IT is a terrible irony that Jimmy McGuinness’s system won Michael Murphy an All-Ireland medal yet ruined his best years. As a young footballer Michael was so good it was cartoonish. Here was a real life Hotshot Hamish, fetching impossible high balls and driving them to the net like Tony Yeboah, the ‘keeper standing there wondering […]
JUST as I was about to finish this week’s piece the earth-shattering news broke that Micheal Murphy has returned to the Donegal camp. Rumours had been floating about for a number of weeks and I have to admit when I saw him on TV during the interprovincials last month, I noticed he has trimmed down a […]
By Shaun Casey Nine All-Star awards will be making their way north at tomorrow night’s ceremony. Of the 15 players honoured on the PwC GAA/GPA Football All-Star team, three Ulster teams are represented. All-Ireland champions Armagh have the most with six awards while Ulster champs Donegal have two. Tyrone are also represented on the team […]
THE games for the new rules over the weekend had all the drama of a plate of warm scones, though the final was fun. To be fair, I played in an All-Star game in Donegal after they won the All-Ireland and scored 1-2 in the first half against the most fearsome defensive formula the game […]
TO say that we had a few upsets in Donegal last weekend would be a bit of an understatement to say the least. Going into last week’s fixtures, like most others, I predicted that holders Naomh Conaill would make it through with Kilcar and Glenswilly. All three have now fallen, blowing the title race wide […]
Niall Gartland takes a look at who’ll be in charge across the province in 2025 Antrim – Andy McEntee MEATH native Andy McEntee is set to manage Antrim for a third year in 2025 and the general feeling is that he’s doing a good job at the Saffrons. If you take this year, they finished […]
WHEN Jim McGuinness was appointed Donegal manager ahead of the 2011 season, Mark McHugh sensed there was something special on the horizon. Having worked with the Glenties clubman at u-21 level, McHugh had an insight into what McGuinness would bring. From also-rans to All-Ireland champions, it was a swift transformation under the watchful eye of […]
IT wasn’t to be for Donegal on Sunday in Croke Park as the better team won on the day. We were beaten by a more efficient Galway side. I penned here last week that I felt that two things would determine the outcome of this game. Number one was Donegal’s lack of a kicking game and […]
By Shaun Casey WHEN Jim McGuinness made his long-awaited return to the Donegal hotseat ahead of the 2024 season, Tir Chonaill fans began to dream. Could he repeat the heroics of 2011 and take a team that was lost in the abyss and create an All-Ireland contender out of them? Outsiders may have had their […]
After Galway had beaten Sligo in this year’s Connacht semi-final with a last-minute goal, Padraic Joyce was asked why his team had been so listless. He said, “It’s very hard to motivate these players to play on a Saturday evening.” The good news for Padraic is that Galway don’t have to play Donegal in Croke Park […]
