Ulster Final Donegal V Monaghan

[emmetryan]

Hi guys,

Tactical analysis of Monaghan's stunning Ulster Final win here
http://action81.com/blog/?p=7479

Emmet

[timmyot501]

Oh what a day yesterday was. Minors produce a fabulous last 20 mins to set the day up. And the seniors overcome donegal wit a display of power, skill and passion. Every player busted a gut (and an eye in jinxys case) to reach the goal and bridge that 25 year wait. Well done to all involved. The town wuz buzzin last night.

[nrico2006]

ASs mentioned before, it was inevitable that Donegal would lose key players due to their training regime and the intensity they play at.  They have been lucky for two years but this year has seen key men hit, pretty much mirroring Tyrone from 2006 and 2007.  I can't see Laois beating Donegal, and to be honest I think yesterday was interesting in that it showed what most people suspected, that if you get a lead on Donegal then they have to play in a different way than they planned to, and they were unable to catch Monaghan.  If Donegal get a few points up on a team, they are great and sucking the life out of the opposition and topping up their lead.  In saying that, a loss is the only real reality check a team will get and it is something that in the long run will benefit Donegal this year.  It will refocus the players and drive a bit of determination back into them, its not good for a team winning for so long as they naturally lose the eye of the tiger.  Donegal will still win this years All Ireland if they can get everyone fit.

[Declan]

Very happy tonight! Great performance today and well deserved, especially for those players who have been there for the last decade. Still hard to believe it has happened. Here's hoping there's another win or two this year!

Fair play to all the Monaghan posters. Enjoy the well deserved victory. Interesting to see how Donegal recover

[lenny]

ASs mentioned before, it was inevitable that Donegal would lose key players due to their training regime and the intensity they play at.  They have been lucky for two years but this year has seen key men hit, pretty much mirroring Tyrone from 2006 and 2007.  I can't see Laois beating Donegal, and to be honest I think yesterday was interesting in that it showed what most people suspected, that if you get a lead on Donegal then they have to play in a different way than they planned to, and they were unable to catch Monaghan.  If Donegal get a few points up on a team, they are great and sucking the life out of the opposition and topping up their lead.  In saying that, a loss is the only real reality check a team will get and it is something that in the long run will benefit Donegal this year.  It will refocus the players and drive a bit of determination back into them, its not good for a team winning for so long as they naturally lose the eye of the tiger.  Donegal will still win this years All Ireland if they can get everyone fit.

Very unlikely. I think they will struggle to beat laois and if they do that they will lose in the qfs. Lacey isn't fit now, won't be fit next sat and still won't be anywhere near fit for the qf. Mchugh prob won't be fit. McFadden's confidence will have taken a blow yesterday and if murphy is held again like last sun they have no chance.

[Bingo]

Tell ye want. Just awaking from a hell of a night. Yous ate all wrong, football is a simple game and Donegal got stopped doing the simple things by a team doing the simple things. Bring on the dubs.

[sammymaguire]

A certain Donegal victory. A stroll in the park.

There ya have it now!! Fair play the Farney Men!

[BennyHarp]

I thought Jimmy and his back room team looked a bit clueless yesterday when plan A didn't work. They resorted to just lumping high balls into the full forward line and it was clear that wasn't working either. Their lack of strength in depth was cruelly exposed as he has little room to maneouvre when they hadn't scored after 25 mins and resorted to bringing on "injured" players in Walsh and Gallagher. Their crazy training regime is beginning to catch up and the team looked lethargic and tired - especially in the tackle. So has the myth been busted ....... Or is this all part of Jimmys master plan to lull the whole country into a false sense of security!

[Fuzzman]

Back in 1988 I attended my first ever Ulster final with my brother and his friends. Tyrone had got the to AI final in 1986 and we had our club man Paddy Ball playing at wing half back.
I watched the amazing Nudie Hughes lead us a merry dance and win the Anglo Celt. Little did I think back then that it would be 25 years before Monaghan would win their next one.

They beat AI champs Armagh back in 2003 and now they've done the same to Donegal but not many thought they would even give this Donegal team a good game. As Brolly said last night on TSG, they had that zip in their step. That do or die championship hunger which gives you an extra yard. It makes all the difference when going for 50 50 balls and winning breaking balls around the whole field.
Back in the first round Tyrone couldn't shake off Donegal's immense tackles and often got caught in the tackle but Monaghan seemed to be able to cut back inside a lot of times and evade lazy tired tackles from Donegal. A lot is being made of them being tired and maybe over trained, with the focus on August matches. This is indeed quite possible but Monaghan seemed to have learnt from Down and took it that little bit extra.
One question I was asking myself was how can youg Hughes take Mcgee to the cleaners so well today but SoN struggled so much last month.

