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Post by sullyschoice on Oct 27, 2020 22:58:38 GMT
A.member of Tyrone football panel has reportedly tested positive
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diego
Fanatical Member
Posts: 1,099
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Post by diego on Oct 28, 2020 8:40:11 GMT
A.member of Tyrone football panel has reportedly tested positive Comments from Conor McKenna suggest Tyrone favour the 'testing leads to cases, so let's not test' policy. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/gaelic-games/54707189
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2020 8:45:19 GMT
If I were Donegal, I would insist on all getting a test this week.
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 28, 2020 9:03:35 GMT
That should rattle Donegal's cage right enough!
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Post by onlykerry on Oct 28, 2020 13:45:02 GMT
8 games down for decision this coming weekend - Monaghan V Cavan at 13.15 on Saturday gets the Championship underway followed by Waterford v Limerick at 19.00. 6 games down for Sunday all throwing in between 13.00 and 13.30 with Donegal V Tyrone the pick of the games for any neutral.
By Sunday evening 8 counties will have exited the Championship 2020
3 weeks later it will be down to the last four with the provincial deciders being played - Connaught on Nov 15, Leinster on Nov 21 and Munster & Ulster on November 22.
It really is going to be a condensed competition this year.
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Jo90
Fanatical Member
Posts: 2,687
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Post by Jo90 on Oct 28, 2020 17:05:54 GMT
I wonder will the management of intercounty teams change tactics for the condensed nature of the championship and the fact it's a Winter C'ship instead of a Summer one or just go with the tactics they would have anyway? You'd surely expect it in hurling anyway as the game does vary between Winter and Summer.
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Post by dc84 on Oct 30, 2020 10:04:34 GMT
This year could be the year of the weather AI games could turn into lotteries i think it could suit the teams who kick less such as donegal and tyrone.
That is why i believe pk has been preparing for, there will be games this year where a 40m kick may be impossible in one half. We do have plenty of runners to play that game murphy,white,tom sull,Beaglaoich,sherwood,o brien and barry when he gets going are all capable in this regard getting them running in 2s and 3s which is what we were trying out last two games.
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Post by sidelined on Oct 30, 2020 12:24:36 GMT
should a general rule be brought in that if there is an orange/red weather warning is issued that gaa matches are automatically cancelled for that region? whats more important safety or competition schedule? cut out confusion of is it on or off, was it last year kerry supporters were half way up the country when a game was called off?
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Post by dc84 on Oct 30, 2020 12:51:02 GMT
should a general rule be brought in that if there is an orange/red weather warning is issued that gaa matches are automatically cancelled for that region? whats more important safety or competition schedule? cut out confusion of is it on or off, was it last year kerry supporters were half way up the country when a game was called off? Monaghan 2 years ago i believe, they have left very little wriggle room here i think as its week on week. Ulster and leinster need 4 weeks to play off so is the next 4 in a row for both of them then a week gap and semi then week gap and final. Munster and connacht only need 3 weeks so the crafty westerners are going a week early givibg them a weeks break to prepare for munster champions. Hard to know will that extra week nake a difference allowing for recuperation?
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 30, 2020 12:59:02 GMT
Consent
GAA
This could be the year Kingdom get to reign Kerry have no fear of Dublin and the loss of key players has weakened Farrell's squad
Ciarán Whelan October 30 2020 02:30 AM
Who would have thought 2020 would turn out like this! A championship preview in October with an All-Ireland final on a weekend before Christmas in late December. A weekend that most people who are fond of a tipple cannot remember most years, but this year might be different!
I couldn't help myself thinking this week about how Covid-19 would have impacted on the inter-county game back 15 or 20 years ago. Following lockdown, the only link you would have had with your county team-mates and management would have centred around your prized possession - your Nokia phone.
With players told to stay at home for three months, it would have been some crack. No Zoom calls, no GPS monitoring, no dieticians and certainly no strength and condition programmes.
