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31st July 2013
07:28pm BST
Declan Whooley says... With Mayo expectations hitting dizzying heights, the stage is perfectly set for Donegal to make a mockery of their underdogs tag and keep their dreams of back-to-back All-Ireland's alive.
It is a while since a side facing Jim McGuinness’ men have been placed as odds-on favourites – 4/6 in some places – so the reigning champions will be under no illusions at the task at hand on Sunday, but if ever there was a game primed to get their title hopes back on track then this is surely it.
Facing them on Sunday is arguably the form team so far this summer. The Dubs might have something to say about that, and the standard in Connacht is not what it has been in previous years, but nonetheless, James Horan’s men have shown that the team is improving on what was an overall impressive showing in 2012.
However, Donegal have not become a bad team after one below par showing against Monaghan and it is easy to forget that they had far too much firepower for Tyrone and never looked likely to fall to a Down team in the semi-final. Last weekend was a case of getting through it and McGuinness himself conceded that many of the wrongs from the provincial decider had been put right.
First off, the injuries look to be improving. Neil Gallagher started against Laois with no ill-effects and will resume his partnership with Rory Kavanagh, while Karl Lacey appeared as a substitute and is expected to resume at centre-back. That adds serious experience to Donegal’s defensive structure and rumours abound that Mark McHugh could also feature at some stage which would bolster their options even further.
And speaking of defensive structures, for all the talk of a Donegal dip, it must be remembered that they have yet to concede a goal in the Championship. Of course the men from the west haven’t either, though their standard of opposition hasn’t been of the same standard as Tyrone, Down, Monaghan and Laois.
And while things are looking rosier defensively, the attack too is looking potent. Any inside forward line containing Paddy McBrearty, Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden is liable to cause untold damage, and Mayo painfully know the extent of that particular threat.
Michael Murphy does drift out to the half-forward line, indeed he started there against Laois, and should Donal Vaughan be chosen to pick him up on the 40, then his own attacking game may have to be curtailed to curb his threat.
David Walsh moved into the inside line last weekend and along with McFadden and McBrearty contributed 10 of Donegal’s 14 points. McBrearty in particular will have a point to prove after being substituted in last year’s final and admitting it took a slight gloss off what was a huge celebration for the county.
Aside from Cillian O’Connor, Mayo’s most natural forwards in Alan Dillon and Andy Moran are not long after returning from injuries while their midfield, so often the launchpad of their attacks, will face one of the most consistent partnerships of the past two seasons.
Lest we forget, there is a PR warfare that is going on and Jim McGuinness’ insistence that Donegal are the recipients of illegal challenges on a recurring basis. While it may not necessarily affect Joe McQuillan’s handling of proceedings, it is hard to ignore such public statements and will only take one big call to go their way for the mind games to have succeeded.
No matter what way the game pans out, it is the tie of the weekend and no quarter will be given or asked. In truth there is little in footballing terms between the sides and will come down to very fine margins. For that reason alone, I would be lumping my disappointingly small life savings on the reigning All-Ireland champions managed by a sports psychologist to come up trumps rather than a team with a history of falling short on the big occasions. Donegal by two points.
Sean Nolan says...Dethroning the champs is no easy task but this Mayo team is battle hardened, well prepared and more than up to the job.
There’s really no doubt that the game of the weekend is the clash of Donegal and Mayo. When they met last September at Croke Park, Donegal won by four points. When they met in March in MacHale Park, Mayo won by four points. Very different days I’ll admit but it shows there is very little to choose between the teams when both are at full strength.
And that is just one problem facing Jim McGuinness’s side this weekend. He has named Karl Lacey in the team but you have to think he will still be a bit off the intense pace this game will be played at. Mark McHugh will also sit this one out and his importance to Donegal’s style and structure can’t be underestimated.
On the other hand, aside from some goalkeeping issues now solved by the return of familiar face Rob Hennelly, James Horan has a full deck to choose from. Andy Moran, who missed the two encounters above, is back and looks sharp while Alan Dillon may have a niggle but not enough to hamper him hugely.
Mayo will arrive at Croke Park confident in their abilities, well rested after cruising through Connacht and with their HQ hang-ups long put to rest.
For three seasons now this side has been building momentum. In 2011 they lost the semi-final, in 2012 they lost the final. I’m not 100 per cent sure yet that 2013 will mean they ultimately land Sam but they are a team on an upward curve, with a rabid hunger for success.
Donegal, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, are on the way down. That crazy desire, that 100 per cent focus and intensity, appears to be off by the merest fraction or two. But that can be enough to derail a team. Against Tyrone, a game they had thought about for six months, they impressed. But every outing since has been a cause for minor concern.
Down ran them close, Monaghan ran them down and Laois had a hand in the game until the final 10. As has been well documented Donegal are not creating as many chances as last season, heaping even more pressure on their magic front three of Murphy, McFadden and McBrearty. Monaghan shut them down and Donegal had nowhere else to go.
Defensively Mayo are as tough and tight as any team and we don’t see Mayo 2013 coughing up the sort of goals that cost them so dear in the All-Ireland final. In fact, Donegal have only scored two goals all year, both of them against Tyrone.
Mayo have been racking up enormous scores, and enormous wide tallies too, in Connacht, creating chances at will. They will find life much, much tougher on Sunday but with Aidan O’Shea playing out of his skin in midfield, Cillian O’Connor more than just a dead-ball specialist this year and the likes of Darren Coen, Moran and Enda Varley more than capable of getting their own scores, Mayo have more firepower than 10 months ago.
It won’t be a blowout on Sunday, champs don’t go out like that, but Mayo have all the hallmarks of a coming team. We’ll know for sure on September 22 if they can complete the job, but I fully expect to see the green and red there.
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