Here’s the way it is in Ulster: Monaghan like playing Donegal, Donegal like playing Tyrone, Tyrone like playing Monaghan.
Perhaps the stats are a little skewed up north when we’re told that Tyrone have won just one Ulster title since 2010.
In the last six seasons, they’ve met Donegal five times. They lost to them four times. The one time they did best their neighbours, they reclaimed the provincial title.
- 2011 – Donegal win (Ulster semi-final)
- 2012 – Donegal win (Ulster semi-final)
- 2013 – Donegal win (Ulster quarter-final)
- 2015 – Donegal win (Ulster preliminary round)
- 2016 – Tyrone win (Ulster final)
On Sunday, the pair lock horns again for a place in the decider. Tyrone, as the champions, are the bookmakers’ favourite but only a fool would put money on this one. It’s hard to really gauge where either are at exactly too with both Donegal and the Red Hands handing out respective spankings to Antrim and Derry.
Donegal are more of an unknown quantity outside of the north west with Rory Gallagher fearlessly changing up his team with fresh faces and young blood and, when they were once tipped for relegation, they’re now a genuine wildcard for the All-Ireland.
Donegal v Antrim
If you can take anything away from Donegal’s dismantling of the Saffrons, it’s that they don’t fear a mass defence.
Whereas Derry played right into Tyrone’s hands, dutifully halting at the 45′, going sidewards and backwards until they coughed up possession, the men from the hills aren’t so stupid. They wrote the bloody book on this game plan and every one of Donegal’s successful underage teams have been well versed in both using and facing a counter-attacking setup.
Against Antrim, they showed exactly how to deal with it.
Penetration
Right from the off, you have players willing to run straight through two tacklers.
You also have support runs.
The ball gets popped, another two tackles get burst through.
Young Cian Mulligan doesn’t sit back on his heels.
He drives straight at Antrim and straight through their bodies and he creates a goal chance before Donegal even think about hitting points.
They run with pace, with purpose and they run with fearlessness, not afraid to lose possession.
Not getting caught
Because Gallagher has backed his players to take men on, they don’t need to crowd attacks.
Antrim try to hit them on the break, but it’s still a 2 v 3 scenario, soon to be 3 v 7.
Make that 3 v 5 in Donegal’s favour (inside the 45′ right there).
Despite creating the goal chance at the other end, they’re still well stacked at the back. Donegal aren’t stupid.
Long range threat
Hugh McFadden just curling one over at his leisure.
But he was comfortable to break a tackle to work the space.
Ciaran Thompson wouldn’t think twice about doing the same from further out.
Goalscoring
Here’s Jamie Brennan playing in his first senior championship game.
He’s being closed in on by defenders.
He doesn’t care.
He bursts through the tackle and unleashes a rasper of a shot.
Donegal are constantly breaking tackles and taking men on.
When you do that, you create imbalances. When you create imbalances, you create openings.
Runners from deep
When it looks like the move is stalling, Frank McGlynn takes off into the pocket of space.
He started this attack but it has since slowed up so there he goes on the right away into another dangerous position.
Now he’s free, undetected.
Then he scores.
Paddy McGrath takes a cross-field ball from Michael Murphy and his instinct is to hit the space for all his worth.
In 11 seconds, he’s scaled the pitch from inside his 65 to walking the ball into the net.
Substitutions
Donegal’s last goal really showed off all their strength in depth in one slicing move.
Mark McHugh cuts inside.
Karl Lacey plays the kick pass and McBrearty’s already anticipating the pop off.
The forward takes it from there, again by bursting through the tackle.
Listen, Tyrone in the Ulster semi-final is a challenge some of these youngsters haven’t come across yet but if they stick to what they do best, they will not be far away.
Donegal have the tools to hurt Tyrone – they have all of them:
- They break tackles.
- They go for the jugular.
- They kick from distance.
- They don’t get caught at the back.
- They have the substitutes to match Tyrone’s legs.
They have the tools – they just have to use them.
