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Donegal GAA thread

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Replying To gunman:  "McGee,McGonigle,McFadden,Langan,Thompson.How many of the above midfielders can be played at the same time without compromising the dynamic game Jim likes to play."
I'm of the opinion that McGonagle and McFadden are amongst the most dynamic players in the squad. McGonagle as a ball carrier, and McFadden for his ground covering and kick passing ability.

If they are the midfield two then you could play Langan and Thompson both in half forward line. Play McGee instead of McGonagle and you would likely need to sacrifice one of ML or CT. At this stage it's hard to know though; Kavanagh, Bradley, Toye were completely different footballers pre-McGuinness.

Plenty of young hungry footballers in the panel could make one of those jerseys their own in the next few months.

SurelyToGod (Donegal) - Posts: 433 - 01/01/2024 13:43:55    2517994

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Replying To gunman:  "McGee,McGonigle,McFadden,Langan,Thompson.How many of the above midfielders can be played at the same time without compromising the dynamic game Jim likes to play."
I hope I am proven wrong but I can't see how Mcfadden will fit into Jim's intense game plan. Too many games last year he was gone after 40-50 mins.

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1004 - 01/01/2024 14:07:15    2517995

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A huge congratulations to Four Masters, a great start to 2024.

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 699 - 01/01/2024 14:21:57    2517996

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Replying To SurelyToGod:  "I'm of the opinion that McGonagle and McFadden are amongst the most dynamic players in the squad. McGonagle as a ball carrier, and McFadden for his ground covering and kick passing ability.

If they are the midfield two then you could play Langan and Thompson both in half forward line. Play McGee instead of McGonagle and you would likely need to sacrifice one of ML or CT. At this stage it's hard to know though; Kavanagh, Bradley, Toye were completely different footballers pre-McGuinness.

Plenty of young hungry footballers in the panel could make one of those jerseys their own in the next few months."
Cant see Mc Fadden playing much. At no point I think you sacrifice Langan..he's our main man. Be interesting to see how many established players play Wednesday night

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1190 - 01/01/2024 14:41:43    2517998

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Replying To SurelyToGod:  "I'm of the opinion that McGonagle and McFadden are amongst the most dynamic players in the squad. McGonagle as a ball carrier, and McFadden for his ground covering and kick passing ability.

If they are the midfield two then you could play Langan and Thompson both in half forward line. Play McGee instead of McGonagle and you would likely need to sacrifice one of ML or CT. At this stage it's hard to know though; Kavanagh, Bradley, Toye were completely different footballers pre-McGuinness.

Plenty of young hungry footballers in the panel could make one of those jerseys their own in the next few months."
My opinion is that you can only play 3 of that 5.Langan is the only one suitable as a half forward and of the 5 he is the best player and has to play somewhere.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1121 - 01/01/2024 14:47:04    2517999

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Replying To TheRock2121:  "Very good. Any word on the individuals who played ?"
Only one I know for definite played was Langan, didn't hear much about the game unfortunately

NPadraigAbu (Donegal) - Posts: 82 - 01/01/2024 15:03:10    2518000

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "I hope I am proven wrong but I can't see how Mcfadden will fit into Jim's intense game plan. Too many games last year he was gone after 40-50 mins."
Agree. Good player maybe for final 20 to manage the end of a game but isn't like the bigger men we had in Jim's first tenure.. Kavanagh, Neil Gallagher and Ryan Bradley could all take a score and had more about them either in terms of fielding or passing. McFadden is sluggish, I don't see him being a mainstay in this new era under Jim but who knows.

Donegal_abroad (Donegal) - Posts: 1384 - 01/01/2024 17:09:27    2518010

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Replying To peiledoir20:  "I hope I am proven wrong but I can't see how Mcfadden will fit into Jim's intense game plan. Too many games last year he was gone after 40-50 mins."
Ryan Bradley was often asked to go out and run himself into the ground for 40-50 minutes, before being called ashore. And although Jason may not be the same type of player as Bradley, he does give the option of dropping into full forward for short periods. There, he would get a breather, and offer a threat which a lot of defences will have to counteract.

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 699 - 01/01/2024 17:39:21    2518012

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Replying To gunman:  "My opinion is that you can only play 3 of that 5.Langan is the only one suitable as a half forward and of the 5 he is the best player and has to play somewhere."
Langan and Thompson will both play in the half forward line. Both are great at scoring long range points and also give good options on kick outs.

Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 405 - 01/01/2024 18:12:38    2518016

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Replying To NPadraigAbu:  "Nevermind was a challenge against Leitrim, good win apparently"
Any word on the score?Teams?

masseyferguson (Leitrim) - Posts: 107 - 01/01/2024 18:57:00    2518018

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Replying To greenfan:  "Not sure, probably not good enough at his age and with his injury issues in recent years. I see he's gonna be assistant to Declan Bonner in Fermanagh"
Interesting appointments, presumably Brennan isn't going to play much for Bundoran if he's assisting Bonner in Fermanagh. Surprised to see Declan leave Na Rossa after a successful season, I would have thought he'd want to lead his club into the intermediate championship and Division 2 for the first time in many years.

Declan is a shrewd man though, I'd say he wouldn't want a relegation on the CV, he can go elsewhere . It will likely a tough season ahead for them, will those players that were traveling home from England every week continue to do so? it's a bit easier to give that commitment when the team is winning every week in Division 3 and Junior Championship.

BeardedBorderGael (Donegal) - Posts: 45 - 01/01/2024 20:51:26    2518026

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Replying To gunman:  "My opinion is that you can only play 3 of that 5.Langan is the only one suitable as a half forward and of the 5 he is the best player and has to play somewhere."
I would think Jim has a new template and a new game plan that's different to 2012, something innovative that no one else has done before that can give us a fighting chance against Dublins and Kerry's etc.

We have enough depth in all positions and roles except for inside forwards, A fully fit Gallen is a match winner but we need 2 or 3 inside forwards of this calibre to win a all Ireland and I think Brennan and McBrearty are good back up to have but the top man markers in other countys would probably come out on top in 1v1s against Brennan and McBrearty, hopefully some of the younger inside forwards can step up to hit 1.5 or 2.2 on days Gallen is injured or double marked out of it.

McBrearty and Brennan are at the stage of their careers where the can make bigger contributions as impact subs rather than starters. But who else should Start as inside forward or main finisher along with Gallen ?

Tirchonailabu56 (Donegal) - Posts: 23 - 01/01/2024 21:52:07    2518027

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A lot will be dependent on how much untapped potential all the players available have and how much of that Jim can extract.

I have a feeling McFadden and McBrearty's races are already ran.

StockholmGael (Donegal) - Posts: 135 - 01/01/2024 22:08:18    2518028

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Replying To Tirchonailabu56:  "I would think Jim has a new template and a new game plan that's different to 2012, something innovative that no one else has done before that can give us a fighting chance against Dublins and Kerry's etc.

We have enough depth in all positions and roles except for inside forwards, A fully fit Gallen is a match winner but we need 2 or 3 inside forwards of this calibre to win a all Ireland and I think Brennan and McBrearty are good back up to have but the top man markers in other countys would probably come out on top in 1v1s against Brennan and McBrearty, hopefully some of the younger inside forwards can step up to hit 1.5 or 2.2 on days Gallen is injured or double marked out of it.

McBrearty and Brennan are at the stage of their careers where the can make bigger contributions as impact subs rather than starters. But who else should Start as inside forward or main finisher along with Gallen ?"
The past 6 years have shown that this current Donegal side have raw potential, despite us defensively being weak for most of that time.

2018 - Ulster Champions, McKenna Cup champions.
2019 - Ulster Champions, Division 2 league Champions
2020 - Ulster Runners Up v Cavan.
2021 - Lost to eventual All Ireland champions Tyrone (McGee injured, Murphy sent off).
2022 - Ulster Runners Up AET v Derry, lost to Armagh in qualifier.
2023 - All Ireland Preliminary QF v Tyrone.

If Jim McGuinness can tighten things up at the back, unearth an inside forward or two, I believe we have the tools to rise to the top again. Nothing is guaranteed, but I'm confident they will give their best under Jim's management.

Some prominent players may have less prominent roles moving forward, but that will be based on performance and ability, and takes nothing away from what these players have given to the jersey over the years.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1193 - 02/01/2024 09:14:03    2518036

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Replying To Tirchonailabu56:  "I would think Jim has a new template and a new game plan that's different to 2012, something innovative that no one else has done before that can give us a fighting chance against Dublins and Kerry's etc.

