Donegal ready for wide open spaces of Croke Park

THE buzz is back for Donegal footballers.

By Jim McGuinness’s admission, last week was a tough one, spent reflecting on the Ulster title that got away. The mood changed utterly on Sunday with the news that Donegal’s next assignment would be Meath in Croke Park.

“We are all buzzing with the news, everyone is psyched to be playing Meath, especially in Croke Park,” McGuinness says. “It will have a real big day feel about it, we are travelling up on Saturday, staying overnight, and Croke Park is an unbelievable spot to play in. The fact that there are three teams from the north-west involved will only add to the occasion.”

Sunday does promise to be a special day in the new Croke Park. After last week’s rapturous Leinster title for Dublin, this will be the turn for the sleeping giants of the north-west to awake. It has been four years since Donegal were last at headquarters. McGuinness has yearned for a return since, and feels the time is right for this Donegal team to be back on the biggest stage.

“It is a massive test for this team. This is what we wanted, a competitive game at Croke Park, but we need to start winning games at this level. If we can beat Meath, we will have another game at Croke Park in two weeks time. We have shown we can compete at this level, now we need to start winning.”

They watched the Leinster final on Sunday, saw how Dublin’s razor-sharp, quick-fire forwards revelled in the space the new dimensions of Croke Park offered them, and felt the wider pitch would suit Donegal. It should. Although they haven’t been in the national spotlight for a few years, the side has always stayed true to its principles, playing their pretty football which was made for the width and length of Croker.

“We are hoping the extra space will suit us more. If our forwards hit a lot of space and win the ball, they have a lot of ground to play with. But Meath have some quality forwards as well, I am sure Ollie and Geraghty will appreciate the extra space too.”

Still, McGuinness is quietly confident about the prospect. Meath will emerge from the tunnel as favourites, never a tag that they are comfortable with. And there is no John McDermott, and the Royal County have been unable to find a suitable replacement. At the same time, McGuinness and John Gildea are Donegal’s two steadiest performers of the year. Rumours that Gildea was about to abscond to America prove unfounded. They are both relishing the biggest stage.

McGuinness, in particular, has had the sort of season his athletic gifts have always promised. In the lean days of the mid-’90s, McGuinness was the great white hope of Donegal football. On the Sigerson stage he showed himself to be one of the most talented footballers in the country. When it came to his county, the expectation was just too great. In Tralee, surrounded by the likes of Padraig Joyce and Seamus Moynihan, he flourished. Unfortunately, he just didn’t have the same depth of talent around him in a Donegal side under re-construction.

At the same time, McGuinness was wrestling with demons. The death of his older brother, Mark, four years ago was a blow that it has taken years to recover from. Jim was alongside Mark in the car when they were involved in an accident. Jim was going to America for a summer of football. It has taken him a long time to get over the loss.

However, this has been his summer. His goal, that came with a fine dummy, dragged Donegal back into the Ulster final, although those around him couldn’t respond to his call. Ten days on, McGuinness is still trying to figure out what went wrong in Clones.

“The goal in the first minute was the real hammer blow. Armagh pulled everyone behind the ball after that, leaving their full forward line-up. And that’s what they are best at.

“Giving Armagh an early goal like that, well any team in the country would be hard pressed to beat them. They are the best side in the country at defending a lead.

“We thought if we got two or three points ahead of Armagh, make them come out and attack us, we would have a much better chance.

“But they are so well organised, so solid in defence, that it is nearly impossible to do when you are chasing the game.

“It was nice to get a goal, but I would have preferred not to have scored the goal and be sitting on the bus after the game with the Ulster title.”

The appearance of Meath on the horizon has re-energised the team, refocused minds. And McGuinness feels there are limitations within Meath that can be exploited.

“They have struggled to replace John McDermott, that is the one thing I have noticed watching them this year. They don’t have the same aura about them, since he left. Even last year, he found it hard to come back. And that’s what we need to exploit if we are to win. Looking back on the Ulster final, we did come out on top around the middle of the field, but we couldn’t capitalise. We can’t afford to miss as many chances on Sunday.”

This summer, he spends his days kicking football, doing a little research for his college project (a thesis on professionalism and the GAA and dreaming of Croke Park.

With the wild locks gone, he may no longer be the most recognisable footballer in the country, but he remains one of the best. Sunday offers him another stage to show that.