Donegal v Down Ulster Semi June 23

[J70]

I would agree with wobbler as well.  I didn't think that this team was capable of playing with that level of intensity.  If we can match that intensity the rest of the year we will beat most teams outside of the top 5.

Was very impressed with Rooney, Turley, King and Ambrose.  Coincidently all big strong men who were able to match Donegals tackling and power.

However let's get it straight, from 5 mins in Down didn't get within a point of Donegal. They had chances but were not capable of taking these chances.  We never looked like winning this game because of the machine that is Donegal.  Fair play to them, they know how to win ugly, do whatever it takes to get over the line and that's all they care about and rightly so.

Just like last years AI final versus Mayo. Mayo huffed and puffed after a bad start. but never got near Donegal (Really). I suppose the same could be said of Cork and Kerry last year?

Today was different. This was the closest Donegal have come to being beaten since 2011. Neither Mayo Kerry or Cork came near to the levels of intensity Down showed today.

That was your most depleted panel since 2011 as well, Down did well today but you have to consider that Lacey, Gallagher plus a few others were missing that's why it was close.

But Down were missing men like Gordon and Hughes (although would lads who've been around as long as them be automatic starters?). Bluestack Boy is right though. I was seriously worried halfway through that second half. That was not the case against Mayo last year (at least once we got to half-time) and it was maybe only the case for a minute or so at the end of the Kerry game.

[whitegoodman]

Down were missing Gordon, Hughes, garvey and Carr. Players who may not mean much to those outside the county but whom most inside the county would agree would be certain starters and big misses today.

I'm not saying they would have made the difference today but when people mention those that are missing for Donegal don't forget Down were missing a few as well.

[SHEEDY]

I would agree with wobbler as well.  I didn't think that this team was capable of playing with that level of intensity.  If we can match that intensity the rest of the year we will beat most teams outside of the top 5.

Was very impressed with Rooney, Turley, King and Ambrose.  Coincidently all big strong men who were able to match Donegals tackling and power.

However let's get it straight, from 5 mins in Down didn't get within a point of Donegal. They had chances but were not capable of taking these chances.  We never looked like winning this game because of the machine that is Donegal.  Fair play to them, they know how to win ugly, do whatever it takes to get over the line and that's all they care about and rightly so.

Just like last years AI final versus Mayo. Mayo huffed and puffed after a bad start. but never got near Donegal (Really). I suppose the same could be said of Cork and Kerry last year?

Today was different. This was the closest Donegal have come to being beaten since 2011. Neither Mayo Kerry or Cork came near to the levels of intensity Down showed today.

That was your most depleted panel since 2011 as well, Down did well today but you have to consider that Lacey, Gallagher plus a few others were missing that's why it was close.

connor garvey, dan Gordon, danny hughes, aiden carr were missing for down. it was close because down are a good team. a team that was given no respect by the media all week. even though we were beat we know the team gave everything and you cant ask much more. Donegal had murphy and McFadden, that was the difference. oh and the the fact that the ref was biased didn't help.

[snoopdog]

hard luck to Down today. it was enthrawling at breffni today. Donegal were rattled for first time since dubs beat them in 2011. maybe its time the media give Down the respect they deserve, no we won't win an all lreland but we are more than capable of rattling the favoured teams. hoping for Tyrone in newry in the qualifiers . give it a go lads.

[J70]

I would agree with wobbler as well.  I didn't think that this team was capable of playing with that level of intensity.  If we can match that intensity the rest of the year we will beat most teams outside of the top 5.

Was very impressed with Rooney, Turley, King and Ambrose.  Coincidently all big strong men who were able to match Donegals tackling and power.

However let's get it straight, from 5 mins in Down didn't get within a point of Donegal. They had chances but were not capable of taking these chances.  We never looked like winning this game because of the machine that is Donegal.  Fair play to them, they know how to win ugly, do whatever it takes to get over the line and that's all they care about and rightly so.

Just like last years AI final versus Mayo. Mayo huffed and puffed after a bad start. but never got near Donegal (Really). I suppose the same could be said of Cork and Kerry last year?

Today was different. This was the closest Donegal have come to being beaten since 2011. Neither Mayo Kerry or Cork came near to the levels of intensity Down showed today.

