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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Shane O'Donnell gets his head around Donegal's ‘surreal' showdown with Louth
It's back to Ballybofey for Donegal this weekend, accompanied by the hope and expectation it is only a pit stop on the way to Croke Park. Yet for Shane O'Donnell, getting back to Donegal has been the making of him as an intercounty footballer. The St Eunan's man studied physical education and maths in DCU, during which time he tried to combine living in the capital and playing for Donegal. He made his senior debut in 2022 but, given the travel and associated time demands, he stepped back from the Donegal squad the following season. The return of Jim McGuinness to the helm in 2024 prompted O'Donnell to recommit and now, having completed his studies, the 24-year-old is back living and working in Donegal, teaching at Deele College in Raphoe. READ MORE One of his teaching colleagues in the school is his Donegal team-mate Peadar Mogan. Those home comforts have helped him produce some of his strongest showing so far for Donegal, while he was also named as the club player of the year following last season's county championship. 'I suppose the big thing for me there was getting home, I was in Dublin there for four years so it was very taxing on the body,' he recalls. 'Which kind of led to me taking the break as well. It is definitely a lot easier now being at home, it takes away the travelling. 'I was kind of nearly living out of the car at one stage. It is nice to be able to recover and rest, especially with the quick turnaround for games. I feel good at the minute and I am looking after the body really well.' O'Donnell has started all seven of Donegal's championship games this summer and chipped in with 0-6, including a point against Mayo. Having emptied himself for the cause last Sunday, O'Donnell was brought ashore with just three minutes remaining. So he was watching on from outside the white lines as Ciarán Moore jinked inside the Mayo defence and popped over a winning point with the last kick of the game. A draw would have been enough for Donegal to finish second as Tyrone were well in control against Cavan in the other group game. Ciarán Moore celebrates clinching victory for Donegal against Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho But while O'Donnell was aware of the permutations, he's not quite sure the players on the field had all the info. 'I suppose when you are caught up in those type of games and those type of moments you are not thinking about other things,' he says. 'It was hard to get messages on with the noise from the supporters, I think we were shouting a few things as well but they didn't hear us. 'There were a few boys probably shouting at [Ciarán] to kick it out and all that. And there were probably a few boys shouting at Shaun [Patton] then as well to drain the clock and wait for the hooter to go. But we're happy with how it turned out.' McGuinness expressed his unhappiness about the venue choice after the victory, the Donegal manager feeling the game should have been set for an alternative neutral venue rather than Dr Hyde Park. However, O'Donnell says the players tend to stay away from such matters and not get caught up worrying over where they play. 'There wouldn't be really much chat about it. I suppose with the big games you are kind of used to being on the road at this stage and you get your preparation done the night before with travelling down to hotels and so on. 'It's probably more of the logistics team that are dreading the thought of it. We are just happy to be playing in the big games and being at this stage of the All-Ireland series.' Their prize for finishing second in the group is a home preliminary quarter-final against Louth at MacCumhaill Park on Sunday at 4pm. It is a straight knockout clash between the Ulster and Leinster provincial champions. 'It's kind of mad that all four of [the provincial winners failed] to make it to the quarter-finals, that we're all in the preliminary round. 'That's how much competition there is between all the teams. We took our eye off the ball I think against Tyrone so we're probably in the place that we deserve to be, second place in the group. 'It's all to play for now and I suppose one of us is going to go out between ourselves and Louth this weekend, which is again surreal that one of the provincial champions isn't even going to make it to the quarter-finals.' Michael Murphy is still doing Michael Murphy things for Donegal. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho If Moore was the game-winning hero for Donegal last Sunday, the imperious Michael Murphy was once again their player of the match. It is impossible to measure the exact impact of Murphy's return to the fold this season but it's fair to say the 2012 All-Ireland-winning captain has been immense for his county. 'He's a bit of an icon for a lot of us because there's a lot of young boys there that wouldn't have played with him beforehand,' says O'Donnell. 'Thankfully I was there for his last year under Declan Boner and Stephen Rochford so I was able to work with him for a year, but there are a lot of new faces there at the minute that wouldn't have seen him before. 'I think a lot of us now just kind of idolise him and look up to him.' Getting Donegal and Murphy back to Croke Park is now the next target.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: Donegal v Mayo, Tyrone v Cavan
