Gaoth Dobhair too strong for St Eunan's as they go top of Division 1

There was a sense of a Jekyll & Hyde to this top-of-the-table clash in O’Donnell Park on Friday night as Gaoth Dobhair came to town and turned St Eunan’s on their heads as they ran out comfortable 1-12 to 1-6 point winners to go top of Division 1. 

A match and a rivalry that should’ve had GAA fans in the county on the edge of their seats, but it did anything but as The Gaeltacht men steamrolled through the Cathedral Town to run out deserving six-point winners, with Eunan’s never getting off the mark and only nailing over a single point in the first half to Gaoth Dobhair’s 1-7. 

Despite a slight rejuvenation in St Euna’s play in the second half, if last year’s county finalists managed to lose this match after being in such a position of strength and having been gift-wrapped an Aodan Breathnach goal at the end of the first half, no doubt team manager Ronan MacNiallais would’ve been straight onto the State Pathologist. 

Gary McFadden, Danny Curran, and Breathnach were the standout players for Gaoth Dobhair as they led from the backline, while Ethan Harkin and Cathal Gillespie kept the scoreline in the first half with a number of frees. 

Harkin and Gillespie traded points for the away side to make it 0-3 in the opening 10 minutes, with St Eunan’s failing to cut through the Gaoth Dobhair defensive line to cause any real problems. 

David Boyle would slot over for the home team to bring it back to a two-point affair, but this would be the only score of the half for Barry Meehan’s team as the boys in green and white kicked on to dominate the second quarter of the game. 

Gaoth Dobhair would register four more points in the next 10 minutes with Danny Curran nailing over the point of the match from distance, while Niall Friel added his name to the scoresheet. 

Then came the sucker punch with Breathnach’s goal. A St Eunan’s turnover in the away side’s full-back line saw the Gaoth Dobhair defender sprint the length of the pitch, break the Euan’s defensive line, and smash it into the net to leave it 1-7 to 0-1 at the break. 

The second-half was a little more nip-and-tuck following Friel’s departure early after the break due to a hip injury, but Gaoth Dobhair kept their dominance with Fionnan Coyle, Mark McFadden, and Harkin all nailing over. 

Eunan’s were focused on keeping their defensive shape tight in the second half, but with little success as Gaoth Dobhair kept finding gaps to exploit. 

The final 15 minutes saw Eunan’s eventually come to life following Eoin McGeehin’s goal on 49 minutes after a long dropped over the head of Gary McFadden to be placed perfectly into the Eunan’s full-forward’s hand to slot home. 

McGeehin would add to his tally with two frees while Conor Parke, Pauric Boyle, and Conor O’Donnell would also hit over scores, but it would be too late as Gaoth Dobhair would run away with the points and the victory in Letterkenny. 

Scorers – St Eunan’s: Eoin McGeehin 1-2, 2fs; David Boyle, Conor O’Donnell, Conor Parke and Pauric Boyle 0-1 each. Gaoth Dobhair: Ethan Harkin 0-4, 2fs; Aodan Breathnach 1-1; Cathal Gillespie 0-3 2fs; Niall Friel, Danny Curran, Mark McFadden, and Fionnan Coyle 0-1 each. 

St Eunan’s: Ronan McGeehan; Conor Parke, Eamonn Doherty, Anthony Gallagher; Peter Devine, Kieran Tobin, Noel Barrett; Conor O’Donnell, Jordan O’Dowd; Owen Winston, David Boyle, Jake Whelan; Conor Jr O’Donnell, Eoin McGeehin, Pauric Boyle. b Kevin Kealy for Boyle (35 mins); Dylan Doogan for Whelan (35 mins); Oisin Scanlon for O’Dowd (46 mins); Joshua Haye for Winston (53 mins). 

Gaoth Dobhair: Gavin Sweeney; Aodan Breathnach, Gary McFadden, Fergal Delaney; Danny Curran, Niall Friel, Micheal Roarty; Eamon McBride, Fiachra Coyle; Fionnan Coyle, Steven McFadden, Eoin de Burca; Ethan Harkin, Mark McFadden, Cathal Gillespie. Subs: Kieran Gillespie for Friel (36 mins); Shaun Doherty for McBride (41 mins); Cathal de Burca for McFadden (48 mins); Adam McGeever for Roarty (56 mins); Jamie Doherty for Curran (60 mins). 

Referee: Seamus McGonigle