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Does Cassidy still tog out for Gweedore? FoolsGold (Cavan) - Posts: 2839 - 19/10/2023 15:30:21 2509259 Link
Replying To StockholmGael: "It depends on what starting 15 turn up for Gaoth Dobhair. Will they spring a surprise with the naming of Cian Mulligan on the teamsheet? He'd be a serious threat if they flew him home for the final and would take a serious marker. Will Michael Carroll and Gavin McBride be fit to start? Naomh Conaill will need to have someone sticky on all of them if they start. Of course, the main threat is MacNiallais. He's a magician, and can sometimes just turn up and do the bare minimum at his standard in a match, but has the capacity to ruin an opponent with long range points and defense splitting passes, not to mention goals. It really depends on what his mood is like on the day. Naomh Conaill will not gamble on whether he will or won't. Where he'll play will be interesting. I'd say he'll play further up the field than what we've seen so far in the championship and can see him starting in the half forward line, and wouldn't be surprised to see him rotated inside for periods. I don't anticipate a huge threat from Eamonn McGee inside, but I'd be delighted if he proved me wrong. Ethan Harkin needs to have a good day. An exhibition at the weekend could get him a call-up to the county setup. A fine tuning by Jim would help the club to no end. We need goals against a team that doesn't concede goals. That's the conundrum. Francie Friel has to be commended, along with Ronan MacNiallais. I've the height of respect for Naomh Conaill. They're a credit to Donegal football and I hope we get a competitive match, and may the victors do us all proud in Ulster." Yeah it'll be interesting to see what the starting 15's are. I think Naomh Conaill's might be easier to predict than Gaoth Dobhair's. I wouldn't believe anything that is written or said, right up until the throw-in the starting 15 might not be decided. If McBride is fit he'll probably be on the edge of the square, with Eamon McGee and Harkin beside him. They're all big men so it would certainly make Naomh Conaill think. Then you have the running power of Carroll if he's fit too. No doubt Gaoth Dobhair will be keeping their cards close to their chest on those lads. But Naomh Conaill are so well versed on county final day now I'm sure they'll not panic too much either way. They trust in their process and to be fair it has served them so well over the years. It should be another very tight battle and could come down to whichever team is more clinical on the day. If Gaoth Dobhair can score a goal or two they won't be far away, and in recent games they've shown they're well capable of that. Getting them against the NC machine is a different story though. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9535 - 19/10/2023 15:43:52 2509261 Link
Replying To FoolsGold: "Does Cassidy still tog out for Gweedore?" Full forward for the reserve team. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9535 - 19/10/2023 15:44:14 2509262 Link
Replying To FoolsGold: "Does Cassidy still tog out for Gweedore?" He'll be lining out for the reserves in their final, AFAIK. StockholmGael (Donegal) - Posts: 135 - 19/10/2023 15:55:12 2509267 Link
Replying To peiledoir20: "If you want to talk about DOUBLE STANDARDS, look no further than the Tyrone man and Robert Emmetts rep coming on here giving about dirty shots on the field. Because their teams have never done such a thing. I hope the irony isn't lost on you both." Indeed, plenty of incidents in every Championship game, the only player I recall having to leave the field bleeding in the Junior B final was A Convoy player. Best of luck to both teams in the replay. BeardedBorderGael (Donegal) - Posts: 49 - 19/10/2023 16:11:17 2509273 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "Full forward for the reserve team." Yea great to see. A real legend. Gaoth dobhar a club with great tradition. rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2579 - 19/10/2023 16:12:31 2509274 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "Yeah it'll be interesting to see what the starting 15's are. I think Naomh Conaill's might be easier to predict than Gaoth Dobhair's. I wouldn't believe anything that is written or said, right up until the throw-in the starting 15 might not be decided. If McBride is fit he'll probably be on the edge of the square, with Eamon McGee and Harkin beside him. They're all big men so it would certainly make Naomh Conaill think. Then you have the running power of Carroll if he's fit too. No doubt Gaoth Dobhair will be keeping their cards close to their chest on those lads. But Naomh Conaill are so well versed on county final day now I'm sure they'll not panic too much either way. They trust in their process and to be fair it has served them so well over the years. It should be another very tight battle and could come down to whichever team is more clinical on the day. If Gaoth Dobhair can score a goal or two they won't be far away, and in recent games they've shown they're well capable of that. Getting them against the NC machine is a different story though." That's it. It'll be another wildcard if Keiran Gillespie will start and how sharp he is if he does. I can't imagine he's anywhere near full tilt, but it'd be good to see him getting an injury free run next season. Naomh Conaill have come back from fairly big deficits on three occasions already this season. They don't panic, which shows how battle hardened they are in big games. If Gaoth Dobhair do put a bit of light between them with goals, do they collectively have that mentality and focus to not let Naomh Conaill back in the game? It could tactically be a game of chess. I think we'll be seeing a few retirements from both panels when the season finishes, so that should add a bit of heart from the veterans of both sides. Neither team will post St Eunans wide count, and win. Every score will be hard got, I predict. As long as it's a clean game, which I think it will be between two good, proud footballing sides. Regan is a shrewd operator. Heart says Gaoth Dobhair, head says Naomh Conaill. StockholmGael (Donegal) - Posts: 135 - 19/10/2023 16:25:19 2509282 Link