That was your most depleted panel since 2011 as well, Down did well today but you have to consider that Lacey, Gallagher plus a few others were missing that's why it was close.

connor garvey, dan Gordon, danny hughes, aiden carr were missing for down. it was close because down are a good team. a team that was given no respect by the media all week. even though we were beat we know the team gave everything and you cant ask much more. Donegal had murphy and McFadden, that was the difference. oh and the the fact that the ref was biased didn't help.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I didn't see much bias from the ref (plus I'm so used to Ulster opposition on this board crying about the ref when playing Donegal - this goes back well before McGuinness). Gave some easy frees both ways, missed some stuff as well (the elbow or forearm strike on McLoone, for example), but I don't see how he affected the outcome. If either team has regrets, it will be not taking shots when opportunities arose playing into the town end and the breeze rather than the referee.

[rodney trotter]

I would agree with wobbler as well.  I didn't think that this team was capable of playing with that level of intensity.  If we can match that intensity the rest of the year we will beat most teams outside of the top 5.

Was very impressed with Rooney, Turley, King and Ambrose.  Coincidently all big strong men who were able to match Donegals tackling and power.

However let's get it straight, from 5 mins in Down didn't get within a point of Donegal. They had chances but were not capable of taking these chances.  We never looked like winning this game because of the machine that is Donegal.  Fair play to them, they know how to win ugly, do whatever it takes to get over the line and that's all they care about and rightly so.

Just like last years AI final versus Mayo. Mayo huffed and puffed after a bad start. but never got near Donegal (Really). I suppose the same could be said of Cork and Kerry last year?

Today was different. This was the closest Donegal have come to being beaten since 2011. Neither Mayo Kerry or Cork came near to the levels of intensity Down showed today.

That was your most depleted panel since 2011 as well, Down did well today but you have to consider that Lacey, Gallagher plus a few others were missing that's why it was close.

But Down were missing men like Gordon and Hughes (although would lads who've been around as long as them be automatic starters?). Bluestack Boy is right though. I was seriously worried halfway through that second half. That was not the case against Mayo last year (at least once we got to half-time) and it was maybe only the case for a minute or so at the end of the Kerry game.

Gallagher is hardly a youngster , he is probably around as long as Danny Hughes and Gordon. Those players would have been a help for Down the same as Gallagher and Lacey for Donegal

[Dubh driocht]

A hallmark of James as a player was courage in the face of adversity and his teams display the same qualities. Players who may never compete for all-stars consistently give 100% commitment to the red and black - thinking of Kalum King, Peter Turley and Daniel Mc Cartan- thought he had another good game on Mc Fadden but allow him three half-chances and he punished us. Donegal have picked up the mantle from Armagh and Tyrone as highlighted in this thread but you can't really complain that Mc Guinness and Gallagher just do it better. I rarely criticise refs as the job is really tough with this style of football but Kinsella was inconsistent; another big issue not mentioned here yet was at the start of the second half when the
linesman clearly raised his right hand to give a sideline ball to us- Donegal took it and got a point -yet Kinsella played on.
Very disappointed with the minors; yet again wee Pete's reading of the game cost us.

[J70]

I would agree with wobbler as well.  I didn't think that this team was capable of playing with that level of intensity.  If we can match that intensity the rest of the year we will beat most teams outside of the top 5.

Was very impressed with Rooney, Turley, King and Ambrose.  Coincidently all big strong men who were able to match Donegals tackling and power.

However let's get it straight, from 5 mins in Down didn't get within a point of Donegal. They had chances but were not capable of taking these chances.  We never looked like winning this game because of the machine that is Donegal.  Fair play to them, they know how to win ugly, do whatever it takes to get over the line and that's all they care about and rightly so.

Just like last years AI final versus Mayo. Mayo huffed and puffed after a bad start. but never got near Donegal (Really). I suppose the same could be said of Cork and Kerry last year?

Today was different. This was the closest Donegal have come to being beaten since 2011. Neither Mayo Kerry or Cork came near to the levels of intensity Down showed today.

That was your most depleted panel since 2011 as well, Down did well today but you have to consider that Lacey, Gallagher plus a few others were missing that's why it was close.

But Down were missing men like Gordon and Hughes (although would lads who've been around as long as them be automatic starters?). Bluestack Boy is right though. I was seriously worried halfway through that second half. That was not the case against Mayo last year (at least once we got to half-time) and it was maybe only the case for a minute or so at the end of the Kerry game.

Gallagher is hardly a youngster , he is probably around as long as Danny Hughes and Gordon. Those players would have been a help for Down the same as Gallagher and Lacey for Donegal

Was asking, thus the question mark.

[Aristo 60]

For sure the hard yards have been done in Down this year. Thanks for the effort so far this year lads and keep them lit wee James.  Hopefully a few more days in it for us in 2013.

[Itchy]

Down put up a decent fight today but did anyone really think they might win. Donegal kept them at least 2 points behind and I never felt they were in real danger, despite holding a slenderish lead.

