All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifying Round Two: Donegal v Armagh (tomorrow, Clones, 4pm, live on RTE2)
ONE Swallow doesn’t make a summer but Armagh’s dismantling of Tyrone last Sunday means they’ll go bouncing into tomorrow’s Championship rematch with Donegal in Clones.
Settling the score is a tall order for them because Donegal beat them soundly in the Ulster quarter-final at their Ballybofey fortress. There were seven points in it at the finish and that margin actually flattered the Orchardmen.
But in the two months since, Donegal’s form and confidence has steadily deteriorated. Cavan’s kicking game ripped holes in their defence in the Ulster semi-final at Clones and Paddy Lynch and James Smith made hay in the sunshine with nine points between them.
Donegal changed tack in the second half and goals from Conor O’Donnell and Paddy McBrearty got them out of jail but they looked stale and bereft of ideas in the Ulster final against Derry and got what they deserved out of the game - nothing.
They’ve had two weeks to get that out of their system and they can’t expect that Armagh will come to Clones and try to match their defensive set-up, like they did in the first meeting, and win a chess match. Playing that way does not suit Armagh.
The Orchardmen want a contest, they need to have their gander up. They want to kick the ball and get it forward quickly to their attackers and it will be a surprise, and a mistake, if Kieran McGeeney doesn’t send his men out with licence to go for it tomorrow. Even in Ballybofey, after being second best in the first half, when Armagh began to attack with intensity they created the chances that could have got them back into the game. They didn’t take them but they surely have to start with that same attitude tomorrow.
Armagh can change their attitude and their tactics but there are some things they will struggle to change - first and foremost winning kick-outs. Donegal completely dominated them in this vital sector in the first game when Armagh just could not get the ball through their press. Jason McGee and Hugh McFadden had a field day and even though Jamie Brennan struggled and Paddy McBrearty wasn’t in the game in the first half, the amount of primary possession Donegal won made it almost impossible for them to lose.
And for this rematch Armagh are without the Mackin brothers, Connaire and Ciaran, Tiernan Kelly, Oisin O’Neill, Niall Grimley and corner-back Paddy Burns and they’ve only had a week to recover from the shift they put in against Tyrone.
Ethan Rafferty had a terrific game against the Red Hands but a week is a long time in football. Tyrone were missing Brian Kennedy in midfield and allowing Rafferty to carry the ball up the field cost them two points that inspired Armagh so Donegal are bound to go after him tomorrow.
They’ll be hunting his kick-outs down in packs and the Orchard brains trust will have to come up with a much better strategy than they managed in Ballybofey or the tide will turn against them very quickly. Will Rafferty target Ben Crealey whose deft flick-on created a goal chance against Tyrone?
As for Donegal, a repeat of what they produced in Ballybofey won’t do it for them. What can they change? They have players who are capable of playing a much better style of football but tomorrow is not the right time for Declan Bonner to reinvent the wheel.
However, he has to make adjustments and pushing Michael Murphy to the edge of the square would be an improvement. The Glenswilly maestro spent far too much of the Ulster final in his half-back line giving simple fist-passes left and right. Donegal need him in there where he can hurt Armagh tomorrow and they need a lot more out of Ryan McHugh, who was largely anonymous against Derry.
Jamie Brennan and McBrearty weren’t in that game either and it’s inconceivable that they will go out again tomorrow and settle for standing on the fringes like they did against the Oak Leafers. Then again, do Armagh have defenders of the calibre of McKaigue and Rogers who can keep them out there? Peadar Mogan was the only Donegal forward who showed any willingness to go at the Derry defence and he will take careful monitoring tomorrow.
Donegal have their system and they know it well. It is increasingly hard to look at and it will only get so far, but they will be confident it will get them past Armagh in Clones, a ground they know very well.
Meanwhile, Armagh’s injury problems have mounted and they’ve had little time to rest but they have momentum and got a monkey off their back by beating Tyrone last Sunday. Tyrone had a wretched 2022 but they battled away and Armagh bullied them out of it with scores from 10 players including Andrew Murnin and Conor Turbitt who came off the bench.
Armagh tried to play Donegal at their own game last time out and that back-fired so they have to play their own game tomorrow. Donegal have been a bogey team for Armagh and they will dominate the ball for spells of this rematch but in their current form they don’t have the firepower to blast the Orchardmen out of the game.
Donegal beat Armagh first time out but I don’t think they’ll do it again. One Swallow doesn’t make a summer.