Replying To StockholmGael: "That's it. It'll be another wildcard if Keiran Gillespie will start and how sharp he is if he does. I can't imagine he's anywhere near full tilt, but it'd be good to see him getting an injury free run next season. Naomh Conaill have come back from fairly big deficits on three occasions already this season. They don't panic, which shows how battle hardened they are in big games. If Gaoth Dobhair do put a bit of light between them with goals, do they collectively have that mentality and focus to not let Naomh Conaill back in the game? It could tactically be a game of chess. I think we'll be seeing a few retirements from both panels when the season finishes, so that should add a bit of heart from the veterans of both sides. Neither team will post St Eunans wide count, and win. Every score will be hard got, I predict. As long as it's a clean game, which I think it will be between two good, proud footballing sides. Regan is a shrewd operator. Heart says Gaoth Dobhair, head says Naomh Conaill." I'm the same. Absolutely no slight at all on the Naomh Conaill club, they have reaped the rewards from all their hard work over the years. But it'd be nice to see another team win the county title to freshen things up and offer encouragement to other clubs fighting to get up to the required level. Ideally you'd like the senior championship to become a bit like the Intermediate in being very hard to predict. Maybe in the not too distant future there will be a big 6 - NC, St Eunans, GD, Kilcar, Four Masters and MacCumhaills? Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9535 - 19/10/2023 16:40:29 2509285 Link
Replying To points50swiththeargyllsonthewrongfeet: "Some past-it clown trying to do with his elbow what he can no longer do playing football. Sounds like no accident, and yes he should be prosecuted. The days of assaulting opponents that you can't fairly compete with are gone, and there should be zero tolerance for that rubbish." What we are dealing with here is simply a matter of fact versus fiction . As someone who has witnessed both incidents I believe I can bring a few issues to light. The fact is ,the Convoy player was assaulted and his assailant was found guilty and punished by the courts. The fictional part is that the Robert Emmetts player was struck in the face . He was involved in **housery at it's finest and was trying to get a player removed from the field by cheating. Lukily for all involved the referee confirmed with his linesman that no player had been struck in the face as suggested. In regards to the Comments from our close neighbour , I'll draw your attention to the all Ireland Junior final this year and would love to hear your fair and balanced option on that encounter and what should have happened there ? AhhSure (Donegal)** - Posts: 1 - 19/10/2023 19:15:46 2509317 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "I'm the same. Absolutely no slight at all on the Naomh Conaill club, they have reaped the rewards from all their hard work over the years. But it'd be nice to see another team win the county title to freshen things up and offer encouragement to other clubs fighting to get up to the required level. Ideally you'd like the senior championship to become a bit like the Intermediate in being very hard to predict. Maybe in the not too distant future there will be a big 6 - NC, St Eunans, GD, Kilcar, Four Masters and MacCumhaills?" People have mentioned quite a lot about Naomh Conaill not panicking during games this year. I think it has more to do with their conditioning levels this year. They have been brilliant in 2nd half of games and have blown teams away. If you look at Leo McLoone as a guide, he is in as good a condition as he has been in a long time. Anthony Thompson has been in superb form along with Brendy McDyre and John O Malley who seem to be getting stronger and fitter. The Doherty's are like machines and get stronger as the game goes on whereas other lads on the opposition are tiring badly. ryan (Donegal) - Posts: 747 - 20/10/2023 10:11:17 2509365 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "I'm the same. Absolutely no slight at all on the Naomh Conaill club, they have reaped the rewards from all their hard work over the years. But it'd be nice to see another team win the county title to freshen things up and offer encouragement to other clubs fighting to get up to the required level. Ideally you'd like the senior championship to become a bit like the Intermediate in being very hard to predict. Maybe in the not too distant future there will be a big 6 - NC, St Eunans, GD, Kilcar, Four Masters and MacCumhaills?" I think you can take Kilcar out of that group in the future. They are starting to regress and will loose great players like Patrck Mc Brearty and Ryan in the next few years. Four Masters have a bit to go yet to be considered in any top 6? Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 411 - 20/10/2023 11:55:26 2509400 Link
Replying To ryan: "People have mentioned quite a lot about Naomh Conaill not panicking during games this year. I think it has more to do with their conditioning levels this year. They have been brilliant in 2nd half of games and have blown teams away. If you look at Leo McLoone as a guide, he is in as good a condition as he has been in a long time. Anthony Thompson has been in superb form along with Brendy McDyre and John O Malley who seem to be getting stronger and fitter. The Doherty's are like machines and get stronger as the game goes on whereas other lads on the opposition are tiring badly." Yeah that's for sure. The NC lads won't be found wanting in the fitness stakes. Those older lads are a credit to their club the way they keep coming back for more. OK, being successful helps in that regard. But as you get older, the knocks and niggles become harder to shake off. It would be very easy for those lads to sit at home with tea and a biscuit on those bad old nights for training and be satisfied with what they have. But they just keep driving the thing on and set the standards for younger lads coming through. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9535 - 20/10/2023 11:55:34 2509401 Link