Putting on a Covid stone, 15 or 20 years ago, would not necessarily have been through your S&C program. Any hope for inter-county managers back then was a reliance on the players' self-discipline - and that would have been a challenge in some dressing rooms.
Things were bad enough when players used to have an off-season from October to December. Lads would waddle back into the dressing room in January, with a look of trepidation on their faces as to what would lie ahead in the coming weeks. You could smell the fear in the room ahead of that first training session.
It would take some lads months to get into shape. The make-up of a GAA inter-county player - and what it takes to pull on that beloved jersey - has changed so much over time.
Every year the bar is pushed and standards have increased.
The commitment given by county players right around the country is second to none, and in the weeks ahead, we, as supporters, should appreciate the joy and pleasure they will give the whole GAA community, particularly with the risks that are present in the current environment.
No one can argue that the current circumstances leave this championship wide open. Dublin will be favourites as they push to break more records by bringing home Sam for the sixth year in a row. If you were looking for reasons for and against Dublin's chances going into this year's championship, there is no doubt that there are many factors which are not lining up in their favour.
We all know that Dublin have the quality players, they have the required leadership and, most of all, they have a culture of winning and resilience that has made them the team they are. They also have an easier pathway to a final, and a crucial few weeks to iron out some rustiness.
Nevertheless, there are challenges. A six-month lay-off, the Covid factor, a new manager, a new defensive coach and the loss of Darren Daly (an influential figure off the field in working with the defence along with Declan Darcy) will all contribute to a very different environment.
Dublin have won some All-Irelands on very small margins and the loss of match-winners Jack McCaffrey and Diarmuid Connolly cannot be understated. Key players, who have been the difference in winning tight games in recent years, are now gone and let's be frank - they are probably irreplaceable.
It is a tough start for Dessie Farrell. He was always the obvious successor to Jim Gavin, based on his achievements at underage level. Whatever happens in the weeks ahead, the narrative will always come under the shadow of Gavin's reign of success.
Little time
The reality is that Farrell has had little time to prepare or stamp his footballing philosophy on this Dublin team. If he can unearth new talent like Paddy Small, Seán Bugler or Cian Murphy, then they could be carried by the wealth of experience on the field.
You I get a sense that Dublin's main competitors feel they are vulnerable. All goods things come to an end and they are only queuing up for an opportunity. The big guns probably feel if ever there was a year for a quick snatch-and-grab All-Ireland, this is their opportunity.
Kerry remain the key threat and they are developing a group of players who will not rest easy until they bring Sam back to the Kingdom. As night follows day, it is going to happen, rest assured.
Kerry have produced teams and quality players in every generation that have been good enough to deliver All-Irelands. Peter Keane is now in the early stages of developing a senior team which had Dublin on the rack in the last year's drawn All-Ireland final. The development of this team is on the back of the county winning five All-Ireland minor titles in a row. Think about that for a second.
Kerry, the aristocrats of GAA football, have dominated the GAA footballing landscape, winning 37 All-Irelands, and now they have a bunch of talented kids waiting in the wings for their chance.
Already we have seen the talents of David Clifford, Seán O'Shea, Gavin White, Tom O'Sullivan, Diarmuid O'Connor and Killian Spillane break into the team, with many more waiting for their chance.
Keane, to his credit, has been impressive in how he has approached the job. He showed no fear of Dublin last year and was willing to be brave in his approach, by mixing up his game plans over the two All-Ireland finals. Kerry will be better this year and recent form indicates that they are coming for the Dubs.
Hoping to ambush Kerry if they win the Munster title will be the winners of the Connacht championship. If you're looking for entertainment over the next few weeks, Connacht is the place to go. Mayo are like a dying wasp but they could have one more sting. The Galway honeymoon is over and Pádraic Joyce has big decisions to face on his starting team and how they set up.
Anthony Cunningham and his Roscommon team are quietly happy to hide in the long grass. Roscommon are back in Division 1 for a reason and while All-Ireland success may be beyond them, they have the capability of taking out Mayo or Galway on their day.