Live | Niall McIntyre Today at 08:30 There's a bumper day of action as the group phase of the All-Ireland SFC reaches its conclusion. You can follow all the action as it happens from around the grounds in our liveblog below. Live scores: All-Ireland SFC Louth 2-17 Clare 2-14 (full-time) Monaghan 2-27 Down 1-26 (full-time) Donegal 0-3 Mayo 0-1 (5 mins) Tyrone v Cavan Tailteann Cup quarter-finals Wicklow 2-18 Westmeath 2-17 (full-time) Limerick v Wexford, TUS Gaelic Grounds, 3.45 – GAA+ All-Ireland MHC semi-final Clare 0-27 Cork 1-22 (full-time) 2 minutes ago Peadar Mogan again for Donegal after a breath-taking counter attack. They broke like lightning after Aidan O'Shea was dispossessed and could have had a goal, but Mogan blazed his one-on-one over. Caolan McColgan puts them two clear. 5 minutes ago Peadar Mogan opens the scoring after cutting through before curling over a trademark score. Darren McHale replies. 6 minutes ago Paul Faloon throws the ball-in and we're away. 7 minutes ago We're ready to go in the Hyde. 13 minutes ago Watch Jack McCarron's controversial goal during Monaghan's four point win. The Sunday Game on Twitter / X "It's a clear pick up off the ground"The panel put the microscope over Monaghan's controversial second goal in their win over Down 📺 @RTE2 & @RTEplayer📱 Updates - The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 15, 2025 External contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. 20 minutes ago Louth seal third place in the group, and a place in the preliminary quarter finals. Conor Brannigan kicked two crucial scores down the stretch as they held off a late Clare rally. Louth 2-17 Clare 2-14 (full-time) 24 minutes ago Down's Pat Havern named RTÉ MOTM despite being on the losing side. "It's disappointing not to get over the line. We'll be hopeful we'll get over the line next weekend in Newry." 27 minutes ago Monaghan win by four, sealing top spot in the group and direct progression to the quarter finals. Down will be have a home preliminary QF next weekend. 34 minutes ago Killer of a blow for Down They're pinged for the three-up breach, with Beggan punishing them with an orange flag that puts Monaghan four up. Five minutes left. 36 minutes ago The Clare fight-back is on They hit a quickfire 1-1 to cut the gap in half, with Aaron Griffin bagging their goal. 39 minutes ago Louth are cruising in Portlaoise A two-point-free from Mulroy and a white flag from Conor Brannigan have them eight up with eight minutes left, in what is a do-or-die clash. 42 minutes ago Monaghan take the lead through a McCarron free. Big roar as 38-year-old Darren Hughes enters the fray. 43 minutes ago Jack McCarron levels us up with a class two pointer off the outside of his boot. Magic from the Monaghan stalwart. 46 minutes ago Sub Eugene Branagan kicks Down two ahead after Monaghan hit the post with a gilt-edged goal-chance. 48 minutes ago On second glance, Jack McCarron's goal should have been ruled out as he touched the ball on the ground before hitting the net. Down back in front after an Odhran Murdock free. 50 minutes ago Big turn-around as Monaghan take the lead Stephen O'Hanlon kicks a fine score to put Gabriel Bannigan's side in front. 52 minutes ago Goal for Monaghan as Jack McCarron hits the net at the third attempt after Down desperately tried to guard their goal. One point in it now, with 50 minutes played. Today 09:55 AM Incredible scenes in Aughrim. Dean Healy kicks the winner to book their place in the last four. The veteran captain pops up with a buzzer-beater after a dramatic finale, showing composure to steady himself before kicking over from 40 metres. Both sides had chances in the dying moments but Wicklow take the win after coming from four down in the closing moments. Wicklow join Kildare and Fermanagh in the semi-finals, with the celebrations in full-flight for Oisin McConville's men. Live Blog Software
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Darragh Ó Sé: Fatigue could separate football's contenders from pretenders - and that's bad news for Kerry and Donegal
I was exhausted just looking at the Ulster football final last Saturday. It was a sunny day, the game was deep into extra-time and it was all happening with the new rules in place. Fellas were dropping like flies everywhere you looked. If you can deliver good football under those conditions, you are going to be right up there when the big business gets done over the coming months. At one stage near the end of extra-time, Peadar Mogan was doing a half-limp-half-hop, like a man who'd been shot in the back of the leg. Mogan found himself at wing-forward and suddenly got a twinge in his hamstring. Worse, he got a pass from Shane O'Donnell. Mogan wouldn't have been thankful to his teammate for that pass. He dished the ball off like it was on fire and gave it the full Hopalong Cassidy back into his own half where he could stay out of trouble. READ MORE There is going to be more and more of that as the