Sweet Jesus.
If there’s one job that incoming Donegal senior football manager Declan Bonner should prioritise, it’s surely luring the mercurial Gaoth Dobhair maestro Odhrán Mac Niallais back into the set-up.
Mac Niallais burst onto the Donegal scene as a sprightly 18-year-old under Jim McGuinness in 2011. He served his apprenticeship in the next three years and really began to carve out a name for himself in the year 2014, when he helped himself to three wonder-points in the Ulster final against Monaghan.
Donegal fans were struck by his wondrous shooting ability off his left foot, and his languid, relaxed playing style from his midfield position, which was never better encapsulated than in the 2016 Ulster final against Tyrone when he went score for score with Sean Cavanagh and Peter Harte to keep Rory Gallagher’s men in the game.
A telling blow arrived for the men of the hills at the start of this season when the 25-year-old decided to take a year out of the game in order to travel to America.
Donegal attempted to sweep all before them with an exuberant, youthful side, but were soon sent packing by both Tyrone and Galway to bring their Championship campaign to a halt.
Mac Niallais was dearly missed by Rory Gallagher, and by his county.
He returned back to the Hills recently, however, and has been a key man in a youtful Gaoth Dobhair side’s march to the county semi-finals, where they took on Naomh Conaill on Saturday evening.
Gaoth Dobhair got off to a flyer, with current senior panelist Michael Carroll scoring an absolute wonder-goal early on in Ballybofey.
20: GOAL!
This was pretty special from Michael Carroll 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #ClubChampionships #DonegalGAA pic.twitter.com/HwWCqjV39m— eir Sport (@eirSport) September 30, 2017
Carroll’s three-pointer was sweet, but take a look at this, the pick of Mac Niallais’ four points on the night.
HT: Naomh Conaill 0-05| 1-08 Gaoth Dobhair. Odhrán Mac Niallais is on his game tonight. What a score! #DonegalGAA #ClubChampionships pic.twitter.com/1b5ktrc8M9
— eir Sport (@eirSport) September 30, 2017
The tactical nous to slide out along the wet surface, the lightening spin as he got back to his feet, the composure, the pendulum-like swinging of that ridiculous left leg, the angles, the white flag.
What a bloody score.
Gaoth Dobhair went into the interval with a six point cushion, but were reeled back by Naomh Conaill who eventually triumphed by the bare minimum to win on a scoreline of 1-13 to 1-12 to set up a final clash with Kilcar.