Based on current form, Mayo look refreshed and should come through as Connacht champions. James Horan finally has some depth in his squad that can support another assault on the title and, more importantly, his squad is relatively free from injury. Oisín Mullen, Mark Moran, Eoghan Mc Laughlin and Tommy Conroy have all looked comfortable in recent league games. You cannot but only admire Mayo's ballsy approach to games. A team always looking to play on the front foot with a strong attacking philosophy. However, winning All-Irelands is not about pleasing the traditionalists and the concession of soft goals could trip them up if they cannot adapt to their opposition. If Mayo get momentum, they can beat anyone in the country. Could the curse of 2020 be to their benefit?
If Dublin are to fall on their sword, it could come from the key threats in Ulster in an All-Ireland semi-final. A straight knockout Ulster championship certainly is one to look forward to. No safety and no scope for a poor performance. Can Tyrone develop a consistency in their performance, with Conor McKenna leading the line? Will Donegal's guile, pace and well thought-out game plan be too much for Mickey Harte?
I am on record saying how much potential I think this Donegal team has. It is an opinion that could be on the scrap heap by mid-afternoon this Sunday if Tyrone play to their potential. I still think Donegal have a better all-around structure and will have more balance from defence to attack and if they come through Sunday it is hard to see them being stopped in Ulster.
There is no doubt the next six or seven weeks will be different. Without the colour, tension and atmosphere that supporters bring, it will certainly not be same. However, for GAA supporters around the country, it will gives us all a massive boost and I, for one, cannot wait for it to start. Our players should be praised for their commitment and sacrifice in these times. It is time to get on the couch and enjoy the action.
Provincial Winners: Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Donegal
All Ireland Champions: Kerry
Player of the Year: David Clifford
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Post by dc84 on Oct 30, 2020 13:24:17 GMT
See Peter Canavan is tipping us as well we need to get our lads tipping cork or someone!
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Post by taibhse on Oct 30, 2020 13:43:27 GMT
should a general rule be brought in that if there is an orange/red weather warning is issued that gaa matches are automatically cancelled for that region? whats more important safety or competition schedule? cut out confusion of is it on or off, was it last year kerry supporters were half way up the country when a game was called off? Monaghan 2 years ago i believe, they have left very little wriggle room here i think as its week on week. Ulster and leinster need 4 weeks to play off so is the next 4 in a row for both of them then a week gap and semi then week gap and final. Munster and connacht only need 3 weeks so the crafty westerners are going a week early givibg them a weeks break to prepare for munster champions. Hard to know will that extra week nake a difference allowing for recuperation? The weather forecast for this week-end is probably of the type you refer to. Difficulty is that we can expect to have a fair amount of this for the next couple of months. Thomas Hobson's choice, really.
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 30, 2020 19:00:42 GMT
Frank Roche October 30 2020 02:30 AM
Barely three weeks after suggesting that inter-county teams were "hanging by a thread" in the battle with Covid-19, Peter Keane has sounded a more optimistic note about this year's championship.
In the interim, his Kerry charges have secured an Allianz Football League title after back-to-back wins in Monaghan and at home to Donegal.
And the safe organisation of those games has gone a long way to convince Keane ahead of Kerry's make-or-break Munster SFC semi-final away to Cork on Sunday week.
"I think it's been handled very, very well by the GAA," said Keane of Croke Park's very own 'Project Restart'.
"I did think it was hanging by a thread at the time. Albeit it might sound like a contradiction now that we are in Level 5, and albeit the HSE and the Chief Medical Officer are at pains to say that they don't see it as a trend yet that the numbers are dropping … but if the numbers are dropping and you are still in Level 5, then you would have to imagine that things would be very safe.
Safest
"If you go back to last April, I remember thinking that if the county league had been played in Kerry or the championship had been played in Kerry last April, it would probably have been the safest time we could have played it because numbers were very low at the time."
