Durcan makes case for defence

Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan reckons the All-Ireland champions will need to rely more on their 2011 defensive template in their attempt to retain their provincial and national titles in 2013.

The Ulster side won few admirers two seasons ago for tactics which depended chiefly on mass defence but Durcan believes they must rediscover some of that solidity and stinginess if they are to hit the heights again next summer.

“In fairness to our forward play, it improved a bit but maybe our defensive side of things took a bit of a knock this year,” he explained in Dublin yesterday prior to this morning’s flight to New York with the All Stars. We need to maybe work on that again and raise the bar again.

“The lads in the forward line will definitely do that when you have the quality up there like Michael (Murphy), Colm (McFadden) and the rest of them. They will improvedefinitely and if the backs improve they will improve. It’s hard to know where to go but Jim (McGuinness) and Rory (Gallagher) will have a few ideas and they will be working on some things like that.”

Donegal’s players may have traversed the county celebrating their capture of Sam Maguire since September but they have yet to meet up as a group todiscuss what exactly the approach will be next term. Donegal will not be allowed to return to training untilDecember 29 under the GAA’s new rules on collective sessions during the off-season but thoughts of a back-to-back All-Ireland are off the menu this side of their Ulster quarter-final meeting with Tyrone.

By then, McGuinness should be seven months into the new role with Celtic Football Club which has caused such debate this last week but Durcan believes the move is a win-win situation for the manager and Donegal alike.

“I don’t see it in any way being a disadvantage. As they say, a man has got to work and for Jim it’s a job at the end of the day and I think he is smart enough to differentiate between Donegal and Celtic.

“It’s another sport but it’s not really going to affect Donegal. It can only be an advantage to bring that professionalism in and Celtic just didn’t go with Jim for just the Donegal reason, they obviously saw something in him and I think that’s only to our advantage.”

As pointed out in this newspaper last week, the commute from Donegal to Glasgow in no longer than that between the county and Dublin and Durcan, who lives in the capital, noted that same point yesterday.

“In fairness, it will be difficult but he is the type of person he will know what he is doing for the next six months and he will keep to that and we will know what he is doing and will have a programme set out .

“I don’t think it will affect us in any way and Jim has got a good man with him in Rory and he can rely on Rory, that is for sure.

“He is lucky to have him with him and he will have the support of Rory as well so he will be able for it.”