Allianz National Football League: Donegal v Roscommon (tomorrow, Dr Hyde Park, 2.30pm)
AFTER a second viewing, perhaps Donegal weren’t as disappointing as was initially felt upon leaving O’Donnell Park last Sunday evening.
In the end, Kerry won their Allianz Division One opener by three points – but it felt like more.
Donegal came on strong in the closing stages and hit the last six scores of the game.
Before the home side’s late onslaught on Kerry's posts, boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice had already withdrawn some of the forwards - James O’Donoghue, Paul Murphy and Donnchadh Walsh - that helped inflict defeat on Donegal’s new-look side.
There were plus points for Rory Gallagher though: his side attacked well in the opening 25 minutes but didn’t take their chances. On second viewing, Caolan Ward had good spells on Paul Geaney even though the Dingle attacker bagged 2-2 from open play.
Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher showed good attacking instincts from his wing-back position, likewise Paul Brennan and Marty Reilly continues to be a player that goes under the radar of many opponents, and causes plenty of damage with his line-breaking runs.
Jamie Brennan simply didn’t get on enough ball to use his pace, while Ciaran Thompson could fulfil the play-making role so brilliantly interpreted and defined by Odhran McNaillais, gone travelling for the year, over the last couple of seasons.
On another day, Kerry mightn’t have been so economical in front of the posts and Donegal could have nicked something.
Midfield, however, was undoubtedly a problem for Donegal in sunny Letterkenny last weekend particularly when Mark Anthony McGinley’s long kick-outs were regularly gobbled up by the excellent David Moran.
Eoin McHugh, who came on as an early sub for Frank McGlynn last week and played a full Sigerson Cup game for Ulster University on Wednesday, firmly rejected the proposition that Donegal would be happy to merely survive in Division One.
“You want to win every single game in the League,” he said.
“You don’t go into it with the hope of just surviving. That would be a poor attitude to go in with.
“You have to go into every game wanting to win it, no matter who you’re playing, whether it’s Kerry or Roscommon. Those young boys have a serious attitude towards it as well. They really want to win it.”
The Kilcar clubman also felt it was time to stop lamenting the players who've retired in the close season and start hailing the skills that the raft of new players bring to the senior table.
“The whole talk is about players leaving but these bucks coming in have serious pedigree.
“Donegal have had serious pedigree at minor level over the past few years and reaching finals at U21. You have to give credit to these young fellas; they’ve won a lot more than I have at underage level – and a lot more than Michael Murphy.
“They’ve been on a serious learning curve from U16 right up and some of them don’t have much to learn – and they’ll tell you that as well.”
With Dublin lurking just over the horizon, Donegal will see tomorrow’s encounter with Roscommon in the refurbished Dr Hyde Park as the most winnable out of their opening three fixtures.
Tyrone’s six-point victory over the Rossies last weekend probably flattered the home side as Kevin McStay’s men cut through the Red Hand defence on several occasions for goal chances.
Donegal’s keenness to press high up on the Kerry kick-out left them exposed at the back at times.
And Roscommon have the runners from deep in Sean Mullooly and Niall McInerney to punch holes in the Tir Chonaill defence.
But McStay’s big fear is that his team mightn’t be fit for 70 minutes so early in the year, which must give Donegal hope.
Speaking after the Tyrone defeat, the Roscommon boss said: “I’ve a sense we’re struggling a bit for fitness levels; we were blowing a bit near the end.
“It’s kind of a calculated gamble we’ve taken and I’ll have to take responsibility for that one way or the other.
“But it’s with the view the team will be in good shape around April, May time. It’s just a tough bloody League.”
Roscommon (NFL v Donegal): C Lavin; S McDermott, T Featherston, N McInerney, R Stack, S Mullooly, J McManus; K Higgins, T O’Rourke; S Killoran, C Murtagh, E Smith; D Smith, F Cregg, C Devaney