Keane has not detected any sense of Covid fear among his players.
"Not particularly," he said at an online Kerry press briefing. "I know myself, I wasn't sure if it would ever get off the ground, that we'd get back to playing football - but we have.
"I think the way they managed us above in Monaghan was excellent. I think equally, the way we managed the players - we had a hotel above there that opened up for us, so I think we had great security above.
"The last day again, in Austin Stack Park, the county board through the Covid officer, Liam Lynch, and our own Covid officer, Deirdre Kelly, had everything well laid out and well organised for us.
"It's obviously a lot of extra work for the likes of Colm Whelan and Eddie Walsh in our backroom logistics (team). But I suppose these are things that we all do and we do them unknown to ourselves - but we do them."
The Kerry players drove individually to Monaghan for that first game back. Asked if they had similar plans for the trip to Páirc Uí Chaoimh, their manager replied: "We haven't sat down about logistics yet, but more than likely that's probably what we will do."
On the injury front, Keane sounded an upbeat note about the progress of Paul Geaney and James O'Donoghue, describing their ailments as "bits of leg injuries - they'll be fine."
He added: "I think everybody is near enough. Like I said earlier, you've four sessions (remaining) and you are always worried that some fella will take a bit of a bang somewhere.
"Paul and James are coming back, we've got Jack Barry back, he had a knuckle or something. So look, you have bits and pieces but that's why you carry a panel."
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 30, 2020 19:01:39 GMT
See Peter Canavan is tipping us as well we need to get our lads tipping cork or someone! Difference between Canavan and Whelan is that Canavan is in earnest.
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Post by veteran on Nov 1, 2020 13:54:49 GMT
No score being given on the screen. Marty not very interested in giving the score either.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 1, 2020 15:29:40 GMT
Superb contest and some great scores taken in the conditions. Donegal a bit better at kicking a long range point.
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Post by veteran on Nov 1, 2020 16:57:40 GMT
How is it that the camera lenses up in Donegal were persistently smeared with raindrops while down in. Cork it does not appear to be s problem even though the same weather conditions prevail?
These weather conditions, as we go into the winter, could have an inordinate influence on games . Donegal in particular coughed up a lot of scores due to understandable sloppy handling.
That was was a bad case of concussion sustained by Michael McKeirnan in Ballybofey!
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Post by clarinman on Nov 1, 2020 17:55:27 GMT
How is it that the camera lenses up in Donegal were persistently smeared with raindrops while down in. Cork it does not appear to be s problem even though the same weather conditions prevail? These weather conditions, as we go into the winter, could have an inordinate influence on games . Donegal in particular coughed up a lot of scores due to understandable sloppy handling. That was was a bad case of concussion sustained by Michael McKeirnan in Ballybofey! I think that most of the cameras in cork are under the shelter of the main stand. Plenty of empty premium level to put them in. Ballybofey doesn't have a 100 million stadium.
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Post by dc84 on Nov 1, 2020 18:14:22 GMT
You would have to applaud both teams for that display in fairness. I have never seen donegal play so well with no mcbrearty and murphy and ryan mchugh so quiet they will be serious opposition for anyone going forward you would think they will win ulster now. Them vs dublin would be tasty i think they have been very unlucky last 2 years
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 1, 2020 18:19:01 GMT
Would Kerry or Dublin have come out of that pitch today with a win?
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Post by dc84 on Nov 1, 2020 18:34:53 GMT
Would Kerry or Dublin have come out of that pitch today with a win? Hard to tell but tyrone beat both kerry and dublin in similar conditions in the league.. it will be croke park if and when that happens a repeat of 2014 semis and final would suit me grand!