Replying To ryan: "People have mentioned quite a lot about Naomh Conaill not panicking during games this year. I think it has more to do with their conditioning levels this year. They have been brilliant in 2nd half of games and have blown teams away. If you look at Leo McLoone as a guide, he is in as good a condition as he has been in a long time. Anthony Thompson has been in superb form along with Brendy McDyre and John O Malley who seem to be getting stronger and fitter. The Doherty's are like machines and get stronger as the game goes on whereas other lads on the opposition are tiring badly." Yes, it was incredibly evident that the old guard didn't tire physically in the semi against Eunans. They are in serious shape, even if the role they seem to be directed to play is probably tailored to be less intensive and aimed at having their influence and game intelligence on the pitch for the entirety of the match. StockholmGael (Donegal) - Posts: 135 - 20/10/2023 12:07:09 2509411 Link
We know the big names who will need to be watched by both sides on Sunday - MacNiallais, Harkin, McGee x 2, Thompsons x 2, McKelvey, O'Donnell etc. But I think the key to the game on Sunday could be the 3 Dohertys. They're made of tough stuff and will have big roles to play on Sunday. You'd imagine Ultan will pick up Harkin Eunan and Odhran will be in the thick of it as usual carrying and hoovering up breaking ball and always tend to pop up with a score or two. Looking forward to an intriguing game. peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1072 - 20/10/2023 12:22:05 2509417 Link
Replying To Scenicparish: "I think you can take Kilcar out of that group in the future. They are starting to regress and will loose great players like Patrck Mc Brearty and Ryan in the next few years. Four Masters have a bit to go yet to be considered in any top 6?" Yeah you could be right. Players of that calibre aren't easily replaced. Four Masters are on the right track, but the key now will be transitioning their underage success into senior football. I thought they were showing good signs this year. Definitely a team to keep an eye on. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9535 - 20/10/2023 12:50:35 2509426 Link
Replying To AhhSure: "What we are dealing with here is simply a matter of fact versus fiction . As someone who has witnessed both incidents I believe I can bring a few issues to light. The fact is ,the Convoy player was assaulted and his assailant was found guilty and punished by the courts. The fictional part is that the Robert Emmetts player was struck in the face . He was involved in **housery at it's finest and was trying to get a player removed from the field by cheating. Lukily for all involved the referee confirmed with his linesman that no player had been struck in the face as suggested. In regards to the Comments from our close neighbour , I'll draw your attention to the all Ireland Junior final this year and would love to hear your fair and balanced option on that encounter and what should have happened there ?" I'd say your as happy as larry to ignore the double standards. But ultimately these things catch up with both people and clubs. Good luck to the two teams tomorrow. I think I'll head over to Killygordan and might even see you and peileadoir20 there, I'll know you because you'll have your blinkers on. Whateveryourhavingyourself (Donegal)** - Posts: 59 - 20/10/2023 12:58:05 2509429 Link
Replying To Whateveryourhavingyourself: "I'd say your as happy as larry to ignore the double standards. But ultimately these things catch up with both people and clubs. Good luck to the two teams tomorrow. I think I'll head over to Killygordan and might even see you and peileadoir20 there, I'll know you because you'll have your blinkers on." And we'll know you from higher 20 number on your back on the bench. peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1072 - 20/10/2023 13:49:52 2509441 Link
Was told by a shrewd man last night, that with na rossa winning the junior championship last weekend that bonner has managed teams to win junior, intermediate and senior championships. Did any other manager achieve this I would love to know. Must admit I can't see to many. rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2579 - 20/10/2023 13:52:05 2509445 Link
Replying To rorysboys: "Was told by a shrewd man last night, that with na rossa winning the junior championship last weekend that bonner has managed teams to win junior, intermediate and senior championships. Did any other manager achieve this I would love to know. Must admit I can't see to many." Was he player manager of them in 1999? Aside from his managerial achievements you have to admire the man's dedication to his club during his stint as senior county manager acting as chairman. Added to that he even played a few games in goals in his early 50s just to make sure they would field when numbers were tight. Fair play to him. peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1072 - 20/10/2023 14:24:35 2509460 Link
Replying To peiledoir20: "Was he player manager of them in 1999? Aside from his managerial achievements you have to admire the man's dedication to his club during his stint as senior county manager acting as chairman. Added to that he even played a few games in goals in his early 50s just to make sure they would field when numbers were tight. Fair play to him." He must have been player manager in 1999. Don't know for sure. rorysboys (Donegal) - Posts: 2579 - 20/10/2023 14:45:43 2509469 Link