almost guarantees. They don’t rely on any one player to carry them over the line, and this gives the players a confidence and assurance that allows them to focus on their own job for the full 70 minutes.
From first minute to last, Donegal play with the same high levels of intensity and composure. Their level of dominance at any particular stage of the game has as much to do with the relative performance and concentration of their opponents. Regardless of what the opposition are doing, Donegal just keep playing their own game, and to date it has proven insurmountable for any of sides that have faced them.
While the sum of the individual parts is a major factor in Donegal’s success, the quality of the individuals who make up that sum should not be overlooked. Over-analysis on the collective aspect of Donegal’s play is doing a disservice to some of the outstanding individual contributions. Karl Lacey, Colm McFadden, Mark McHugh, Neil Gallagher, Paul Durcan and Frank McGlynn have consistently provided standout performances and are nailed on for All Star awards come red carpet season.
To pick just one, Gallagher’s display on Sunday was as good a midfield performance as Croke Park has witnessed. Considering the utter carnage Cork have inflicted on teams in this department in recent years, his dominance in the sector was simply awesome. Failing to claim the upper hand in midfield was surely a strange sensation for Conor Counihan’s troops, and would have contributed significantly to their gradual submission.
A tip of the hat also has to go to the effervescent Karl Lacey, who will soon have a beach off the north-west coast named after him, such has been his service to Donegal. It should be remembered that even back in Donegal’s dark days, this man was positioning himself on the All Star short lists with consistently flawless performances.
Donegal are without doubt an excellent side, and arguably the best in the country at present, but they are not unbeatable. Nobody is. Kilkenny, the greatest of them all, were regarded by many as being ‘unbeatable’ at the start of this year, and yet in the Leinster final they were hammered out the gate by perennial underachievers Galway.!
Like any successful side, Donegal are currently benefiting from having their key players fit and on form. They also exude a freshness and hunger that in many cases can only be cultivated on the back of recent disappointments. Yet if we look back at the recent history of teams like Kerry, Tyrone, Cork and at present Dublin, both these factors can swing very quickly, and make the once seemingly ‘unbeatable’ look very pedestrian.
So after all that, where does that leave the rest of us, who now have to try and counter this seemingly ‘unbeatable’ team? A rising tide lifts all boats, and if nothing else, Donegal’s sudden rise will provide an inspiration for many counties. As thoughts and preparations slowly turn to next year, most panels and managers will realise that to compete and succeed, levels of commitment and sacrifice that surpasses anything deemed sufficient before, will now be required.
Likewise, if my Monaghan colleagues still have the ambition to win an Ulster title, we will have to realise that an effort and commitment greater than anything served in the past will now be required. For myself this will pose a greater challenge than ever before. Myself and Alison are in the process of relocating to Meath due to work commitments, and with our first child on the way in February, it could be a case of making the minutes not hours count in 2013, such will be the demands on my free time. Christmas will have to be less festive!
Donegal have done everything but lift Sam Maguire at this stage, and I hope they do because they deserve it. Coming from the preliminary round of the Ulster Championship to an All-Ireland final is the toughest route imaginable. Beating teams like Tyrone, Down, Kerry and Cork has made it all the more impressive. I’m also hoping that by winning the All Ireland, they might, like many others before them, lose some of their mojo next year. But such is his adeptness at proving us all wrong, something tells me Jimmy has plenty of mojo in reserve......
