SPÓIRT
February 18 2020
29
Does a team’s League Galway overcome campaign effect their Donegal in Letterkenny Championship performance? showdown By Oisín Bradley
By Keith Fahey
GALWAY 2-09 • DONEGAL 2-08 Donegal’s awful record in Letterkenny continues, having held a seven-point lead during the second half and at the end losing out to Galway by the bare minimum, in a one-point defeat in Round 3 of the Allianz National Football League Division 1. It’s the sixth year in succession that Donegal have failed to win at this venue, but they can’t give the excuse that the weather conditions played any part in it. At the end of the game, they had two chances to tie the game up with frees that were missed by Michael Murphy and Ciaran Thompson. It became a fairly tight contest towards the end, as Galway refused to lie down despite going down seven points early in the second half. The gap was closed after goals coming from Moycullen’s Sean Kelly and Killannin’s Johnny Heaney, while Shane Walsh showed leadership in continuing his scoring spree. With windy conditions at O Donnell Park, Donegal won the toss, as they played against the wind in the opening half, yet they did dominate possession. Both goalkeepers struggled with their kick-outs as both sides put more into attack. Donegal thought they should have a penalty in the opening two minutes. Ryan McHugh’s effort came off the post while Eoin McHugh was being held inside the square. Galway got the opening score from the game thanks to Damien Comer winning a free, which Shane Walsh converted. It took Donegal over 12 minutes to open the scoring as Ryan McHugh took a free and picked out Peadar Mogan, as he went for goal, but Conor
That was the last action of the half as referee Joe McQuillan blew the whistle, Donegal leading 1-03-0-04. Donegal started the second half with Murphy converting a ‘45’ which looked to be going wide, but Murphy did brilliantly to curl it in and send it over. Donegal extended their lead 42 minutes, as McHugh picked out Thompson, who brought the ball forward and buried the shot into the net. Galway responded thanks to a goal from Heaney, after Shane Walsh set him up with some good play. Walsh, with some good skill, fired over a point to reduce the deficit to three points, before Paul Brennan was black carded for bringing down Comer. Walsh converted the resulting free. Things changed, as Kelly ran through and got around three defenders, barging through to score a second goal for the Tribesmen, in what was truly an excellent individual play from the Moycullen native. Michael Daly had put Galway into the lead again, while Jamie Brennan put his shot over moments later. Walsh converted another free to give Galway the edge and Dáire Ó Baoil won a free which Thompson converted and left a point between them, six minutes left. Daly saw red and Galway were down to 14 players, after an incident with Donegal’s Caolan Ward. Micheál Murphy had a score disallowed after he appeared to be in the square before the ball was kicked, before Donegal tried to level the match, with Thompson and Murphy missing frees at the most crucial of times, as Galway held on for a onepoint win. It finished Galway 2-09 Donegal 2-08.
Jamie Brennan won a penalty for Donegal, as he was tripped by Galway’s goalkeeper Gleeson, who subsequently received a black card and was replaced by Ronan Ó Beoláin. Murphy powerfully converted the penalty, as he sent Ó Beoláin the wrong way. Gleeson denied him and went over for a point. Robert Finnerty went down the pitch and put Galway back in front after a ‘45’ taken by Walsh dropped short in the box which Finnerty converted. Michael Murphy saw his shot at goal cleared off the line, while Jamie Brennan won a penalty for Donegal, as he was tripped by Galway’s goalkeeper Gleeson, who subsequently received a black card and was replaced by Ronan Ó Beoláin. Murphy powerfully converted the penalty, as he sent Ó Beoláin the wrong way. Galway decided to make the substitution of Ó Beoláin permanent, which meant he saw out the whole game. Galway’s Damien Comer should have scored a goal after 25 minutes after a lovely long pass from Shane Walsh, but Comer had to settle for a point, with his shot blazing over the bar. Donegal replied in superb fashion with an excellent point, while Finnerty showed the potential he possesses with a well taken point, but into added time Donegal’s Niall O Donnell won a free which Murphy converted.
DONEGAL: Shaun Patton; Caolan Ward, Neil McGee, Eoghan Bán Gallagher; Ryan McHugh, Conor O’Donnell, Odhrán McFadden Ferry; Caolan McGonagle, Michael Langan; Eoin McHugh, Peadar Mogan (0-01), Paul Brennan; Ciaran Thompson (1-01, 0-01f), Michael Murphy (1-03, 1-00 pen; 0-01 ‘45’; 0-01f, 0-01m), Jamie Brennan (0-02, 0-01m). SUBS: Niall O’Donnell for Mogan 37, Andrew McClean for McGonagle ht; Dáire Ó Baoill for E McHugh 55; GALWAY: Connor Gleeson; Sean Kelly (1-00), Sean Mulkerrin, Johnny Heaney (1-00); Gary O’Donnell, John Daly, Cillian McDaid; Ronan Steede, Cein D’Arcy; Finnian O Laoi, Damien Comer (0-01), Michael Daly (0-01); Robert Finnerty (0-02), Shane Walsh (0-04, 0-02f), Michael Boyle. SUBS: Ronan O Beolain for Gleeson 17; Conor Campbell for McDaid 37; Adrian Varley for Steede ht; Paul Conroy for O Laoi 43; REFEREE: Joe McQuillan (Cavan)
The Allianz National Football and Hurling Leagues are in full swing at the moment, with all sides from Malin to Mizen looking to make a dent on the League and make a move for silverware in the Spring months, but do their efforts at this time of year have any impact on their Championship prospects? Ultimately, the answer to this is undoubtedly yes. Unless you are either Dublin or Kerry, or one of the teams at the bottom of Division 4 (such as Limerick or Wexford), chances are, you will be involved in either a relegation or promotion battle as the league approaches the tail end. Because of this, you are aiming to have that 4-month period of peak form between March and June, when you will likely be involved in the closing rounds of the League when your fate is sealed, League finals, the blood-and-thunder knockout clashes of the provincial games and the qualifiers. Take, for example, Cavan. Cavan could conceivably be involved in a relegation battle to avoid the trapdoor into Division 3 and the second tier of Championship football this season, while the possibility of promotion to the top flight also looms for Mickey Graham’s charges. Immediately after that, it’s straight into a heated derby in Saint Tiernach’s Park against Monaghan.
Another team in this scenario is Cork. Cork will need to keep up the form they’ve showed in the early rounds of the League to make it into Division 2 and the hunt for the Sam Maguire, and will have no easy feat in Munster, with Kerry making their way to Pairc Uí Chaoimh and the slog of qualifier football likely looming. Compare this with the likes of Dublin and Kerry, who are looking to peak from May to August, and you see how difficult it is for the other teams to break the deadlock. Neither county is in danger of relegation from the top flight, so are able to take a step back and not fully commit to the League. Then comes the Leinster and Munster Championships. Dublin don’t have to perform until after they have won the Leinster Championship, swatting aside a smattering of Division 3 and 4 sides as well as Meath before peaking for the Super 8s, while the same can be said for the Kingdom in Munster. Due to the nature in which the big 2 treat the League and their competition in the Championship, they are naturally geared to peak in mid-July for the Super 8s, when they face the likes of Donegal, Tyrone, Mayo and Galway, who have all been exhausted after playing competitive football since March, which begs the question; how are the chasing pack meant to keep up in the current format?
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