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Post by Ballyfireside on Nov 1, 2020 20:56:28 GMT
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Post by veteran on Nov 1, 2020 21:24:03 GMT
Eamon is a gas man all together. His contribution is a good illustration of what I recently wrote here about Christy Rimg. What age is Eamon ? 60? I think we can reasonably assume that he never saw either Christy or Mick Mackey play. Yet he proclaims, that Mick is the second greatest hurler of all time, second only of course to Christy. Incredibly Eamon goes even further than most of the hyperbolic commentary we have witnessed over the past few days. Not alone does he opine that Christy has been the greatest the game has seen but he will carry that mantle to eternity! Comparison analysis of players he has never seen and players he has yet to see. Extraordinary man. He must be on an astronomical salary. Cheap at twice the price.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Nov 1, 2020 21:46:50 GMT
I thought Ring was meant to have said himself: "The best is yet to come.", but I cannot find a source.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 1, 2020 22:31:31 GMT
Irish Times Logo User Menu NEWS SPORT LATEST MOST
Jim McGuinness: GAA offers a great distraction after return from the US Battle lines between Democrats and Republicans in Charlotte were clear to see
Jim McGuinness Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 05:00
If you had told me a few months ago that I’d wake up on Halloween morning in Thurles, I wouldn’t have believed you. At the very least I’d have wondered just how much more weird 2020 could get. But I’m happy to be here, heading to the television studio for today’s lunchtime match between Monaghan and Cavan. And then I’ll be high-tailing it home to Donegal, under lockdown, to watch a Sunday rivalry which has occupied a good many of my waking hours down the years.
You may or not know that our family has spent the last couple of years living in Charlotte in North Carolina. I took up a job there in early 2019 coaching the city’s soccer team. While that position ended before I’d have wished, we were very happy living there and had planned on staying over the next year. But the uncertainty over the pandemic and the closure of the schools for what may turn out to be a full academic year changed our thought process. We ended up leaving fairly quickly and returned to Donegal in late summer: it’s natural to be drawn to home in a crisis anyway.
So there was a very sudden change in location. It was lovely being back home, seeing family and friends again and the county in gorgeous weather and watching the tail-end of the club championships. But I suppose emotionally we were still drawing breath after what was a fabulous life experience and we all remain caught up in the intrigue and tension of the upcoming US election, which dominated day-to-day conversations in Charlotte for quite some time.
Republican state Like many Irish people, I’d previously experienced America through the prism of the Irish-flavoured strongholds in Boston, Philly and New York. But there is a clear distinction between living in America and living in the American south.
North Carolina is a traditional Republican state now facing the prospect of turning blue. And what struck me after the pandemic began to sweep through the United States was how quickly people’s response to its threat tended to fall into line with their political views. If you were going to the ‘store’ to pick up groceries, you could nearly tell Republican and Democrat apart by the attitude towards mask-wearing. The mask issue is very much tied up in the suppression or right to civil and individual liberty. That may not have happened, to my mind, if the government had been straight out of the traps with clarity of message. There was a sense in the beginning that people craved a unified message. Nobody knew anything about the virus – initially everyone wore gloves, not masks. Then both. Then masks. But with no clear governmental message, people took up entrenched positions and the instruction to wear masks became associated with individual rights, which is a core tenet of American culture and citizenship anyhow. So it became an issue based on Red and Blue dynamics.
And you did feel that you were living through a particular moment in America: that the country was in the midst of a profound shift. Politics was foremost in daily conversations. Our next door neighbours were an African-American family recently moved from Brooklyn. We met up fairly regularly and what was striking was the conversations they were having with their kids on how they walked and talked and carried themselves out in the world were very much different to the conversations we were having with our kids within our household. Things we would take for granted and not even think about, they were paying a lot of attention to. I found that the biggest education of all.
