Football

Eamon McGee enjoying Gweedore's return to Donegal SFC Final

Eamon McGee in action for Gweedore against Corofin during this year's All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final.<br /> Picture Margaret McLaughlin
Eamon McGee in action for Gweedore against Corofin during this year's All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final.
Picture Margaret McLaughlin
Eamon McGee in action for Gweedore against Corofin during this year's All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final.
Picture Margaret McLaughlin

Eamon McGee has been making quite a career as a columnist/analyst in recent times.

Before that, us hacks got loads of enjoyment out of his witty and often lateral musings.

You were always guaranteed something interesting, quirky and he could skilfully evade most of the more jarring clichés.

So much so, that he could get away with saying some things that might jar if it came from a different type of personality.

On this autumn evening, he is in the Abbey Hotel at the Donegal county final press night, and it is no different, when he is asked if he felt that his club Gaoth Dobhair were being disrespected by Kilcar being made favourites and bookies quoting his club at 2/1 to beat their great rivals from Towney in the county semi-final.

So did that act as motivator for McGee and Gaoth Dobhair as their manager Mervyn O’Donnell said he felt the Ulster champions had been shown “disrespect” in his post- match comments after beating Kilcar?

But McGee is not singing from the same hymn sheet.

“Maybe that impacted on a few different boys but personally you have to look at in perspective.

“I do a bit of work with the media in a column and you can only go on what you see.

“And you analyse what is in front of you and we had not been putting in the form to be judged as favourites.

“On form, Kilcar were rightly favourites going into the county semi-final in my opinion.

“It may have impacted a few lads, but it did not affect the older lads in the team”.

But Gaoth Dobhair certainly showed who was the form team as their well- executed killer goals ended a brave Kilcar effort.

In doing so, they showed glimpses of why they remain a formidable force with much more to come.

“That is the thing, I think it was just glimpses of what we are capable of.

“It was far from a perfect performance, there was a lot we did wrong and a lot to be worked on and hopefully we can brush up on that.

“We had a good session in the middle of the week and a good session at the weekend and hopefully we can tick all the necessary boxes”.

One enduring trait about this Gaoth Dobhair team from last year, is their enduring ability to get goals.

“There are live wires in our team and they just love getting the goals.

“You just feed them the ball and they do the hard work and the goals sum up the team and these lads are full of energy”.

Of that there is no doubt, and Daire O’Baoill, Cian Mulligand and the ageless Kevin Cassidy certainly know where the net is as they clearly showed in winning last year’s Ulster title and “Cass”supplied the coup de grace that ended Kilcar’s ambitions.

So what are the strengths of Glenties?

“Glenties are just Glenties and there was a lot of talk about Kilcar and Gaoth Dobhair for the championship and they must have been rubbing their hands and Glenties were definitely disrespected and they are in the county final on merit.

“They beat us two years ago in the semi-final and that is where we aspired to be-to be a championship team like Glenties.

“We just did not have that edge or that bite and we led by six points at a time and we were hoping to learn from that experience.

“They will be a difficult proposition and there is no doubt about it.

“When you consider you are going into your third county final in a row and the prospect of losing it is there.

“That has to be a motivating factor and there are proud GAA men in the Glenties club.

“You don’t want that hanging over you.

“There are a few boys at the higher age bracket, and they don’t want to be clocking out with losing three county finals in a row”.

So where will the main threats come from Glenties?

“Yes, people like Leo McLoone, Anthony Thompson, they sum It up, they have great heart, they dive on the ball and play football the way we have always strived play it.

“And I have always looked up to the likes of Leo and Tony and Marty Boyle has been there quite a few years too and he has been a great servant.

“They are a quality team”.

So have Gaoth Dobhair been timing their run?

McGee demurs slightly before saying: “We obviously had a plan for the season, but we just did not get up to the level we wanted to as we just stuttered right through.

“We got closer when we played Kilcar,but we are not near where we need to be and if we play like we did earlier, Glenties will just turn us over”.

But on the plus side, Kevin Cassidy is coming good at the right time.

“Yes, Cass is like Leo and Tony Thompson, he is a real championship player and he knows what the big days are about and when we needed him he turned up”.

Just like the many faceted Eamon McGee!