Discovering if Donegal still have title-winning credentials
The basic gist of his guidance was that too many people don’t believe their own eyes. Rather than using the evidence of what happens on the pitch, they allow tradition, reputations and ‘expert’ opinion to cloud their judgment.
It’s like the naked emperor. The conditions for that story continue to exist. If a team ran onto Croke Park in the nude, there are still those who wouldn’t believe what was happening until it was confirmed to them by the TV pundits at half-time.
As a rule, I try to judge teams on how they perform. But there is one notable exception. When it comes to Donegal, I refuse to believe my own eyes.
I’ve seen Donegal three times this year, and based on those displays, I wouldn’t offer much hope for them in this year’s Championship.
Forget about results. There is an intangible quality which radiates from teams that are on the cusp of success. Teams on the rise have a certain energy, vigour and vibrancy about them.
While organised and systematic, they will also be unpredictable. When forced to dig deep, they will improvise and find new ways to win.
The Clare hurlers epitomised those qualities last year. The Bannermen were schooled to within an inches of their lives by Davy Fitzgerald. But when they were on the brink of defeat, it was a wonder strike from corner-back Domhnall O’Donovan, the first score of his entire Championship career, which stopped Cork from lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
When defeat loomed, Clare found a new way.
Donegal used to be like this. For every fresh crisis, a new hero seemed to emerge. One day it could be Christy Toye, the super sub who scored 1-1 against Kildare in 2011. The next day it would be Karl Lacey.
Watching Donegal this year, that sparkle appears to have gone.
For their opening match against Tyrone in the Dr McKenna Cup, Donegal’s team included eight players from the side which started the 2012 All-Ireland final. Tyrone travelled to Letterkenny with only three players from the side which lost last year’s semi-final to Mayo. Leading by three points at half-time, Donegal appeared to be in control. But they managed just two points in the second half. A forward line that included Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden failed to score during the last 18 minutes. Much to Tyrone’s disbelief, they won.
As ever, Jim McGuinness put a positive spin on that result. Afterwards we were told that his players were coming back from injury. They had missed a lot of football and the important thing was they were getting game time.
As ever, Jim sounded convincing. For Donegal’s next game in Letterkenny, they played Monaghan. A crowd of 8,000 was in O’Donnell Park for the rematch of last year’s Ulster final. There was a whiff of vengeance in the air and Donegal responded to the occasion.
Pitted against an under-strength Monaghan side, they seized an early advantage. But when Malachy O’Rourke bolstered his team with a few seasoned substitutes, there was no discernible gap in class. For much of the second half, the teams were evenly matched.
The Division Two League final against Monaghan generated further doubts. Admittedly, Rory Kavanagh’s red card had a massive impact on the game. But even Kavanagh’s dismissal is noteworthy. When Donegal were in their pomp, they didn’t get red cards. Their discipline was impeccable. Furthermore, when they encountered serious obstacles, they were able to overcome them.
From a Donegal perspective, the worrying thing is that the physical and tactical advantages they enjoyed in 2011 and 2012 are no longer prevalent. The opposition has caught up with them.
When Derry travelled to Ballybofey for the first round of the Championship in 2012, they were blown away. Outplayed, out-thought, outmanoeuvred, outclassed, Derry were beaten out the gate.
While Derry were rank bad, Donegal were excellent. In 2012, the Oak Leafers weren’t the only team that discovered they were light years behind the champions-elect.
Just two years later and the landscape has changed significantly. Despite their 15-point pasting from the Dubs in the League final, no-one expects Derry to receive another trimming from Donegal on Sunday at Celtic Park.
In 2012, Derry couldn’t deal with Donegal’s kick-outs. They failed to cope with the runners coming out of defence. They made no headway against their opponents’ packed defence.
Donegal no longer possess the same capacity to surprise.It’s true, Derry took a real hiding from Dublin. But that game could be a blessing in disguise. If Dublin had under-performed and Derry had been beaten by a few points, they would probably be warm favourites to beat Donegal on Sunday.
While the defeat to the Dubs was a harsh reality check, it allowed Derry to find out exactly where they stand. Moreover, when playing against a Jim McGuinness team, Derry know they will come up against a clever kick-out strategy, a counter-attacking defence and a potent full-forward line. Brian McIver couldn’t have asked for a better dress rehearsal.
In terms of speed, power and aggression, there is nothing Donegal can throw at Derry they haven’t already encountered in Croke Park.
To win this game, both teams will have highlighted very clear objectives. Donegal will have identified Mark Lynch as the man that must be stopped. Derry will think the same way about Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy.
It’s going to be a ferociously competitive contest. Donegal will be a different proposition to what we witnessed in the league. Under Jim McGuinness, that has been their form.
And after their week of intensive training in Portugal, it can be assumed that McGuinness will have devised a few new ploys.
However, those new tricks will only provide marginal gains. Tactics will not dictate the final outcome of this game.
Barring their display in the league final, Derry have played with the zip and zest of a team that’s on the rise. Based on their performances thus far, Derry will push Donegal to the pin of their collars.
The real intrigue lies with Donegal’s response. In a crisis, will they be able to conjure a solution? Is the magic still alive?
It’s only when Donegal are subjected to proper Championship conditions in Celtic Park that we’ll finally be able to believe that we see.
