Donegal ready to take the final step

ALL-IRELAND SFC FINAL:TWENTY YEARS on, the contrast could hardly be more vivid. This weekend Donegal mobilise in September for the first time since 1992 but on this occasion the journey is made as hot favourites for tomorrow's GAA All-Ireland football final.

It’s a significant detail in that for the week between the semi-finals manager Jim McGuinness was probably anticipating All-Ireland champions Dublin as the more likely opponents.

This would have fitted more comfortably into Donegal’s ongoing narrative of rebellion against the establishment counties, as it would have given them the chance to have defeated all the champions of the past nine years.

Instead they get a county that has been waiting even longer for the Sam Maguire.

Still it is about the only box on McGuinness’s checklist that hasn’t been ticked in a year of improvement and refinement.

But the variables remain all about Donegal: their first All-Ireland final as hot favourites and against a team organised on the same contemporary lines as they are. Although McGuinness has spoken of a five-year plan, to win the All-Ireland in year two would be a destination and for the team something akin to breaking the sound barrier.

Mayo’s twin advantages of low-key expectations and opponents who aren’t Kerry are considerable. Kerry had the Connacht champions 10 down in as many minutes six years ago but that’s not how Donegal operate. They’re happy to stay in touch and then at some stage in the third quarter begin to put on the squeeze on the scoreboard.

That’s an opportunity because it was Cork’s inaccuracies when playing well in the first half that stopped them taking a decent lead in at half-time – the as yet unattained Holy Grail that would “put pressure” on Donegal – whereas Mayo’s scoring burst before half-time put them in control against Dublin.

James Horan has quietly assembled a team with resolve and ruthless instincts. The sentiment that insistently recurred at the press evening concerned making the team “the best they can be” and the desire for self-improvement has been a constant driver.

Mayo’s ability to score is truly collective and the average number of scorers per match is remarkable at 9.7 but Donegal aren’t far behind with 7.5, sustained over a longer and tougher campaign. The Ulster champions are also more accurate with a smaller number of wides per match, 8.2 as against 10.5.

Mayo will contest most ferociously in the middle third, where Donegal like to get runners, like Karl Lacey and Frank McGlynn, away from deep positions but can they do it for 70 minutes and especially in the third and fourth quarters? Can Horan devise a strategy for inhibiting Mark McHugh?

Cork looked on to something when they detailed a forward to mark the Donegal trouble-shooter but they abandoned the tactic – possibly because All-Ireland matches are not ideal laboratory conditions to trial new ideas. Mayo have an advantage in that their range of scorers offers a threat if McHugh brings an extra marker into his own half but if Mayo’s strategy works they’ll be the first team to solve the conundrum.

It also has to be emphasised that Mayo haven’t encountered such a tight defence and it remains to be seen what the impact is on their impressive scoring record.

Donegal also appear to have an advantage in discipline. Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor has been excellent kicking dead ball – in contrast to Michael Murphy’s more erratic form – but in the semi-final against Cork, Donegal conceded one kickable free, which was converted (Aidan Walsh also had a crack from a longer distance) and in the quarter-final Kerry got just two points from frees.

In the semi-final Mayo conceded six points to Bernard Brogan frees (he also missed one) and in the previous match, Down’s Aidan Carr also kicked six. In what’s expected to be a tight match, that rather than the disparity between the place kickers could prove crucial.

Donegal also have more variety at their disposal and can preserve energy by going long to Murphy and Colm McFadden, who’s been excellent in that target role, whereas Mayo’s build-up is more intricate.

There’s no doubting Mayo’s ability to punish any drop-off in Donegal’s performance levels and this can happen to inexperienced finalists but how likely are the Ulster champions to falter on the big occasion?

The pressure is a daunting mental challenge but speaking last January, McGuinness tried to explain the paralysis last year against Dublin and what it had taught them.

“I have my own conclusions in my head (about what went wrong). For some of them it was psychological, for some of them . . . . I think they regressed into themselves over the course of the game. The closer they got to the All-Ireland final, then the more they just wanted to see it out instead of driving towards it. That is a learning curve if that is the case. They can use that this year if they get into that position again.”

Their form and that experience looks a winning combination.

Donegal: P Durcan; P McGrath, N McGee, F McGlynn; A Thompson, K Lacey, E McGee, N Gallagher, R Kavanagh; R Bradley, L McLoone, M McHugh; P McBrearty, M Murphy, C McFadden.

Mayo: D Clarke; K Keane, G Cafferkey, K Higgins; L Keegan, D Vaughan, C Boyle; B Moran, A O'Shea; K McLoughlin, J Doherty, A Dillon; E Varley, C O'Connor, M Conroy.