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Donegal GAA thread

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Replying To MunsterFan:  "I think ye got it all wrong in your preparation. Too fit too early. We had it against Armagh a couple of years back. But you lads haven't learnt the lesson. Ye can challenge next year if you time the run properly but age is going to start telling now"
We won't challenge at all. We've never sustained a good team for more than 3-4 years. There's a good chance Jim walks too which will set it back further. We had our chance in 2024 and 2025 and squandered it.

eddieSize5Balls (Donegal) - Posts: 418 - 21/06/2026 18:27:33    2680937

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Replying To panamasam:  "You obviously didn't read my post did you?"
I did. We are where we are. Exact same as Derry was a few years ago.

eddieSize5Balls (Donegal) - Posts: 418 - 21/06/2026 18:29:19    2680938

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Replying To Jack L:  "Won the National league. Second most important trophy and beating Kerry twice in big matches has to be considered a good season"
I reckon winning the Anglo Celt Cup would be considered the 2nd most important trophy to a county from Ulster.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 2143 - 21/06/2026 18:41:13    2680943

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https://www.balls.ie/gaa/donegal-jim-mcguinness-dublin-657941

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Hard to see how Jimmy could stay on after today. Mark McHugh is surely the man for the job.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2118 - 21/06/2026 18:46:15    2680946

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I think anyone who was in Ballybofey against Cork wouldn't be surprised by today. Hard to know why but we looked completely out on our feet in both matches. We were a wee bit off it with decision making and accuracy with passes and that was really the losing of both games

I will focus on the positives because there's enough negativity in the world

Shea Malone has bags of potential. I think he needs to add consistency with point scoring but he is lethal. Had he gotten the 2nd goal I think we kick on

I thought Max Campbell did well, made some mistakes as you would expect from a young player but never stopped

A word as well for Peadar Mogan. I think he was poor against Cork but dhia he really gave it everything today, he stepped up big time a huge leader for us

I think for all the disappointment they really left it all out there today. The Dubs 3 up with a minute or so left they could have just left it. But we forced ET. Down 5 in ET and again, could have just said it was done but we kept tipping away and pushed and pushed

Anyway, there will be time for post mortems and all the criticism, we have questions without a doubt and it's a long road back from here. But we'll see

CCFabu (Donegal) - Posts: 348 - 21/06/2026 19:02:34    2680951

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Simply not good enough, unfortunately for Donegal.

ahsure. (Galway) - Posts: 1784 - 21/06/2026 19:06:02    2680954

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Replying To Square_B:  "https://www.balls.ie/gaa/donegal-jim-mcguinness-dublin-657941

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Hard to see how Jimmy could stay on after today. Mark McHugh is surely the man for the job."
Jim was wanted when things were at an all time low.

hurler301 (Tipperary) - Posts: 13 - 21/06/2026 19:18:13    2680959

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Replying To MunsterFan:  "I think ye got it all wrong in your preparation. Too fit too early. We had it against Armagh a couple of years back. But you lads haven't learnt the lesson. Ye can challenge next year if you time the run properly but age is going to start telling now"
I thought the same thing watching today. Donegal looked sluggish and sloppy compared to the crispness last year and in league this year. Seemed slightly off.

Backheel (Leitrim) - Posts: 235 - 21/06/2026 19:22:05    2680961

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Donegal train harder and have more sessions than any other county. I have always defended him on here but this year they clearly ran out of gas similar to 2013 season. Goalkeeper mix and match also very strange and indecisive. Last year was probably the big chance this group had. A few will step away.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8871 - 21/06/2026 19:26:35    2680965

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Replying To Square_B:  "https://www.balls.ie/gaa/donegal-jim-mcguinness-dublin-657941

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Hard to see how Jimmy could stay on after today. Mark McHugh is surely the man for the job."
Not a chance McHugh is leaving Westmeath.

ORIELMAN85 (Monaghan) - Posts: 1121 - 21/06/2026 19:34:34    2680969

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Every donegal fan hurting today, but thats sport, we'll be back. Good luck to dublin in the rest of the championship. But the ill will and gloating towards donegal is sickening, been on half a dozen websites today and the comments are so unkind and unsporting it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. When did gaa fans start this carryon. Some people need to have a word with themselves. But Donegal is going nowhere, we'll be back running and gunning next year. Hup Donegal

gaeltacht81 (Donegal) - Posts: 37 - 21/06/2026 19:46:32    2680974

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Replying To ORIELMAN85:  "Not a chance McHugh is leaving Westmeath."
They said that about Ger Brennan and guess what, he answered the call. If the job comes up, he'll be in for it.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2118 - 21/06/2026 19:55:48    2680976

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Replying To CCFabu:  "I think anyone who was in Ballybofey against Cork wouldn't be surprised by today. Hard to know why but we looked completely out on our feet in both matches. We were a wee bit off it with decision making and accuracy with passes and that was really the losing of both games