Protest and unrest Right now, we all still watch American news shows to stay in touch with the issues. We had a chance to travel quite a bit there and discover some of the historical sites and issues that became relevant – and prevalent – again during the summer of protest and unrest. One of the visits that made the strongest impression on me was to McLean House at Appomattox in Virginia where the terms of surrender in the US civil war were signed. It is powerful to think that four years of fighting was reduced to the agreement in this one livingroom where we stood with other tourists – and to think that the country is still living with the ramifications of that agreement. But the experience means that there is incredible interest in our house to see how North Carolina and indeed America ‘goes’ in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
It highlights the fact that Gaelic games are a great escape from real life. And I suppose it would be a cold day in hell before you’d get the Tyrone and Donegal lads sitting around a table in Appomattox. What a game to have on the first weekend of the championship!
It’s funny that, although this schedule has been forced upon the GAA by a dire international emergency, it shows what is possible. A streamlined championship, with brilliant games coming thick and fast, and the all or nothing element of knockout all make this a unique competition. The empty stadia underline the fact that we are living in a time of huge restrictions: just being able to play these games is a huge privilege for the teams but also, I think, a hugely commendable undertaking by them. They are, after all, amateur.
There is no doubt it is a completely different championship. It asks different questions of teams. What I found interesting about the club championship was that a lot of teams won their county title for the first time in a long time. Clearly, some teams doubled down and saw an opportunity. I think that will be reflected in the All-Ireland. The teams that managed lockdown best will be well-placed to profit. Then we have the weather variables. Winter football makes this an entirely different competition.
There is the intrigue of the knockout system. It takes me back to my own playing days. You had this crazy dynamic where players were cooped up for six to nine months waiting on that all or nothing game. There were so many people sent off in those games because of that. You were hot under the collar because there was no tomorrow. Hits were ill-timed and, because the ball was kicked a lot more, there were a lot more 50-50 challenges and players going in full throttle. The old mantra was “hit hard and hit often.” The game is more conservative now and about possession football.
I am intrigued to see if anyone breaks out of the mould of play established by Dublin. Under Jim Gavin, Dublin decided that attacking football was the way to win All-Irelands and then gradually morphed into a possession-based model of attacking football while continuing to dominate. It was an amazing achievement. Dublin have set the template. And other teams have adopted it. So will any team now come up with something slightly different to that system? Or will Dessie Farrell change things up? If that happens then you are having a different conversation over the next few weeks. I look at Dublin and Dessie Farrell: they are going for six-in-a-row but it is Dessie’s first year. And in that first season there are so many elements to pull together and you have to find a rhythm. And that has been interrupted by the lockdown. It will be fascinating to see what they unveil in championship football.
I feel that Gaelic football is a game now played in moments. It is not the game it was in that regard. It is not relentless anymore: the ball goes upfield and is lost, downfield and is lost, bomb back upfield, a point or a wide, a kick out and the whole thing starts again. It is orchestral now: lulls and crescendos. Teams excel at keeping possession. For me, the transitional counter-attack has diminished in recent seasons. So that quick-slow tempo is what I expect on Sunday in Ballybofey.
I think Darragh Cavanan and Conor McKenna bring something different to Tyrone. I watched their league game against Donegal and they weren’t really dialled in. Donegal have beaten Tyrone consistently and yet they lost the big one last summer in the Super 8s. I do think Donegal have the edge here - I think it is hard to force Shuan Patton long on the kickout and at the end of that food chain for Donegal, whether it is Michael (Murphy) or Patrick (McBrearty) or Jamie Brennan or runners from deep, they have a lot of options to keep that scoreboard ticking.
But this is a strange championship and it is an empty house on Halloween weekend in Ballybofey. It’s not quite the lion’s den of high summer. Whoever copes with all of that will profit, too.
Someone asked me not so long ago if people will actually care about this championship and is there much interest in it in Donegal. And it is a very good question because it is so hard to gauge. Everyone is at home in their own wee bubble. But to my mind, there has possibly never been a more important championship. It’s a glimmer of brightness and escape from a very arduous year for us all.
I know I’ll be glued to the television and expect that the same will be true in households all around the country. Everyone is forced apart by this horrible virus. But at least these games give us a chance to be on the same wavelength for a few hours. Fingers crossed the same will be true after the election count in the US.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Nov 2, 2020 2:05:49 GMT
Speaking of commentators, Marty Morrissey erroneously said that Tyrone won the AI in 2006.
