Donegal v Tyrone Ulster Championship

[ONeill]

Fascinating to see how up to speed McGuinness can get them in 6 weeks. I hear they were at a 5-day training camp last week.

They're in a brilliant position. Champions, at home and an awful lot people siding with Tyrone.

I see an extremely defensive game. O'Neill to get bottled up. We'll need another forward on his game. Maybe Peter Harte will burst into life.

[Fuzzman]

Yeah I think Stevie will be nothing more than a decoy for this game. We'd nearly be better to name him at 14 but to play him out around the 40, although I suppose there's always the high ball into him and trying to win our frees.
Most pundits have put a lot of pressure on young Morgan as they expect him to kick at least 4 or 5 frees. I hope McDermott isn't as slow to blow for frees as Deegan was yesterday.

I hope Mark Donnelly and others don't make the same mistake as other years and be running with the ball into tackles hoping to either break through or win frees. He won't get as much space as he got in Croker in the league final. He has played very well this year so I don't mean to just pick on him.

[ONeill]

I dunno - very impressed with the direct running of the Donnellys this year. Seem to possess the ability to break tackles.

I've a feeling big Murphy might have a humdinger. Some test of Clarke's credentials if he gets the nod over Justin.

[Wildweasel74]

lads just give us a good tight contested game, after yesterday i nearly lost the will to live, Been a galway - Armagh fan yesterday reminds me back when  Tyrone trimmed Derry in 2004, it was shameful.

[rrhf]

It was beautiful

[omagh_gael]

I dunno - very impressed with the direct running of the Donnellys this year. Seem to possess the ability to break tackles.

I've a feeling big Murphy might have a humdinger. Some test of Clarke's credentials if he gets the nod over Justin.

Interesting article with Matty Donnelly in the IN on Friday. He was saying the majority of the weights he has been doing in the last couple of years has focused on his leg strength. Starting to reap dividends the way he has been breaking tackles. He also said he played full back on the St Michael's MacRory cup team he played on so playing a more defensive role is nothing new.

[drici]

Full preview in the paper on page 49 the day of the Minor game and pages 50 to 55 for full preview of the Senior game.
Great stuff on a Monday. Cill Chartha keep on at the top without the County players and with Odhrán gone with the squad it was always going to be too much for Gaoth Dobhair inné.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Fascinating to see how up to speed McGuinness can get them in 6 weeks. I hear they were at a 5-day training camp last week.

He won't be too far away I'd say, though I just can't see Karl Lacey being right up to speed and intensity after (just) 3 weeks back from injury;  well-nigh impossible.

[Fuzzman]

Probably not Fear but I'd say even at 50% he'll do a good job in a swarm defence.
I must say I'm a bit worried about how well young McBrearty could do in this match.
There has been a lot of negative talk about him in the last 2 months so he could be well up for a good performance. Is PJ Quinn the best man to mark him?

