It's 19 years since Anthony Molloy brought Sam Maguire to where, if Irish folk rock band 'Goats Don't Shave' had their way - casinos, chicken ranches, playboy clubs and all night pubs would be the norm.
Dublin hadn't been Gaelic Football's top dogs since 1983 but hunger is a great sauce and the men from the county known as Tir Chonaill were not to be denied their first All-Ireland crown. Donegal have failed to repeat the trick to date.
Indeed, they have only added a couple of national titles to their tally since that memorable Sunday in Croke Park - a three-point win over perennial chokers Mayo in the Division One league final four years ago and much more recently, a narrow but gutsy defeat of Laois in the Division Two decider just over a fortnight ago.
Donegal have found the going tough in Ulster over the past number of years. That's no great surprise - it's a tough province, full of tough teams with tough players. Armagh, Tyrone, Derry, Antrim and Down have ended Donegal's hopes of getting their hands on the prize they covet most, the Anglo-Celt Cup, over the last five years.
Liam Bradley's Antrim are first up for Donegal in this year's championship. Ballybofey is the venue on Sunday. The Saffrons boss has added spice to the encounter by hitting out at Donegal's style of play in a recent interview. Bradley is reported to have accused Donegal of being "ultra defensive and playing real puke football in a sense".
Donegal manager Jim McGuinness responded to the comments by saying that "everybody is entitled to their opinion" before adding that "if somebody wants to brand it (Donegal's style) ultra-defensive and we can rack up some of the scores that we did throughout the league, we will be happy enough to take that." It was hardly worth the effort.
McGuinness has more important things on his mind. Namely, not slipping up, as they did, against the same opposition two years ago. Ballybofey was also the venue that June day.
If league form is anything to go by, many say it means nothing come championship, then Donegal are no more ready for the perils of Ulster football this year than Antrim. However, the likelihood is that a performance, akin to the one McGuinness' men produced against the Saffrons in the league on the first Sunday in April, will come to pass and Donegal will advance to a quarter-final meeting with Cavan.
A mere 19-year-old on the bench when Donegal reached the promised land in 1992, the Glenties man, regarded as a manager with very modern thinking in terms of how sports science and sports psychology can be applied to the game, led the county to last year's U21 football final against Dublin - a two-point defeat proved to be Donegal's lot after skipper Michael Murphy hit the woodwork with a stoppage-time penalty.
In the course of introducing McGuinness I have introduced Michael Murphy. Remember their names. They are going to be key to any success that might come Donegal's way in the coming years.
Potential is plentiful in Donegal. McGuinness IS the man to manage it.
Lifting the Anglo-Celt Cup is Donegal's immediate aim. Murphy IS the man to do it.
Down's run to last year's All-Ireland SFC final proved what can be achieved when a bit of momentum is built up. The Mourne men needed extra-time before seeing off Donegal at the quarter-final stage. That defeat was a serious blow to Donegal and not long after, in the qualifiers, they were humiliated by Armagh. So ended John Joe Doherty's reign.
Things are different now. For the first time in a long time the whole county is behind the team. Behind the manager.
As if proof were needed, the league illustrated just what a talent Murphy is and beside him, Colm McFadden has cut another rejuvenated figure. Add Dermot Molloy to the mix and you have one of the most threatening forward lines in the country.
As a player, McGuinness could not have asked for a more auspicious start to his inter-county career - Ulster and All-Ireland medals landed in his lap in his first season.
McGuinness has given a team scarred by horrific defeats and lacking in confidence the lift they needed and a new focus. That focus is an Ulster title but were such dreams to become a reality you'd never know what shenanigans might be reported in the hills of Donegal come the third Sunday in September.
No comments:
Post a Comment