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Post by Mickmack on Nov 2, 2020 8:48:34 GMT
Colm Keys
November 02 2020 02:30 AM
If there was any doubt about this Donegal team's capacity to win a high stakes knockout championship match, it should be eased after this grinding Ballybofey battle.
Having lost to Tyrone at the same venue in a winner-takes-all 'Super 8s' game in 2018 and again to Mayo in similar circumstances in Castlebar last year, those doubts had some justification.
But here they showed a mental and physical resolve that can take them a long way in this championship, at least out of Ulster for a first provincial three-in-a-row in the county's history.
And after that? They'll feel emboldened, not so much by what they achieved here but how they did it and what they had to dig deep to find.
Twice, in either half, they came from behind to wrestle control and for the closing 15 minutes, after Peter Harte had levelled for Tyrone to make it 1-11 each, they walked a tightrope that became increasingly unstable as weather conditions worsened and the MacCumhaill Park surface, particularly at the town end they were playing into in the second half, cut up badly.
In that context, possession almost felt like a liability with a vigilant Tyrone side always ready to pounce. With the swirling wind appearing to help the fast-breaking visitors, the threat of a mistake was ominous for Donegal.
And yet they slavishly kept faith in their possession game; even in these conditions that must have brought manager Declan Bonner's mind back to the 1993 Ulster final in Clones.
Time and again they switched play from wing to wing and always had a support runner, ensuring no one was isolated. They kept chasing and, ultimately, holding on to the ball for such long spells paid off.
ADVERTISEMENT
× Their orchestrators-in-chief, Ryan McHugh and Michael Murphy, didn't influence scores in the way that they normally would with Mattie Donnelly picking up Murphy for much of it while Conor Meyler tracked McHugh again.
But when the game needed controlling they still generally set the temperature.
The win really sets up Donegal to escape the province, especially with Monaghan out of the competition, removing the only other counties to claim the Anglo-Celt Cup in the previous decade.
The manner of the response to their poor start and then the Tyrone goal seven minutes into the second half will really hearten them.
The goal shaped like a potential disaster for them with Eoghan Bán Gallagher failing to control goalkeeper Shaun Patton's short pass, allowing Darragh Canavan, on his championship debut, to nip in, gather and round Patton to sidefoot to an empty net.
It put Tyrone two points clear, 1-7 to 1-5, and left them in a really strong position. But Donegal's patience manifested in the next 10 minutes.
Rather than panic they played through their lines and crafted four successive points.
Tyrone got level twice more, 1-9 each and 1-11 each, and always looked like they could break easier for those scores.
But Donegal kept their nerve and the impact they got off the bench, first through Andrew McLean, then Oisín Gallen and finally Paddy McGrath helped get them over the line.
Murphy was held scoreless, a rarity in any game, but in his place, Ciarán Thompson stepped up impressively to nail seven points (five frees), two in that stretch.
Michael Langan also showed growing maturity. In addition to the 1-1 he plundered in the opening half he added a point and was always a safe haven for possession. Similarly, Hugh McFadden and Peadar Mogan adapted well to such difficult conditions.
Mogan's collect and go for the Donegal goal on 26 minutes was exemplary. Patton's kick-out had found him unmarked in enemy territory and he made quick haste to put in Langan for 1-2 to 0-5, wiping out Tyrone's early advantage before taking in a 1-5 to 0-6 interval lead.
Better Bonner felt they were the better side but had made life hard for themselves. "The goal we conceded was a poor goal, from a mistake, but I thought the response immediately after that was terrific but I think over the 75/76 minutes I felt we were the better side," he said.
Even at the end, Stephen McMenamin had to clear off his line after Conor McKenna had put Patton under pressure as he gathered a Richie Donnelly shot that was dropping short.