[BarryBreensBandage]

A great display by Down today - I thought they were the better team, not being biased.
The difference for me was that when it came to the crunch, Donegal's big names made sure they won the match.

Although I thought the following players were brilliant the whole match, McCartan, Ambrose, Poland, McKernan, Coulter (x3) and O'Hare all wasted possession at crucial times in the second half.
Our last two points were scored by U21s.

I hope this doesn't sound critical because I thought Down were fantastic today - showed tremendous discipline, and hats off to wee James - just trying to figure out what went wrong.

Thought the referee was poor as well.

[J70]

Down put up a decent fight today but did anyone really think they might win. Donegal kept them at least 2 points behind and I never felt they were in real danger, despite holding a slenderish lead.

For a ten minute period in the second half I thought there was a distinct possibility they could win. When Donegal got back into it and kept clipping on a point to keep putting the gap out to three, I relaxed a bit, but Down were well in it right until the end.

[ONeill]

Mightily impressed with what McCartan tried to do today. Most teams wilt against the Donegal wall around the 50 mark. Down kept driving at them, showing tremendous fitness levels. Their tackling was a match for them too - how often did you see Murphy and Co dispossessed?

Just a pity they didn't take 2-3 long range scores in the second half, the way McFadden did. I thought Coulter was the man to do that but was very reluctant to take a pop.

Donegal are masters at exerting just enough energy to win games like this. You always feel you'd like another pop at them later in the summer but they'd just do enough again.

Great intensity, pace and power from both sides.

[Jinxy]

Is Danny Hughes injured?
He was made for that game today.

[Mourne Rover]

The margins were very slim in Breffni, unlike last year's Ulster final when we ultimately took a tanking, and a little more composure and experience would have got us at least a draw. We can be proud of our squad and management, who gave us everything on the day and made the 5/1 odds look ridiculous.
Essentially, we had to match Donegal's intensity, prevent them from scoring a goal and somehow snatch one at the other end. We got two out of three, and a couple of half chances might even have ended up in their net, so it was much closer than most people expected. Donegal were just about the better side, but it could have gone either way.
The referee probably gave two thirds of the tight calls to Donegal and the very first free awarded to Murphy, which he also brought forward, as he did repeatedly, was probably the worst decision of the day and summed up his approach . However, our handling let us down on a couple of crucial occasions and we are still carrying the ball into tackles too often.
Both sides managed six points from frees, but they got another six from play against our three which made the difference. Holding Donegal to 12 points was quite an achievement, but we are unlikely to win any game when we only hit three scores from play.
McVeigh was excellent under the dropping ball, and, with only a couple of exceptions, his kick-outs were fine. McCartan had a decent game overall and was unfortunate that, after restricting McFadden to three shots from distance, all of them went over with the mark of a quality forward. McArdle looked as though he would struggle early on but improved steadily and Murphy was only a threat from frees after the break. Quinn did well on McBrearty before tiring, although he missed a relatively simple point at an important stage.
Rooney and Boyle also missed straightforward opportunities,but competed well throughout, while Turley, apart from a misplaced pass which cost a point, had his best ever game for Down, showed great anticipation and was unlucky that his handling let him down while pushing up in the closing minutes.
Our midfield edged their contest without ever playing as well as in the Derry game. King took a while to get going but remains crucial to our plans and his fisted intervention to win the aerial ball and legitimately flatten Boyle was a highlight of the day. While McKernan hit a couple of amazingly awful passes, he also showed leadership throughout and should be our next captain.
This year's skipper, Poland, had another good day, linking up everywhere and bemusing the Donegal defence for his point. Laverty was the most fouled player on the pitch, which tells a tale, and had great twists but seldom really hurt the opposition. Ambrose, after a slow start, was probably our man of the match, covering a huge amount of ground and tackling like a man possessed.
O'Hare was just about as good, working endlessly, showing top class free taking and very close to getting in for a goal two or three times against the tightest defence in the country. Madine is a fine ball winner, but a couple of misplaced passes cost us dearly. Benny won two brilliant frees under intense pressure but the legs are plainly going and he may be better as an impact sub.
It might be better to start Mallon in front of Benny the next day in the half forwards, as he has great pace and power going forward even if the odd pass goes astray. Johnston is small but game as he showed by responding to McGee's provocation and scoring a clever point, while Savage is no bigger but can also take a score, and both are good options late on.
Sadly, the chances of Hughes and Carr being available for the next match look slim,  while Garvey and Gordon are further back and  Doyler's latest  involvement was only as a water carrier, but we can still look forward to the second round qualifier draw with a reasonable amount of hope.