Peter Canavan
GAA Expert & Columnist
Peter Canavan: Dose of reality for Donegal after display against Derry
Last Updated: 01/07/15 2:58pm
Donegal were given a reality check against Derry and that is the perfect result for Rory Gallagher heading into the Ulster final, says Peter Canavan...
The unpredictable nature of championship football came to the fore again over the weekend. It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, certain sections of the media were suggesting that our game was on its deathbed.
The last couple of weeks have thrown up fantastic games of football for different reasons. There are teams with different styles and games being played in a different manner, but they’re all absorbing and intriguing in their own right.
There was a real competitive edge to Donegal’s Ulster semi-final win over Derry. There was toughness to the game from the word go, and it was obvious that Derry were the hungrier side. They were more committed in the tackle and they didn’t play as defensively as many had predicted. With a greater conviction and self-belief, they would now be preparing for an Ulster final.
It’s a sign of the times when Donegal win an Ulster semi-final and their players are walking off the pitch shaking their heads with disappointment!
Peter Canavan
Donegal played well below par and Derry were able to slice through them much too easily. Derry had enough possession to win the game, but they managed just 10 scores from 25 shots. That tells its own story.
When Eoin Bradley looks back on Saturday evening he’ll be very disappointed because he had the winning of the game, even though he was double-teamed a lot of the time. If he had have presented himself more and drawn fouls from the Donegal defenders, the game was there for the taking.
Donegal’s experience shone through and Neil Gallagher was immense. It was his promptings from midfield, both in terms of securing possession and driving forward to set up scores, which proved crucial.
This game will serve as a reality check for Donegal and Rory Gallagher will now be training a group of players with their feet firmly on the ground. It’s a sign of the times when Donegal win an Ulster semi-final and their players are walking off the pitch shaking their heads with disappointment!
It’s the perfect result for Gallagher heading into the Ulster final. It sets him up for the biggest game in the province this year. This will be the third final in a row between Monaghan and Donegal and without doubt they’re the two best teams in Ulster. It’s a game I’m eagerly looking forward to.
Miraculous
The big upset of the weekend happened at Croke Park on Sunday as Westmeath produced an incredible second-half performance to beat Meath for the first time in the championship. As with any miraculous comeback, there are always one or two players that stand out and drive the team forward. But the displays of Kieran Martin and John Heslin would have to rank among the best seen in Croke Park this year.
The game brought back memories of when Tyrone played Derry in an Ulster semi-final in 1995. We were four points down at half-time and had two men sent off, and a number of unfaithful supporters had seen enough and decided to go home. But we managed to turn it around in the second half to win by a point.
Likewise, for those unfortunate Westmeath followers, the decision to leave Croke Park at half-time denied them the opportunity to see one of their county’s greatest victories.
The decision by Tom Cribbin to go back to basics at the start of the year and undertake a tough physical training programme proved beneficial going into the last 10 minutes on Sunday, where Westmeath were full of running and Meath were out on their feet.
As for their next encounter, I’m not sure who can inspire this miracle.
To beat Dublin you need to have the physique, the power and pace, and that’s before we even talk about football. Their athleticism stands out but they’re now throwing the ball about better and are more comfortable playing with one another. That was very evident on Sunday, granted against weaker opposition.
The signs are there that Dublin are actually getting stronger. I’m looking forward to their first real test and it’s questionable whether that will come against Westmeath. The style of football the Lake County play leaves them open at the back and that proved costly at times against Meath. It will certainly prove costly against a highly efficient Dublin attack.
Westmeath looked much better when they abandoned the sweeper system against Meath but it would be a high-risk strategy to do something similar against the Dubs. But they’re going into the game on a high and will go out with all guns blazing.
Disaster for Down
The qualifier wins for Armagh, Louth and Tyrone came as no surprise, but Wexford eliminating Down was definitely a shock. The Mourne County will be nursing their egos after suffering defeat in the south east.
This will be a serious setback to Jim McCorry as this Down team needed to progress over the summer. He’s still very much in the honeymoon period, trying to get to know the players and implement a system to get them ready for a very competitive Division One next year. To be out of the championship by the end of June is a massive blow.
While Down are not the biggest physically, they’re very mobile and the harder, faster ground should have suited them.
I remember in 2002, the year before Tyrone won the All-Ireland, we went down to Wexford Park in the first round of the qualifiers and were lucky to get out of there with a narrow win.
It’s not the easiest of venues to play in but you’d have expected Down to have enough in their tank to come through it. It’s another example of something we’ve seen on numerous occasions this year. If you underestimate the opposition it can come back to bite you.
Tyrone produced a workmanlike performance against Limerick and the introduction of the diminutive Mark Bradley gave them the impetus to push on in the second half.
At the start of a campaign in the qualifiers, you don’t need to be blowing teams away by 20 points. Tyrone will be happy to be in the next round and I expect a much-improved performance against Meath.
In the back door you’re looking for two things. The first thing is a home draw, no matter who the opposition is. It does serve as a major incentive.
The second thing is it’s better to face a team who haven’t had long to recover from a defeat. On Tuesday night Tyrone were very much focused on Meath and looking forward to the game, while the Royals will still be wondering how they lost that Leinster semi-final.
The memories of the Westmeath defeat will still be fresh in their minds. It’s hard to shake a loss like that out of the system, mentally more than physically. It’s very much advantage Tyrone.