I only saw the highlights last night but Murphy seemed to never be involved at all and McFadden was being frustrated out of it and was even kicking easy frees wide. Lacey certainly seemed a shadow of himself and they lacked that energy & edge that they had for other days (like the 1st round).
I think Jimmy got this one badly wrong even though he talked the talk about taking it one game at a time. I would imagine It was important for him to win 3 in a row and pass out Tyrone and equal Armagh's record. They could then say they really are a great team to do that. Who knows but they may win the next three.

As Donegal fans are probably finding it, we Irish love the underdogs to beat the big guns and to see the mighty fall. It's part and parcel of being champions but to me this is just a blip in Jimmy's plan. Yes he really looked upset and annoyed that McHugh was taken out of it. His plan for the summer was knocked off track but to me they will overcome Laois as I don't think they have the stomach for such a battle. If Donegal play like they did yesterday they'll still beat Laois comfortably imho. Those players will be hurting and unless Jimmy runs them into the ground again I think they will be major payback next Sat. However, their plan is upset and it all depends now on who they get in the quarters (should they get there of course). They can't meet Monaghan again so its already done to 3. I'd say they won't want to meet Dublin or Mayo this soon after that defeat yesterday so you can see why Jimmy's careful plans have been turned upside down.

Anyway, the main thing I wanted to say here was a huge congrats to Monaghan on reminding us all what it means to win Ulster. For too long its been all about Armagh, Tyrone & recently Donegal and us thinking winning Ulster is nice but it's only a stepping stone. The joy & emotion on both the players and fans faces was a pleasure to see. Players like Finlay & Vinny Corey so deserve this victory for all their efforts. I must say I've never liked Tommy Freeman and a good few others but I was happy for them yesterday. This is what makes the GAA great. The unpredictability of Ulster football sure does make it the most exciting championship. Yes we have made the game a lot more defensive and ugly in many ways but the intensity and effort put in yesterday was immense.

Congrats Monaghan and no doubt we'll get ye next year in the preliminary round

[J70]

I thought the "myth", whatever that is, was busted after the Down game?

[brokencrossbar1]

I watched this is a wee pub up in the Gaeltacht in Donegal yesterday and I have to say it was great stuff.  I was standing chatting to the owner of the place before throw in and I said to him I had a feeling it would be Monaghan's day.  I thought the team that was strongest on the 60 minute mark would win it and that Monaghan would have the physicality to match them if they had the belief.  He tended to agree with me but he thought that Donegal were just too good.  The key to the game was the tactical battle on the kickouts.  Monaghan won the majority of the breaks on the kick outs as they seemed to always have a spare man, particularly Doogan and Donaghy.  When Doogan went off and Clerkin came on there was a period of 6-7 minutes where Donegal owned midfield and they could have crept back into it but then Lennon,Hughes and Finlay got their hands on the ball and that was that. 

Donegal will be hurting big time from this but it will be a huge one to lift themselves for next week I feel.  I am not saying Laois are a  better team just that Donegal's minds and bodies will be very sore this week and are there for the taking if Laois approach it the right way.

[BennyHarp]

I thought the "myth", whatever that is, was busted after the Down game?

They still won the game - so after not playing well they still won the game. Myth intact!

[Canalman]

Well done Monaghan and the Monaghan posters here.

Great to see Clerkin and Freeman on the pitch at the end.

From what I saw of the game, Donegal looked like a team "overtrained".......... lethargic, leaden footed, slow to the break etc.
They by no means are out of it yet.

[cluaineois]

What a feeling There is no other place i would rather have been yesterday than my home town of clones. The carnival atmosphere all around the town until the wee small hours of this morning was a joy to behold. Fair play to the Donegal supporters who stayed around town and contributed greatly to a day that will remain with me for the rest of my life.Also a word of thanks to my favourite Fermanagh person MOR (my wife understands)

[deiseach]

Just Amazing. Im in tears.

WELL DONE MONAGHAN

Great stuff. Nice to see all the white-and-blue flags out in force