championship goes on. I expect fatigue to play a serious part in what happens between now and July. Games have gone to extra-time before, but the old rules allowed some room for resets and breathers to take the sting out of games. That can't happen to the same extent now. The solo-and-go has killed the reset free. Not being able to pass back to the goalie has kept the action moving forward. The 50-metre punishment for slowing down a free or a sideline ball has killed that option too. The bodies don't get a break. You keep going until you have nothing left to give. Donegal's goal in extra-time was a prime example of that. Rory Grugan is one of Armagh's big leaders and best decision-makers. But his body just couldn't give any more. He saw Jason McGee cut in behind and knew he had to go with him, but he couldn't get there. McGee gave it across to Ciarán Moore and Donegal had their goal. We've all been that soldier. Kerry played Tyrone in the All-Ireland 2005 final and towards the end of the game, I got forward to take a shot for a point. I don't even remember if I scored or not. What I do remember is the ball being in the air and the only thought in my head being: 'How the hell am I going to get back out in time for the kickout?' Armagh's Darragh McMullen takes on Peadar Mogan of Donegal during last Saturday's Ulster final in Clones. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho When you're reeling like that, the crisis is as much a mental one as a physical one. Your lungs are gone. Your legs are gone. But the biggest problem you have is making yourself believe that these things don't matter. You ask yourself questions in those moments. Am I able, physically, to get my body out into position here? And if I do get out there, how am I going to manage to win this kickout? Where am I going to find the fortitude for this? Murphy is one of the best decision-makers in the history of the game The one saving grace you have is that there is only one answer. You will do it because you must do it. Ask yourself all the questions you like but you're only wasting valuable time. This thing is non-negotiable. It's what all your training was for. [ Conor McManus: Rule changes make Gaelic football more exciting and managing the clock even more crucial Opens in new window ] [ Jimmy's not winning matches, it's the boys, insists Donegal's McGuinness Opens in new window ] Whenever I was exhausted in a game, I told myself that this is how I thought it would be. Think about any time you're tired in real life – loads of different thoughts go through your head all at once and most of them are some version of a complaint about how tired you are. I basically decided to drown them out with one single message: you knew this would be hard so get on with it and find a way. You could see Michael Murphy doing that against Armagh last Saturday. This is a man who made his debut for Donegal 18 years ago. He missed two full seasons of intercounty football. He had more excuses than anybody to put his hand up and get off the pitch, but Jim McGuinness kept him there until the 77th minute. And why wouldn't he? When everything is hard, you need your best decision-makers on the field. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness with Michael Murphy after he was taken off during extra-time of the Ulster SFC final. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Jim can see the right decision from the sideline, but in a cauldron like that, there's very little he can say or do. So, to have Murphy in there guiding fellas on where to go and what to do is invaluable. He's no ordinary Joe Soap telling you to go and do something, either. If Michael Murphy says it, you'll fairly hop to it. Murphy is one of the best decision-makers in the history of the game. I rate him alongside Seamus Moynihan as somebody who never seems to take the wrong option and who always knows where to be and what to do. For him to keep going into extra-time was some shift. McGuinness played it well too. He had brought Paddy McBrearty off in normal time and then put him back on for Murphy in extra-time. What does that tell you? It says that in a world where everybody is out on their feet, a good decision-maker is better than the freshest legs. Donegal's Shane O'Donnell on the attack against Armagh in the Ulster SFC final. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho This is going to become more and more pertinent as the championship goes on. The last thing you need if you have to take a key player off with fatigue is to replace him with someone who is only 80 per cent as good. But in some cases, teams are not going to have a huge amount of choice in the matter. For what it's worth, I don't think it spells good news for Kerry. I look around at some of the other squads and they seem to be a good bit deeper. It's why I don't think the Dubs are gone. It's why Galway and Armagh are going to be right up there. It might catch Donegal, funny enough – McBrearty was one of three players they brought back on in extra-time. When the games come in a glut from the end of June, that could count against them. The new game demands that players go deeper into the well than ever before. Not everyone will be able to climb their way out.
