Michael Murphy: Perfect tackling technique key for Donegal
The Donegal skipper was forced to sit out his side’s final Allianz League Division One fixture in Castlebar against Mayo on Easter Sunday through suspension having been black-carded in springtime against both Dublin and Tyrone, as well as sent off for two yellow cards against Cork in Ballyshannon.
Joe McQuillan will take charge of this Sunday’s contest — therefore officiating his fifth meeting of Donegal and Tyrone from the last six played — with Murphy stressing the importance of his side getting the basics right, with the turnover expected to be vital.
“Technically-wise, technique in the tackle is something we have been working on,” the 25-year-old revealed.
“It’s something I personally and as a team we have been working on.
“We have a number of very good tacklers in the team and with games coming down now to fine margins and fine points, tackling is an area we have looked at and have tried to perfect.
“Any team would like to pride themselves on turnovers in the modern game. That’s again going to be part of our game and Tyrone’s game. It’s just trying to decrease the number of fouls, we have been working on that.”
Two years ago, goalkeeper Niall Morgan arrived in Ballybofey having scored 0-18 in Tyrone’s run to the Division One final against Dublin.
Against Jim McGuinness’s team, Morgan managed to score just once from six placed balls as Donegal ended up 2-10 to 0-10 winners when Colm McFadden and Ross Wherity were the goalscorers.
But Murphy is aware of the abilities of the Tyrone custodian as the duels between the pair have formed something of a bloodline of the recent rivalries that have developed between the north-western neighbours.
After that 2013 meeting, which was Donegal’s third championship victory over Tyrone in three seasons, it was the Red Hands who regrouped to reach an All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo, who had pulverised Donegal 4-17 to 1-10 in the last eight.
When Tyrone next rolled into their neighbouring county for the 2014 Dr McKenna Cup, Morgan kicked three long-range frees in Letterkenny and saved a penalty from Murphy as the visitors triumphed 0-13 to 1-7.
Morgan was making a habit of it — having also stopped a spot kick from Murphy at Healy Park in Tyrone’s 1-13 to 0-12 win in Division One in 2013.
“He is an extremely accomplished kicker from distance,” Murphy said of Morgan. “All teams seem to have the person who can threaten to kick the ball from that distance, it just makes it clear that we have to be squeaky-clean in our tackling. It’s very easy to speak about this, it’s another thing to accomplish it in the heat of championship battle. It will be difficult to do.”
When Donegal overcame Mickey Harte’s side 1-13 to 0-6 in Division One in March, Morgan was forced to retire with a quad-muscle injury on 20 minutes and was replaced by Sean Fox, who would keep goal in Tyrone’s All-Ireland U21 championship success. Morgan, though, returned to club action last Saturday week as Edendork St Malachy’s enjoyed a 1-20 to 1-9 victory against Killeeshil St Mary’s in Tyrone’s All-County Football League Division Two and will be a pivotal figure come Sunday. Donegal’s 10-point win over Tyrone two months ago was the standout performance of new manager Rory Gallagher’s tenure to date. But just as it was when they lost 4-11 to 0-19 to Cork in the semi-final at Croke Park, anything Donegal — or even Tyrone — do in the league is best consumed with a pinch of salt.
“Everyone knows that wasn’t a true reflection,” Murphy added. “Any problems you have in the league — you don’t want them to be repeated in the championship. There was chances we had that wouldn’t normally go over while Tyrone missed chances they wouldn’t normally. It won’t have a bearing. Sunday is a preliminary round of the Ulster Championship, going to be in front of a full house in MacCumhail Park. That’s where you want to be.”
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