Tyrone will regret their indiscipline that prompted referee Joe McQuillan to twice move frees close to their goals, proximity that Thompson was happy to exploit.
"That's not acceptable. That shouldn't happen. Doesn't always happen, mind you we didn't get too many moved on," said Harte.
"But you shouldn't be giving easy opportunities to some when they are difficult ones. That's criminal in a game as tight as that. I would be disappointed in that, but that is the only thing I would be disappointed with," he added, commending his side's all-round effort.
He was also critical of the manner in which he felt McKenna was marked and suggested the officials didn't give the former AFL player proper protection.
McKenna, picked up by Neil McGee in the opening half and then McMenamin after McGee retired at half-time with an injury, was subdued but Harte felt there was a contributing factor.
The suggestion that McKenna was 'well-marshalled' was not how he would describe it.
"Marshalled sounds like something a job well done. If you were watching what was happening in the first half there, I don't think that was marshalling.
"I think that was man-handling and I don't think he got the correct protection he deserved from the officials. So marshal, yes, you can call it that. I would call it worse than that.
"I think they (linesmen) should be tuned in to see what goes on. The ball doesn't come near the line all that often. Line balls aren't their chief job, so there's lots of other things to look about, and I don't feel that that was looked at properly.
"And to end up with Conor McKenna getting booked, now that's a bit ridiculous I think, if people looked into the detail of that."
The win will mean more to Donegal in the circumstances than Kingspan Breffni Park in 2019 when they were more dominant.
This was ground out and asked serious questions of them. Their answers were positive and with Paddy McBrearty likely to be available next weekend, their case is strengthening.
Scorers - Donegal: C Thompson 0-7 (5f); M Langan 1-2; J Brennan 0-2; O Gallen, P Brennan 0-1 each. Tyrone: D Canavan 1-1; D McCurry 0-3 (1f); M Bradley 0-2; M Donnelly, C McKenna (f), P Harte, F Burns, N Morgan ('45) 0-1 each.
Donegal - S Patton; S McMenamin, J McKelvey, EB Gallagher; R McHugh, N McGee, P Brennan; C McGonagle, H McFadden; P Mogan, M Murphy; C Thompson; N O'Donnell, M Langan, K Brennan. Subs: E McHugh for McKelvey (24), A McLean for McGee (h-t), O Gallen for O'Donnell (43), P McGrath for Brennan (54), J McGee for McGonagle (71)
Tyrone - N Morgan; L Rafferty, R McNamee, M McKernan; T McCann, M Donnelly, M O'Neill; F Burns, B Kennedy; K McGeary, C McKenna, C Meyler; D McCurry, P Harte, D Canavan. Subs: M Bradley for McCurry (50), R Donnelly for O'Neill (52), P Hampsey for Kennedy (57), N Sludden for Canavan (63).
Ref - J McQuillan (Cavan)
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tpo
Senior Member
Posts: 504
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Post by tpo on Nov 2, 2020 9:36:23 GMT
I thought McKenna was picked up by Brennan and not McMenamin in 2nd half
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Post by onlykerry on Nov 2, 2020 10:03:59 GMT
With fans unlikely to be at either of this years All Ireland finals it is the year when the GAA should embrace neutral venues for the semi finals and finals - the old arguement that Croke Park has the largest crowd capacity has no bearing.
Pairc Ui Chaoimh looked fantastic under lights for the hirling yesterday and the pitch seemed to be in great shape - should it be considered as a venue for one or other of the finals this year (assuming Cork are not in the game).
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Post by onlykerry on Nov 2, 2020 10:13:03 GMT
Another 10 games next weekend - 19 teams will be gone from the Championship by this day next week (9 + 10) Saturday 7th Galway V Sligo Westmeath V Dublin Limerick V Tipp Antrim V Cavan Sunday 8th Roscommon V Mayo Offaly V Kildare Longford V Laois Wicklow V Meath Cork V Kerry Fermanagh V Down
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