1. McBrearty shows his class in Croke Park
Donegal boss Rory Gallagher suggested after this match that Patrick McBrearty was glad to be free from the confines of Clones and able to roam in Croke Park. The Kilcar player certainly made his mark with a consummate display that saw him shoot 0-11.
The frustration of battling in claustrophobic conditions in the Ulster final was in marked contrast to the sight this afternoon of McBrearty timing his looping runs to sweetly strike over points.
Donegal required his accuracy in the first-half as they struggled at times and he hit six points from his first six shots at goal. Cork tried a succession of markers on McBrearty to no avail and rued the absence of defenders like James Loughrey (suspension) and Noel Galvin (injury). It was appropriate that his 75th minute point was Donegal’s last of the game as McBrearty’s input was a key difference in deciding this contest.
2. Cork come close but can’t sustain challenge
Cork’s 2016 championship campaign ended at the same stage as 2015 did – at the last twelve hurdle. The circumstances were different then as they meekly succumbed against Kildare last July. This time they ran Donegal to three points and were still in the hunt for honours with the game entering injury-time.
That’s evidence of improvement but an inability to sustain a bright and vibrant start to this game will cause some anguish. Their scoring statistics were indicative of their in game decline with 1-6 on the board by the 17th minute, 1-9 by half-time and 1-14 by the 52nd minute.
Colm O’Neill’s last-gasp point ended a scoring drought that last nearly 25 minutes, a pattern which will always be costly in Croke Park.
Of course much of that was down to how Donegal came to terms with what Cork posed. Rory Gallagher’s side had a far more formidable defensive structure in the second-half.
Their decision making and play in the closing stages illustrated the edge in experience they held over a Cork team with a bunch of players who were sampling Croke Park for the first time.
3. Dublin loom large for Donegal
They’ll be satisfied tonight with victory as they return to the north-west but Donegal’s minds will have to be quickly transferred onto another target. Dublin are next Saturday’s quarter-final obstacles, a machine that enters the All-Ireland series after mowing down every league and Leinster challenge to date in 2016.
The form of the Kilcar trio – McBrearty along with Eoin and Ryan McHugh – will nourish Donegal’s hopes and a win will be good for their spirits after the Ulster final disappointment. Two years ago they stunned the Gaelic football world when they took down Dublin. It’ll be intriguing to see how they try to repeat that.
4. Plenty stress but Mayo get the job done before Tyrone test
It was not until Aidan O’Shea smashed the ball to the net in front of Hill 16 at the finish that Mayo could completely relax, safe in the knowledge that the spoils were assured. This proved an awkward encounter for them. A 12-point advantage by the 31st minute suggested the living was easy for Mayo but they struggled to withstand a Westmeath wave in the second-half.
The result was what they wanted but the performance had enough flaws to cause concern. Stephen Rochford’s side were unconvincing but still they have stitched together three qualifier wins on the bounce. Fermanagh, Kildare and now Westmeath have been disposed of. Tyrone next Saturday will be a tougher test again.
5. Westmeath go down fighting
Westmeath produced a magical and remarkable comeback in Croke Park in 2015 when they took down Meath. They made a great effort to produce something similar to light up the 2016 season this evening, whittling a 12-point deficit down to three and giving Mayo plenty cause for anxiety.
Injured goalkeepers, leaking goals and red cards to players meant Tom Cribben’s side suffered their fair share of setbacks during the game. They ploughed on with James Dolan and Kieran Martin impressing while John Heslin’s markmanship was typically excellent. They bowed out at the last 12 stage for the second successive year but went down fighting.
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