We have enough depth in all positions and roles except for inside forwards, A fully fit Gallen is a match winner but we need 2 or 3 inside forwards of this calibre to win a all Ireland and I think Brennan and McBrearty are good back up to have but the top man markers in other countys would probably come out on top in 1v1s against Brennan and McBrearty, hopefully some of the younger inside forwards can step up to hit 1.5 or 2.2 on days Gallen is injured or double marked out of it.

McBrearty and Brennan are at the stage of their careers where the can make bigger contributions as impact subs rather than starters. But who else should Start as inside forward or main finisher along with Gallen ?"
Not so sure Jamie Brennan is at the impact sub stage just yet, he's 28 so really should be one whose best years are ahead under Jim if he utilises his tenure well. He has looked a bit lost in recent years and he would be a prime candidate for the type of improvement that Jim seems to be able to get from players. You could name plenty of others too where you would hope for 20/30% more from each one, but he strikes me as one. This is a fella who terrorised every defence in Ulster for a few seasons but like Donegal in general, seems to have regressed or become stagnant.

Donegal_abroad (Donegal) - Posts: 1384 - 02/01/2024 09:38:38    2518037

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Happy New Year lads!

Lets hope 2024 will be a better one for Donegal GAA. We got a good start anyway with Four Masters winning the Ulster minior club championship. Fair play to all involved. Obviously a lot of hard work has gone in there and it will be interesting to see if they can translate it into senior success in the years to come.

Tomorrow night sees the return of competitive action for Donegal, albeit in the McKenna Cup. I think the players will be taking it seriously enough and wanting to impress Jim. The league isn't too far away so it will be important to lay down a marker. The weather isn't too bad at the moment, so hopefully we'll see a decent crowd in attendance.

What would be your expectations for the year ahead? I might be a bit optimistic with the below but we might as well aim high!

- Promotion from Division 2
- Ulster title (I think if we can overcome Derry which I know will be a huge task, then the momentum it would bring will be huge)
- AI semi finals

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9510 - 02/01/2024 12:59:19    2518051

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Happy New Year lads!

Lets hope 2024 will be a better one for Donegal GAA. We got a good start anyway with Four Masters winning the Ulster minior club championship. Fair play to all involved. Obviously a lot of hard work has gone in there and it will be interesting to see if they can translate it into senior success in the years to come.

Tomorrow night sees the return of competitive action for Donegal, albeit in the McKenna Cup. I think the players will be taking it seriously enough and wanting to impress Jim. The league isn't too far away so it will be important to lay down a marker. The weather isn't too bad at the moment, so hopefully we'll see a decent crowd in attendance.

What would be your expectations for the year ahead? I might be a bit optimistic with the below but we might as well aim high!

- Promotion from Division 2
- Ulster title (I think if we can overcome Derry which I know will be a huge task, then the momentum it would bring will be huge)
- AI semi finals"
Beating Derry in their own backyard will be tough. Then a fresh Tyrone team waiting on us before an Armagh final. Not easy. A lot to be said for losing the first round to Derry and get ready for the business end of the year.

TheRock2121 (Donegal) - Posts: 1190 - 02/01/2024 14:10:01    2518064

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I see they won't take cash at the gate on Wednesday night, I thought cash was legal tender in this state? is it to protect us from covid again or something?

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3001 - 02/01/2024 14:36:04    2518066

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "I see they won't take cash at the gate on Wednesday night, I thought cash was legal tender in this state? is it to protect us from covid again or something?"
To make sure the UC gets the gate money!!

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1918 - 02/01/2024 15:13:53    2518070

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Replying To TheRock2121:  "Beating Derry in their own backyard will be tough. Then a fresh Tyrone team waiting on us before an Armagh final. Not easy. A lot to be said for losing the first round to Derry and get ready for the business end of the year."
Yeah I know what you mean. I suppose it will be down to what McGuinness prioritises. He has always put great stock in Ulster so I'd imagine he has Derry in his sights. It's back to the usual old arguement, Donegal might have to beat Derry, Tyrone and Armagh to win Ulster and while that would be great, who knows how much it would take out of the players physically and mentally. Another Ulster championship would be fantastic, but at what cost to our ambitions for the business end as you say?

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9510 - 02/01/2024 15:49:29    2518074

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