By Shaun Casey OF the 15 competitive games Donegal have already played this season, 11 of them have been against Ulster opposition and they kickstart their All-Ireland charge on Saturday afternoon against another familiar foe in Tyrone. Of course, that included the McKenna Cup and Ulster Championship campaigns, while the northern province was well represented […]
Ulster champions name side for All-Ireland rematch with Red Hands
By Michael McMullan DONEGAL manager has made one change to his side for Saturday’s rematch with Tyrone (Ballybofey, 7.15pm). Jim McGuinness has captain Patrick McBrearty with Eoghan Bán Gallagher – who started their extra-time win over Armagh – listed among the subs. Gallagher was a surprise inclusion in the starting 15 after missing most of […]
KEVIN CASSIDY: Ballybofey game will tell a tale about Tyrone
AFTER a whirlwind Ulster Championship, we were straight back into action last weekend with the first round of the All-Ireland series and four games down for decision. Kerry ran out convincing winners against a disappointing Monaghan team who now find themselves with a real uphill battle to continue their progress in the competition. Vinny Corey […]
McMahon hopes month-long break stands to Tyrone
By Barry O’Donnell A MONTH on from their painful Ulster exit at the hands of Donegal, Tyrone are primed for a quick rematch with their fierce Tir Conaill rivals, with assistant manager Joe McMahon hopeful that the extended break will work in the side’s favour. The Red Hands looked out on their feet at the […]
KEVIN CASSIDY: Donegal will feel invincible after Ulster triumph
I DID say last week that I expected Donegal to be crowned Ulster champions but I didn’t quite predict that they would do so in such dramatic fashion. I expected the game to be ultra-defensive. I know though both teams set up like this, but the quality of the scores taken was unbelievable by both […]
Colm McFadden: The buzz is back in Donegal
By Michael McMullan DONEGAL selector Colm McFadden knows a thing or two about Ulster finals. The St Michael’s clubman kicked four points when they ended a famine to land the county’s fifth Ulster title in 2011. His final act of that Clones showpiece was the final nail hammered into Derry. As the clock ticked towards […]
Mirror image: The tactical breakdown of what to expect at Clones
By Steven Poacher THIS Sunday we have an Ulster final that is a repeat of the Division Two National League final that saw Donegal defeat Armagh 0-15 to 0-14 in a passive enough encounter that only sprung to life with 15 minutes to go. It had looked as if Donegal were going to canter to […]
Paddy Burns: We want to win it for Geezer
By Shaun Casey THIS season marks Kieran McGeeney’s 10th in charge of his native county and also his 40th involved in the inter-county game. McGeeney first pulled on an Armagh shirt at u-14 level in 1984 and has given a lot to the cause since then. ‘Geezer’, as he’s more affectionately known, helped Armagh end […]
KEVIN CASSIDY: Armagh and McGeeney need this Ulster title
WAY back when the draw was made, I would say that most of us expected Armagh to be in the final, but not a lot of people would have banked on Donegal navigating their way through to this year’s decider. Looking at both teams, Armagh did what they had to in order to reach the […]
JOE BROLLY: The children of Donegal
SON: Dad, why did you name my sister Jolene? Dad: Because your mother loved the song Jolene. Son: Thanks Dad. Dad: No problem, Jimmy’s Winning Matches. Advertisement On Sunday in Celtic Park, Gavin Devlin was spied on top of the stand on the gantry, carefully watching Donegal as they wore down Tyrone. “A week too […]