I will focus on the positives because there's enough negativity in the world

Shea Malone has bags of potential. I think he needs to add consistency with point scoring but he is lethal. Had he gotten the 2nd goal I think we kick on

I thought Max Campbell did well, made some mistakes as you would expect from a young player but never stopped

A word as well for Peadar Mogan. I think he was poor against Cork but dhia he really gave it everything today, he stepped up big time a huge leader for us

I think for all the disappointment they really left it all out there today. The Dubs 3 up with a minute or so left they could have just left it. But we forced ET. Down 5 in ET and again, could have just said it was done but we kept tipping away and pushed and pushed

Anyway, there will be time for post mortems and all the criticism, we have questions without a doubt and it's a long road back from here. But we'll see"
I think your point about Ballybofey last week is a really valid one. Donegal were miles off it then, and while they were a bit better today, they still looked well below the standards they've set for themselves. Whatever it is, there's just something not quite right with the team.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 1023 - 21/06/2026 20:15:38    2680983

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Replying To gaeltacht81:  "Every donegal fan hurting today, but thats sport, we'll be back. Good luck to dublin in the rest of the championship. But the ill will and gloating towards donegal is sickening, been on half a dozen websites today and the comments are so unkind and unsporting it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. When did gaa fans start this carryon. Some people need to have a word with themselves. But Donegal is going nowhere, we'll be back running and gunning next year. Hup Donegal"
Yeah that stuff is very strange to me, I don't really understand it. What I would say is 99.9% of the people I meet at matches are nothing like the online comments

CCFabu (Donegal) - Posts: 348 - 21/06/2026 20:16:11    2680984

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Replying To hurler301:  "Jim was wanted when things were at an all time low."
Indeed they did but he was brought back to win an All Ireland and that's definitely dust after today... hard to see where they could go from here as we all know how Jimmy operates. The José Mourinho of the GAA.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 2118 - 21/06/2026 20:20:14    2680987

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Said it after the Cork game and same again today, we get murdered around the middle and if Murphy or McGee don't win it clean we invariably lose the breaks, been a recurring problem. They were the two worst players we coud have lost for the 1st half of extra time, couldnt get our hands on the ball.

JimB1991 (Donegal) - Posts: 209 - 21/06/2026 20:22:26    2680988

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Replying To JimB1991:  "Said it after the Cork game and same again today, we get murdered around the middle and if Murphy or McGee don't win it clean we invariably lose the breaks, been a recurring problem. They were the two worst players we coud have lost for the 1st half of extra time, couldnt get our hands on the ball."
It really was an uphill battle for the first half of ET without those 2 especially with how McGee had played in the last 10 mins of normal time, massive loss

Samforthehills26 (Donegal) - Posts: 11 - 21/06/2026 20:37:35    2680995

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Replying To CCFabu:  "Yeah that stuff is very strange to me, I don't really understand it. What I would say is 99.9% of the people I meet at matches are nothing like the online comments"
Funny I might be the .1% at a match but I can actually get people being passionate when they are supporting a team. To write and hold that bitterness and nastiness is just so strange to me.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 1023 - 21/06/2026 20:40:32    2680996

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Travelling to Croker today I suppose we were hoping that last week was only a blip, and that we would hit the ground running today. But it was obvious after 20 minutes that it wasn't going to be easy, and that if we did cross todays hurdle that it would be our last one. We just never looked comfortable, everything seemed to be laboured. Dublin had a wee bit more zip about them. Our speedy players looked off the pace, and our bigger units looked completely and utterly off it.

After 27 minutes Dublin got a kick out away easy to the Cusack side. Hughie was chasing after their No 3, but was on empty. He was over on the sideline straight away getting an energy gel. That to me summed up the whole day. In the second half when Caolan McGonagle was bearing down on goals for the goal chance, he just didn't seem to be travelling as quickly as was needed.

You'd have to ask serious questions about the strength of the squad. I'm sure Jim will say that they were looking at the Stats, and he talked about having healthy bodies on the pitch, but when you are taking the same men off and putting them back on; when you bring fresh legs on (Sean Martin), but take them back off after a few minutes. When you bring Ciaran Thompson on for a few minutes, then take him off, then take him back on when he hasn't kicked a ball in anger in 11 months; you'd have to question squad depth.

And to touch on the point someone else made, the vitriol towards Jim and Michael especially is stomach churning. Its been my absolute pleasure to see many of his 200 appearances, but to see him treated like this, it is an absolute insult to what he has given to the game for near on 20 years. He has more class in his wee toe than many of those who have criticised him. As a county, and as a sport, we owe him a debt of gratitude.

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 937 - 21/06/2026 20:54:17    2681004

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Replying To ORIELMAN85:  "Not a chance McHugh is leaving Westmeath."
Mchugh should be nowhere near the donegal manager position

eddieSize5Balls (Donegal) - Posts: 418 - 21/06/2026 20:57:44    2681005

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