From today's Irish News.
YOUNG and inexperienced he might be, but Ronan O'Neill is a player who really wants to test himself.
Sean MacCumhaill Park is not going to be a place for the faint-hearted. The ground will be packed to the rafters. The vast majority of supporters will be roaring on the home team. If called from the bench in the closing minutes, O'Neill knows he will be entering a cauldron as he will have to pits his wits against the meanest defence in the country. But the Omagh clubman, who missed all of last season with a torn cruciate ligament, would welcome that challenge.
"Jamie Clarke said during the week that big players live off pressure. That's the way you to want to have it going in. You want to have that pressure going in so you can make a difference," he said.
"When Mickey [Harte] throws you in, you need to make a difference because you want to be showing that you want to be in the starting team. I would be confident enough going into it," he said.
O'Neill shipped his last injury against Kerry in the last round of the League. A torn hamstring forced him to retire in the first half. More crucially, it kept him on the sidelines when he would have benefited from some hard pre-Championship training.
Although frustrated by the injury, O'Neill is satisfied that he is ready for action.
"I am 100 per cent," he said.
"It was hard coming back after an injury and trying get back to the pace of the game.
"I have played three League games for my club which helped massively. It helped the match fitness and I scored a few points so I am happy enough with that aspect."
O'Neill must be in decent shape because he understands the challenge which will be provided by the Donegal defence.
Space will be at a premium in Ballybofey. For inside forwards like O'Neill, the atmosphere will be claustrophobic as they can expect to be surrounded by a ring of gold and green.
Only a forward at the top of his game will make any headway against Donegal's ultra-mean defensive system. Again, O'Neill sounds like he would welcome the challenge.
"On the few occasions when you get the ball, you have to do something with it," said O'Neill (below).
"You have to get a score or create a score. The way football is going nowadays, forwards have to be extra patient. You have to wait for the chance or break to happen. When you get that break, you have to make the most of it. That is what probably separates the good forwards from the okay forwards. That's how Stephen O'Neill made his name."
And yet for all O'Neill's undoubted talent, there is no guarantee that he will feature on Sunday. If fit, Stephen O'Neill is the only player assured of a starting place. O'Neill, Connor McAliskey, Kyle Coney and Darren McCurry will not know their fate until the team is announced later this week.
Commenting on the competition he faces at training sessions, O'Neill said: "Connor McAliskey has come in and he was the top scorer in Tyrone club football last year. Everybody knows about Darren McCurry and what he did last summer.
"Stephen O'Neill and a few others are seasoned campaigners and top quality forwards. After getting injured, I knew I would have to work extremely hard if I was going to feature in Mickey's plan.
I was in the same boat as Kyle [Coney]. We were rehab partners. We knew it was going to take a big effort if we were going to feature in Mickey's 15 or his first 20. A lot of effort has gone in."
Regardless of whether he starts or whether he even comes on as a sub, O'Neill will not be overly disappointed. After a year on the sidelines, he will appreciate the fact that he is fit to train, play and contest for a position.
Recalling the experience of travelling to last year's first round match as a non-participant, he said: "It really only hit me when we came off the bus going into the Armagh game.
"When we came off the bus you could feel that buzz of Championship football. It really hit me then.
"It came as a shock because football is my life. I've always had football. It was lonely at times but I had my physio around, and my family were around me to pick me up when I was down. But I have come through the hard bit. This is the easy bit. I am back training."
■ TASK IN HAND: Ronan O'Neill (right) insists he is fully recovered from his hamstring injury and is ready to answer the call for Mickey Harte (left) in this weekend's mouthwatering Ulster SFC first round clash with Donegal Picture: PA

[nrico2006]

A lot of players seem to pull the hamstring when coming back from cruciate injuries, RON did it and Paddy Bradley also did it in his first game too.  As mentioned in a previous post, I can't see SON having that much of an influence in this game, I imagine he will be swarmed out like he was last summer.  I hope that Tyrone have learnt that the key to creating space in teams like Donegals backline is to hit quick accurate foot passes, soloing up the field allows Donegal to regroup and put 10 bodies in their own 45.  I wonder how sharp Coney and RON actually are after being out for so long, its these type of players with speed and agaility that could ultimately make the difference in this Tyrone team that was so blunt in attack last year.

[screenexile]

A lot of players seem to pull the hamstring when coming back from cruciate injuries, RON did it and Paddy Bradley also did it in his first game too.  As mentioned in a previous post, I can't see SON having that much of an influence in this game, I imagine he will be swarmed out like he was last summer.  I hope that Tyrone have learnt that the key to creating space in teams like Donegals backline is to hit quick accurate foot passes, soloing up the field allows Donegal to regroup and put 10 bodies in their own 45.  I wonder how sharp Coney and RON actually are after being out for so long, its these type of players with speed and agaility that could ultimately make the difference in this Tyrone team that was so blunt in attack last year.

It's the most common injury after a cruciate because they cut away a stand of your hamstring and screw it in as a new cruciate. It leaves the hamstring very weak and you need to seriously warm the muscle up before you could even think of going at full speed without a pull or a tweak.

I'm up in that part of the world on Sunday and have my ear to the ground for a ticket as I think it there is potential for a real battle. A lot of people don't think it will be good football but I think the 2 teams are more than capable of playing some good stuff even with the way they will be set up. I still fancy Donegal as I reckon McGuinness has been planning for Donegal to peak in this game.  There will be nothing in it though I suspect.

[sensethetone]

can't wait for this game. find out tonight if i've a ticket.

[TheGateKeeper]

This game is gonna be a WAR!
Tyrone to win the replay in Clones!

[J70]

Story on the BBC that Lacey and Mark McHugh are doubtful. We could be in bother if two of our most influential players don't line out. Even if they do, as Fear said earlier, its hard to see Lacey, at least, being back to his best.

[Jinxy]

Niall Morgan to kick five drop goals.