All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers/Round Three: A year ago, in front of a packed house at Croke Park, Donegal got tangled up in blue. On Saturday, against the odds, they found themselves back in the great theatre.
In the early afternoon, the stadium was cavernous and empty and intimidating. It was like playing football on the floor of the Grand Canyon
There are two interpretations of this match. Either a plucky Tipperary suffered the consequence of scuffing a marvellous goal opportunity after 53 minutes. Or Donegal, trailing 0-10 to 0-11, awoke to the potential of dangerous times ahead and outscored their opponents 2-9 to 0-5 over the final 25 minutes.
What was unanimously agreed, however, was Declan Browne, Tipperary's gift to the game of football, rose to the heights expected of him, albeit in a match that lacked dramatic tension.
He finished with nine points, five from play, and carried his county with his characteristic blend of ballet and sinew.
"Let's be fair," said coach Brian McEniff in the catacombs of the Cusack Stand afterwards, "Donegal had the big success here but it was Declan Browne's day. He was outstanding and any team would give an arm and a leg to have him."
As ever, Tipperary were hoping for a loaves-and-fishes act from Browne. He did fire four of his team's seven wides, when forced to shoot from too deep but those were his only sins.
Ray Sweeney took to the harrowing task of shadowing Browne quite well and forced him to bring his support cast into play.
And, in fairness, regardless of the result, Tipperary worried Donegal for three-quarters of this game. The team's lesser lights played with telling economy and kept Donegal close with almighty points from midfielders Fergal O'Callaghan and Eamon Hanrahan and a pair of outstanding second-half scores by Damien O'Brien.
It was O'Brien's fate to be involved in what was afterwards identified as the game's key moment. After his own free bounced back off the post, Browne reclaimed possession before floating a perfect pass into the square. It sat up for the oncoming O'Brien, begging to be fisted first-time to the net. But the player took the ball and found his attempted shot well smothered by Tony Blake.
That goal would have left the score at 1-13 to 0-15 for Tipperary with 15 minutes left.
"Damien is gutted," admitted coach Tom McGlinchey. "Nobody is blaming him. Declan just slipped for his goal chance. But they were big moments."
Three significant things happened for McEniff's team. They won; Michael Hegarty at last tapped into the languid, visionary style of his that is crucial to Donegal's fortunes; and the scoring burden was lifted from Adrian Sweeney.
Devenney hit four points and the beautiful 60th-minute goal that ended the contest. Brian Roper was rewarded for a fine game by a perceptive hand-pass from John Haran which he torpedoed on to and finished.
Elsewhere, Damien Diver had a magnificent game, John Gildea controlled the ball, and young midfielder Stephen McDermott once more fired three points. With 16 wides and three shots that fell into goalkeeper Philly Ryan's hands, Donegal got a lot of shooting in.
McEniff has used a lot of adhesive since the shattering experience of Croke Park a year ago. Saturday would have been a healing experience. With the big-time poker plasyers now moving towards the capital, Donegal will be regarded as the joker in the pack.
They remain precociously light and are perhaps not cynical enough for the brutal truths of July football but they are young and hopeful and led by a man who has always been the boss of his own destiny.
DONEGAL: T Blake; N McCready, R Sweeney, D Diver; S Carr, B Monaghan, K Cassidy; J Gildea, S McDermott (0-3); B Roper (1-2), M Hegarty (0-2), J McGuinness; J McCafferty (0-1), A Sweeney (0-5, one free), B Devenney (1-4, three frees). Subs: C McFadden (0-1) for McCafferty (28 mins); J Haran for McGuinness (52 mins); D McNamara for Devenney (70 mins).
TIPPERARY:P Ryan; R Costigan, S Collum, L Cronin; P Hally, D Fanning, N Fitzgerald (0-1); F O'Callaghan (0-1), E Hanrahan (0-2); A Fitzgerald, K Mulryan, P Cahill; D O'Brien (0-2), D Browne (0-9, four frees), B Hickey. Subs: J Shanahan for Hickey (26 mins); J Williams for Shanahan (57 mins); B Hahessy for N Fitzgerald (70 mins).
Referee: P Fox (Westmeath).
