NFL Division One: Dublin 0-20 Donegal 1-20
The Ger Brennan era has begun in whirlwind style. Those being the conditions and the nature of Dublin’s game in Croke Park on Saturday evening, making it difficult to gauge just how good Donegal were in eventually closing out the win.
The wicked rain and wind did ease over the course of the proceedings, in direct contrast to Dublin’s performance. Trailing by double scores at the break – 1-9 to 0-6 – Dublin tore through the wind and Donegal for parts of the second half with almost bold defiance, reducing that gap to two points on 42 minutes.
Luke Breathnach, sprung from the bench at half-time, was the standout Dublin player in mounting that comeback, the last of his five sweet points from play bringing it back to a three-point game with one minute to go. Ultimately Dublin ran out of time.
It left Brennan counting the positives and negatives, though the Dublin manager appeared reasonably content. Much of Donegal’s scoring in the first half was built around the dominance of the kick-outs, with Gavin Mulreany, deputising for Shaun Patton between the post, also adding two excellent two-point frees, despite that vicious wind.
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“I said we’ll have to make 15 subs here, if you don’t get yourselves right,” Brennan jested afterwards, when asked what he politely told his players at half-time. “Clearly if you don’t have the energy, and the work rate, you’ll be pummelled, as we were in that first half.
“There’s a sense of unknown in terms of where we were at, and I think we found out where we were at in the first half. But thankfully we managed to turn things around and produce a far better performance in the second. We came out with far more gusto and drove back Donegal, asked more questions of them and we obviously narrowed the gap to three points in the end.”
Despite playing into that swirling wind in the second half, Donegal still lorded things on occasion, the excellent Michael Langan and Daire Ó Baoil both kicking two-pointers from play with superb accuracy. Soon Donegal’s advantage was back out to eight points again, simply too much for Dublin to close in time.
Still, Dublin never gave up the chase, Conor Tyrrell adding their second two-pointer. Seán Bugler, Nathan Doran and Paddy Small also assisted in the revival, but Donegal were able to limit out the goal chances Dublin probably needed to win.
Ultimately Shea Malone’s goal for Donegal at the end of the first half proved the difference, the youngster completing a searing run at goal on 32 minutes, neatly set up by Caolan McGonagle. Donegal finished with 10 different scorers, with Langan the standout player on the night around midfield, finishing with 0-6.
In contrast, Con O’Callaghan was the only Dublin forward to score in the first half (along with a point via Doran from centre back). There were hints during the week that Dublin would be targeting more two-pointers this season, and O’Callaghan soon put that in motion, opening Dublin’s account from outside the arc after four minutes.
Despite Dublin having the wind in their backs in the first half – most of the time anyway, as it changed direction on a whim – they struggled to build any momentum, the wide count quickly mounting on both sides.
Conor O’Donnell was also lively for Donegal in the first half, adding two points from play. Still, Hugh McFadden’s kick towards Hill 16 on 27 minutes swirled so magnificently far wide it brought sarcastic cheers from the Dublin supporters, happy just to have something to shout about. Just before half-time, McFadden almost got his revenge, his shot blasting off the bottom of the post.
Malone’s goal gave Donegal that six-point cushion at the break, before Dublin soon started dismantling it. Bugler also drew a fine save out of Mulreany, as the game increasingly opened up for both sides.
Dublin also started to successfully close on the Donegal kick-outs, a half dozen scores coming off that possession, Brennan saying afterwards he told them to play with more freedom too.
Back in Croke Park for the first time since losing the All-Ireland final to Kerry last July, Donegal manager Jim McGuinness was mildly irate afterwards when asked about any lasting lessons from that game, particularly on the defensive side.
“We’ve already parked it, that game’s long gone,” he said. “There’s loads of opinions out there and there’s loads of people saying loads of things,” he said, “but at the end of the day that doesn’t have any impact in my thinking whatsoever.
“I don’t listen to those people, most of them have never coached at intercounty level, most of them have never stood on the sideline, most of them have never won anything as a coach.”
Brennan was also asked about potential player protests over the GAA’s Allianz sponsorship, after the insurance company’s parent organisation was named in a UN report on Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
“As Dublin manager, I’m apolitical, I’m here to concentrate on the football,” he said. “That’s exactly how we’re going about our business and as a management, whatever players want to do and members of the management team in their own capacity.”
DUBLIN: E Comerford; E Murchan, S McMahon, D Byrne; R Shaw, N Doran (0-0-2), E Kennedy; E Dunne, T Lahiff; K McGinnis, N Scully, B Howard; P Small (0-0-2), C O’Callaghan (0-2-3, 1 tpf, 1 45), L O’Dell.
Subs: S Bugler (0-0-1) for O’Dell, L Breathneach (0-0-5) for Lahiff, C O’Connor for Shaw (all h-t); C Tyrrell (0-1-1) for Kennedy (47 mins), P White for Dunne (57).
DONEGAL: G Mulreany (0-2-0, 2 tpf); C McColgan, B McCole, F Roarty (0-0-1); R McHugh (0-0-1), C McGonagle (0-0-1), P Mogan; H McFadden, J McGee (0-0-1); D O Baoill (0-1-1), S O’Donnell (0-0-1), C Moore; C O’Donnell (0-0-2), M Langan (0-2-2, 1 tpf, 1f), S Malone (1-0-0).
Subs: E Ban Gallagher for McColgan (48 mins); K Gallagher for Malone (54); T Carr for O Baoil (64); C McCahill for O’Donnell (68 mins).
Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan).
