Football

Odhran MacNaillais aiming for final glory with Gweedore

Gweedore's Odhran Mac Naillais is hoping to follow a family tradition ahead of this weekend's Donegal final against Glenties
Gweedore's Odhran Mac Naillais is hoping to follow a family tradition ahead of this weekend's Donegal final against Glenties Gweedore's Odhran Mac Naillais is hoping to follow a family tradition ahead of this weekend's Donegal final against Glenties

ODHRAN MacNiallais is one of Ulster Donegal’s and Gaoth Dobhair’s most gifted players, a languid artist with a salmon leap, a superb finish and real 20/20 vision.

He has been playing the football of his life with his beloved Gaoth Dobhair from midfield along with Daire O’Baoill, with the option of also dropping in the powerful and mobile Kieran Gillespie.

But there is a stark difference about MacNiallais and his comrades, a realization that destiny is now, and regret is for the fickle hearted.

Gaoth Dobhair have been fit and focused and MacNiallais is much fitter after a fine campaign with the county and, unlike last year, he did not go abroad.

And that has showed in the results on the park.

But when asked what it means to be in a county final, he is typically self-deprecatory.

“I suppose I was never in this position with the club before and there is a great buzz around the parish.

“Everyone is looking forward to the final and it is nice to be in this position and it is a privilege to represent the club in a county final.”

Odhran’s dad Donnacha MacNiallais told him last week about Sean MacCumhaill’s beating Gaoth Dobhair in the 1977 final and the elegant Donnacha was one their stars, so Odhran is carrying on a proud family tradition.

“And MacCumhaill’s beat Gaoth Dobhair also in the 2004 semi-final so that was kind of in our minds for the semi-final.

“A few of the boys were on about it, Kevin Cassidy and Neil McGee were mentioning it, so there was no complacency”

And that realism is something different about this year’s team.

“Other years we have perhaps been a bit complacent.

“We have always known we have a very good team and I know that played on our minds and we thought we could go out and do it on the day, but this year it has been different.

“We have put the shoe down and really gone at it and every man is putting in the same total and complete effort”.

Gaoth Dobhair have been racking up big scores as well.

“Yeah we have boys all over the pitch who can score and have been doing that since we got out of the group stages.

“The first few games are always cagey and luckily we got momentum from a tough group.

“To get out of that was massive and we always knew that if we won the first games against St Eunan’s away we would be in with a good shout.

“And to beat Glenties in the second game was also very important and Glenties knew they had another chance against St Eunan’s after playing us”

Of course that same Glenties overcame a six points deficit to come back and beat Gaoth Dobhair in last year’s county semi-final, so is there a sense of hurt in the green and white of Gaoth Dobhair?

“There is and I have never been as sick in a dressing room after a game in my life.

“We were six points up at half time and we had one foot in the final and that is probably what killed us in the end as we probably thought we had the game won.

“But the difference this year is that when we are a few points up we tend to push on whereas, last year, Glenties got a point very early in the second half which was very important.

“But every man is rallying this year and that is the big difference”.