Donegal's Magical Murphy casts a spell on rudderless Roscommon
Strange old evening in the Hyde.
This was judgment day for both Roscommon and Donegal; the latter needing a win to keep alive their championship involvement, the former needing to justify their continuing July presence.
And yet, the ground was bereft of any sense of jeopardy.
Indeed, the mood was more in keeping with the graveyard behind the goal which Roscommon âkeeper Colm Lavin manned in the opening period.
There was certainly a funeral-feel to Roscommonâs fortunes at half-time, the lone piper who paraded through the main stand during the interval may as well have been marching Kevin McStay and his charges out of the championship.
Five weeks ago, 18,864 patrons were at the Hyde for the Connacht final.
On Saturday, the attendance was almost half that. Of the 9,583 crowd, several had bolted for home long before CiarĂĄn Branagan brought proceedings to a halt. Frustrating the locals was not the result, rather the Roscommon approach.
Check out the full-time highlights from Roscommon v Donegal here! pic.twitter.com/5fPVGbzUA6
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 21, 2018
Having been hit for 4-24 by Tyrone last week, management packed far more bodies into the central channel in front of Lavinâs goal. Basically, all bar Diarmuid Murtagh and Cathal Cregg had been handed defensive briefs. It was a system they were neither familiar nor comfortable with.
Most baffling was their decision not to go short with Lavinâs restarts, particularly considering the multitude of options at his disposal.
On the half-hour mark, sweeper Niall Kilroy was successfully found. The sizeable cheer which followed left you in no doubt as to the extent of their struggles in this department.
Their defensive setup also failed miserably in keeping Michael Murphy at bay. Located out the field against Dublin, the Glenswilly man was positioned at full-forward on this sunny evening. And what a performance he gave.
Having miscontrolled the ball with a goal on 26 minutes in, the Donegal captain made amends by kicking three points in-a-row.
The second of these saw him hand off Brian Stack with consummate ease and while Kevin McStay felt a free out should have been awarded, you couldnât but admire Murphyâs strength in possession.
Murphy kicked two more from play upon the change of ends, proving uncontainable for Niall McInerney and the 10 other Roscommon players in close proximity.
âMurphy can play anywhere. Thatâs the bottom line,â replied Declan Bonner when quizzed on the star manâs best position.
âI donât like talking about individuals. Iâd rather look at the whole team, the whole group and Michael is part of that. He did really well out there. âWherever Michael goes, heâll perform. Heâll always contribute.â
The same question was put to McStay.
âAs far away from the goal as possible,â he quipped. His performance today was fantastic. He is a once-in-a-generation player. That size, that ability, that power. He has the whole package. He is a marvellous, marvellous player.
âWe donât have that type of player, yet. Donegal should celebrate him because they donât come around too often. He knows how to manage the game perfectly. You canât play him everywhere, thatâs Declanâs problem.â
The winners were 0-10 to 0-5 in front at the break, having wasted six excellent scoring chances. Jamie Brennan and CiarĂĄn Thompson led Murphyâs supporting cast, with OdhrĂĄn Mac Niallais taking on this role after the break.
Brian Stack cut the deficit to four within 20 seconds of the restart, but this was cancelled out by Mac Niallais. CiarĂĄin Murtagh again narrowed the gap to four, as close as they came in the second period, with the Gweedore man once more providing the Donegal response.
CiarĂĄin Murtagh with a great score for Roscommon! pic.twitter.com/txU4kMHbhq
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 21, 2018
Thereafter, this contest petered out to its inevitable conclusion. Leo McLoone, Ryan McHugh and Martin Reilly wrote themselves onto the winning scoresheet, with Roscommon sub Donie Smith sniping a pair of points upon his introduction.
There wonât be too many following the team to Croke Park the weekend after next as the Rossies conclude their campaign against Dublin
Ballybofey though on the Bank Holiday weekend will be an entirely different scenario.......
âItâs going to be a huge match,â said Bonner of Tyroneâs impending visit.
âTyrone are the form team through the qualifiers. They got a fright in their first qualifier up in Navan with Meath, but theyâve been very impressive since that and are putting up big scores.
âPeople criticised Mickey [Harte] last season. They had a very good year and now, all of a sudden, people say itâs negative. Itâs not. They attack in numbers and defend in numbers. Itâs difficult to play against and they have gathered momentum.â
M Murphy (0-9, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘45); O MacNiallais (0-4); C Thompson (0-2, 0-1 free); R McHugh, M Reilly, J Brennan, L McLoone, M Langan (0-1 each).
C Murtagh (0-4, 0-2 frees); D Murtagh (0-3, 0-1 free); B Stack, D Smith (0-2 each); E Smith, C Compton (0-1 each).
S Patton; S McMenamin, F McGlynn, P McGrath; R McHugh, P Brennan, E Bán Gallagher; H McFadden, L McLoone; C Thompson, M Langan, E Doherty; O MacNiallais, M Murphy, J Brennan.
N McGee for Gallagher (18 mins, inj); N O’Donnell for Brennan (53); A Thompson for McGlynn (55); D Ó Baoill for Brennan (60); M McHugh for Thompson (62); M Reilly for Langan (68).
C Lavin; D Murray, N McInerney, J McManus; Fintan Cregg, S McDermott, C Devanney; T O’Rourke, E Smith; C Murtagh, B Stack, C Compton; D Murtagh, C Cregg, N Kilroy.
C Lennon for Compton (HT); D Smith for C Cregg (45); Finbarr Cregg for McDermott (47); P Kelly for B Stack (59); I Kilbride for Fintan Cregg (61); S Killoran for Kilroy (68).
C Branagan (Down).
The seven unanswered points Donegal kicked between the 14th and 33rd minutes. The visitors went from 0-4 to 0-2 down to 0-9 to 0-4 in front. The gap was never smaller than four thereafter.
Kevin McStay putting his right hand on the chest of linesman Niall Cullen and appearing to push him when trying to bring attention to a particular incident involving one of the Roscommon players. A minute or two later, McStay threw a football which hit one of the officials on the back of the head. McStay said this was accidental.
The goalkeepers at either end.
Donegal’s Shaun Patton and Roscommon’s Colm Lavin made a string of fine saves throughout the match. Lavin’s one-handed effort to deny Jamie Brennan early in the first-half was probably the pick of the bunch.
The hosts. Fortunate to be just seven adrift at the finish. Few, at the outset of the Super 8s, envisaged them being as far off the pace as they have been.
Final outing in Croker against the champions, with nothing to play for, is not an enticing prospect.
Ultra-defensive approach did not suit Roscommon. Diarmuid Murtagh and Cathal Cregg were terribly isolated in the opposition half of the field. Supply of ball into this pair was incredibly poor. Said Kevin McStay of their decision to go with a defensive system:
“The problem was we couldn’t transition as well as we had against Armagh. You can’t put this together in a week. It can’t be done.”
Michael Murphy spent the 70-plus minutes at full-forward. Finished with 0-9, five of which arrived from play. Beside him, Odhrán Mac Niallais put in a fine shift. Kicked three second-half points, four in total.
Donegal’s Eoghan Bán Gallagher was clutching his arm as he walked off the field midway through the first-half. “Hopefully, it’s not too serious, but we’ll know more later on,” said Declan Bonner.
Ciarán Branagan has a decision to make as to whether he cites Kevin McStay in his report regarding the interaction between the Roscommon manager and the linesman right on the stroke of half-time. If Branagan does so, McStay is looking at, at the very least, a 12-week suspension.
Sunday, August 5 in MacCumhail Park, Ballybofey promises to be a cracking afternoon. Donegal versus Tyrone, winner takes all.
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