Joanne O’Riordan: the joy of Donegal in giant-slaying mode

As Karen Guthrie stretched herself out on the Croke Park pitch seconds before the final whistle blew on a cold Saturday evening, that sense of relief and elation was a stark contrast to her general feeling just a few days before at the launch of the Lidl National Football League.

Although the Donegal team were, according to Guthrie, “buzzing about it”, before the game against Dublin, manager Maxi Curran must have wondered what he did to upset the gods that the draw pitted them against the All-Ireland champions, with so much rebuilding to do in the squad.

Peter Leahy, current Mayo boss, even remarked how he wouldn't like to have that draw as he goes through a transition never before seen in Mayo LGFA.

One of the main talking points before the game was how young newcomer Megan Ryan would cope with everything. It's hard enough to make your debut at 16, let alone make your debut in Croke Park at 16, but even more difficult to start against one of the best markers in the country in Niamh Collins. On top of that, Donegal had to cope without sharpshooter and all-round playmaker Yvonne Bonner, who has switched codes and made her debut last weekend in AFLW with Great Western Sydney Giants.

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Mick Bohan must be annoyed at how his renowned deep panel just didn't perform on the day

Another talking point was how Donegal were going to break at speed for a solid 60 minutes on the ginormous Croke Park surface. How good was their strength and conditioning and could they keep their high-octane press then counter? Short answer: yes.

Tempo

Donegal played the game at such a high tempo and swallowed the Dubs for every single attack. What surprised viewers watching at home, those attending, and indeed all ladies football fans was Donegal’s composure for such a young team. To hold the ball up with four minutes left and to effectively play keep ball and toy with the Dublin players surprised many.

On top of that, their work rate and sheer match fitness is exceptional. Take Guthrie as an example. Many times during that game she was marked by Martha Byrne while also having to deal with two sweepers and yet she scored 1-4, and that insurance point to cement their victory.

For those who complain that football, both men and women's, is not football anymore and is now solely reliant on hand passing, watch the countless decisive foot passes Niamh Hegarty split Dublin's defence with and reconsider the previous judgement.

Maxi and his young side can take many lessons with them for the upcoming week and for fixtures to come. Setting the tempo and a work rate that is consistent, while freeing key players is vital if Donegal are to continue to slay giants and become top contenders. If Donegal can keep Katy Herron on song in midfield and ensure Geraldine McLaughlin doesn't have to shift all of the offensive pressure, they will definitely be in contention towards the end of the year.

A special mention too for young superstar Anna Flanagan. This week alone has seen her involved in beating Dublin, winning a club award with St Eunan’s and captaining Coláiste Ailigh, scoring 1-3 from midfield and getting player of the game.

While Dublin can look back and say they too were missing top players, Mick Bohan must be annoyed at how his renowned deep panel just didn’t perform on the day. Nicole Owens missed some simple frees, either dropping short to be collected by a mass of Donegal players or else shooting off target and to be honest, some of the players filling in for missing players just did not turn up. His demeanour post-match indicated that this will not last too long and for Dublin, it’s all about bouncing back and being able to retain that winning rhythm going forward.

In other giant slaying news, Galway, a consistently inconsistent team, came to Mallow on a wintry Saturday and capitalised on Cork breeding new players while Mourneabbey stars take a well-earned break. While some are not due back until the end of February, Ephie Fitzgerald kept his team out post-match for an extended team talk. Regrouping and bouncing back will also be essential for the Cork football team; you’d never know, they might regain that infamous “Corkness”.

The beauty of the league is how highly competitive it can be while introducing new players to competitive action. The gap between teams is getting smaller and smaller every year which can only be a massive plus for the championship later in the year.