The Alternative View: No excuses - Donegal just not at the pitch for Down battle
In the Alternative View this week Peter Campbell looks back at the shock reversal in O'Donnell Park, Letterkenny as Down too hot to handle for Donegal
The faces of Donegal supporters told the story. There was a stunned silence around O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny as the Down supporters in their colours streamed out onto the field after the field whistle to celebrate a famous victory.
One Donegal wit tried to bring a little calm to the situation by claiming it was the first championship defeat for the county at the venue in over 75 years. There was no easy way to explain what we had just witnessed.
The No 1 team in the country after an almost flawless National League campaign were made to play second fiddle by a Down team who had struggled to overcome Wexford in the Division 3 final. There was supposed to be a gap between the sides with Donegal odds on to advance but when the final whistle was sounded there were no excuses; Down were the clear winners after giving an exhibition under the new rules.
The energy and drive of the Mournemen just wore down Donegal. Jim McGuinness pointed out afterwards that Donegal were never really at the pitch of the game and that was a huge factor.
The absence of Michael Langan was a huge blow and news of his injury being the big talking point from early on Sunday morning. I got a ‘phone call just after leaving home for the game from somebody with an inside angle and the news was not good. McGuinness confirmed after the game that the St Michael’s man rolled his ankle in training during the week.
The news on Sunday morning was that Langan would not play and could be out for some time. But then we saw him walking quite normally with the rest of the players prior to the game which was good to see. I expected that he would be in a ‘boot’ or on crutches so maybe the ankle injury is not as bad as predicted. Fingers crossed.
When Donegal and Down met in the Ulster semi-final last year Langan was given the task of marking Odhran Murdock with Donegal prevailing by six points in the end. On Sunday Murdock was very influential in the Down victory and Langan’s absence could well be pointed to as a factor.
But it was much more than the absence of one Donegal player. The gulf between the sides as regards drive and energy was pretty clear. And yet Donegal had enough possession, especially in the first half, to have done much better. Their shooting in this period in particular was well below their norms and that gave Down both confidence and belief. And boy did they use it to their advantage once they got up and running.
One of the prevailing factors throughout the league was the vulnerability of the Donegal defence when teams ran at them and it is not just Donegal, direct running is what differentiates teams in any given match.
Donegal were cumbersome while Down were direct. Once Down got the scoreboard ticking they built a lead and from then on Donegal were chasing the game.
The Mourne side’s manager, Conor Laverty, was a couple of seats away from us at the front of the press box in the first half and he was barking out the orders, which could be heard clearly, with the Donegal support silent.
Down came with a very definite game plan. They gave up the Donegal kick-out in the opening half but pressed tight in the second. The Donegal playmakers were closed down and for the first time this year Donegal were on the back foot coming down the home stretch. It proved to be a game too far and with the game opening up it was Down who still possessed the greatest threat with their very direct style of play.
Why were Donegal so flat? That is the question that the management has to look at over the next couple of weeks. The run-in to Sunday’s opening Ulster championship game seemed just about perfect. Four weeks from the Division 1 League final; a week-long training camp in the Algarve and an almost injury-free panel to work with.
In the past we bemoaned the fact that we had to play an Ulster preliminary round championship game with just a couple of weeks’ preparation and there has been talk in the past that maybe we should forgo having a crack at the Ulster championship in order to be better prepared for the All-Ireland Series.
Well now anybody who was thinking about the latter have got their wish. Donegal have four (or five) weeks until their next game, albeit it will be an away game and could be against a Kerry or Galway or even Armagh. Sometimes you might remember the quotation: “Be careful of what you wish for”.
Donegal’s next championship outing will all depend on an open draw which will take place after the Ulster and Leinster semi-finals next weekend. By Sunday evening next we will know the 16 teams that will contest for the Sam Maguire.
Ironically, should Down not succeed in defeating Armagh in Sunday’s Ulster semi-final or if Westmeath defeat Kildare in the Leinster semi-final, the Mournemen may not play another game in the race for Sam. They would be relegated to play in the Tailteann Cup, which would be one of the anomalies that don’t make sense.
For Jim McGuinness and Donegal it is a matter of getting back to the drawing board and hopefully getting players refreshed and ready for a run of games that would get them back on track.
On Sunday they relied much too heavily on Michael Murphy in all aspects of the game, not least winning primary possession from kick-outs. Murphy was one of the few that looked really up for the game. Getting others up to the right pitch and hopefully having Michael Langan back fully fit will make a difference. Also the withdrawal of Oisin Gallen, one of the few players who looked like having a scoring threat, was a talking point. The GPS readings may have been a factor but with the scoreboard showing Donegal behind, Gallen represented one of the best Donegal players likely to get us back in the game.
We will watch with great interest how Down perform against Armagh on Sunday next. They had a lot to play for on Sunday in O’Donnell Park and were up for the battle. They have just as much to play for this Sunday in Clones and it will be interesting to see how they recover from the battle.
Donegal had a plan in action on Sunday last - as any team would do - of a hasty bus trip at the final whistle to ice baths in Convoy but in the end that wasn’t needed. They have to lick their wounds and look at Plan B.
That can sometimes be painful but there are some positives to be taken from the game. The final tally of 1-21 was a reasonable return given that so much was left behind in the opening half. The response from Donegal when four behind in the first half and five in the second was also a positive. But overall, the negatives of a lack of energy and conceding 3-21 is what will take up most of the post-match analysis in the Donegal camp.
The other good thing that will come from the defeat is that expectation and cockiness among supporters will be dampened. In the lead up to Sunday’s game Down were, for the most part, being written off. All the talk was about playing Armagh in an Ulster semi-final. That may have seeped into the thinking despite the best efforts of everyone. It is just human nature.
Reality was the best word to use come Sunday evening. Jim McGuinness said afterwards that there are two competitions to be played for. The first was the Ulster championship and that was now gone. They have a second chance and that is something players in the past did not have. So let’s make the best use of it.
Match Stats
Donegal scorers: Michael Murphy 0-7, tpf, 4f; Caolan McGonagle 1-0; Oisin Gallen 0-5 Conor O’Donnell 0-3; Jason McGee 0-2,tp; Peadar Mogan 0-2, tp; Shea Malone 0-2,tp.
Down scorers: Pat Havern 0-7, tp,4f; Daniel Guinness 1-3 Miceal Rooney 2-0; Adam Crimmins 0-4; Ryan McEvoy 0-2,tp; Odhran Murdock 0-3; Caolan Mooney 0-1; Ceilum Doherty 0-1.
Donegal: Gavin Mulreany; Caolan McColgan, Brendan McCole, Eoghan Bán Gallagher; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Finnbarr Roarty; Jason McGee, Hugh McFadden; Shane O’Donnell, Ciaran Moore, Peadar Mogan; Conor O’Donnell, Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen.
Subs: Dáire Ó Baoill for Moore (40), Max Campbell for McHugh (47), Mark Curran for Gallagher (59), Shea Malone for Gallen (60)
Down: Ronan Burns; Peter Fegan, Pierce Laverty, Callum Rogers; Caolan Mooney, Shane Annett, Daniel McGuinness; Odhran Murdock, Ryan McEvoy; Miceal Rooney, Ceilum Doherty, John McGeough; Adam Crimmins, Pat Havern, Pearse McPolin.
Subs: Liam Kerr for McGeough (45), Finn McElroy for Fegan (49), Jamie Doran for Mooney (57), Ryan Magill for McPolin (60), Ruairi McCormick for C Rogers (66)
Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).