Irish Examiner
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Donegal tackle a new question — go for a score or hold on for the hooter?
In the clutch. Twice Donegal had possession one point up with the clock ticking down. The first time they let the lead slip. In extra-time, they held on. A pop pass to Peadar Mogan broke down in the final minute to allow Oisín Conaty kick an equaliser and extend the rollercoaster ride for a 28,788 crowd. Ultimately, Jim McGuinness' side defended their Anglo Celt Cup to secure their 12th Ulster title. 'The Ulster Championship asks questions of you,' said McGuinness post-match. 'And if you can stand up and answer those questions, you learn a lot more about yourself and about your players. And we have managed to do that again today.' The new rules had a seismic impact on the match. That was particularly apparent at the end. With the addition of a hooter, there is now a certain conclusion. Donegal opted to try wind down the clock before Conaty's late equaliser. They did it successfully at the end of extra-time after Niall O'Donnell's winner. 'We were trying to manage the game,' McGuinness explained. 'The game was asking questions and the clock was there. I think every county in Ireland are working on scenario-based final phases. Armagh are probably the best team in the country at that. 'We had two possessions in the last minute where we didn't manage it well at all. So it was fantastic that the boys were able to see that last 30 seconds out there when the pressure was at its peak. So we have to trust them to make good decisions. We have to trust them to make good decisions and the clock is playing a part. You have got to be able to be tactical and intensive and also understand that there is another dynamic in the corner there that you have to manage. And we didn't do that well with 69 on the clock.' Plenty of sides will face a similar scenario in this championship. Previously, there was legitimate fears that a referee may allow the clock to run beyond any minutes added on. Now there is certainty. There was no need to change tack at the end of normal time. Donegal had a plan. They just needed to execute it better. Niall O'Donnell, who produced some significant points in last year's encounter, kicked two monster scores in extra-time including the winner. 'It is all about going in and resetting,' said Peadar Mogan. 'You can't dwell on it. The first thing when we go in is it is gone. Finished. We all said scrap it. That is it. We will take the learnings on Thursday but we won't worry about it now. We have to go win a game. We did feel like we had legs. We had a wee bit in us. I think we missed three shots in a row there. We were still getting in.' That was another huge call by management. Their last three shots were from substitutes who came on. Jamie Brennan kicked a wide, Jason McGee was blocked down, Aaron Doherty dropped a late opportunity short. At the start of extra-time, all three were taken off again. On top of that, McGuinness had to deal with the looming possibility of another penalty shoot-out. The 2024 and 2023 Ulster final was decided in this fashion. Donegal were already considering who their five takers were going to be. 'We were thinking about it when we got to the end of normal time. That is what Armagh do to you. They are going to bring it down to the wire and they're going to try and find a way to stay in the game.'
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Peadar Morgan urges Donegal to limit two-point openings in Ulster SFC semi-final against Down after Monaghan scare
DONEGAL defender Peadar Mogan knows they need to crack-Down on giving up two-point scores after Monaghan almost reeled them in last Sunday. Jim McGuinness' men led the Farney 0-15 to 0-8 in their Ulster SFC quarter-final in Clones before the 1 Peadar Mogan of Donegal during the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship preliminary round match against Derry Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Dessie Ward, Micheál Bannigan, Conor McCarthy and Jack McCarron all raised orange flags. And Donegal were saved by the bell when the hooter sounded just when the Farney were about to take a line ball. But All-Star Mogan delivered the goods again and scored four points in a 0-23 to 0-21 victory to set up a semi-final against Down this coming Sunday. And the St Naul's man admits the one-week turnaround will be tough. Read More on GAA But he knows stopping double scores will go a long way towards reaching another provincial final. He said: 'It was Monaghan's first Championship game and it's their home crowd and venue. 'You're not going to expect anything else. 'But inter-county players are just so good at kicking the ball now that they're going to kick two-pointers. It's just about trying to limit them. Most read in GAA Football 'We were the same last year after the Derry game so we just have to recover and get the bodies right. 'I think it really is about just freshening the minds and bodies. 'That's the clean version' - Watch RTE pundits Anthony Daly & Donal Og Cusack's hilarious reaction to Clare-Cork draw 'We'll have to be very much improved for next week because Down are a hugely athletic team, very similar to Monaghan. 'They've got huge legs, pace and they've got a couple of top players.'
