However, this year has a seen a change in their fortunes for the better, as it has included an Ulster final victory and a surprise defeat of Dublin, which has set up an upcoming All-Ireland final with Kerry.
And in an interview with Newstalk’s Off the Ball, McGuinness has cited “preparation” as one of the main reasons for their improvement, which has been aided by the clubs’ controversial move to call off fixtures in Donegal.
Advertisement
“In footballing terms, if you go into a game and your preparations aren’t 100%, you’re hoping that the opposition are going to be poorer than you. Not that you’re going to bring your ‘A game’. And for me, that’s the most important thing.
“The clubs made a decision this year in Donegal to put off the championship. We offered two rounds earlier in the year — to have one in the last week of April and one in the first week of May and then at least we’d have three weeks before the first round of the Championship. But the clubs said: ‘No, it’s too early. We want to give you the chance to prepare.’ We’re in the All-Ireland final on the back of that decision by the clubs.”
And while the Donegal boss has been praised for this change, he was reluctant to take credit for it.
“It wasn’t my decision,” he said. “It was the clubs’ decision. They really appreciated the fact that we had won two Ulster championships and an All-Ireland, and they wanted to give us the chance to prepare. I didn’t ask for it to be called off.”
He also suggested that the club championship last year significantly hampered his team’s bid for glory.
“The one thing that will always frustrate me and put me under pressure is preparation. If I don’t get the preparation right, I don’t feel right.
“I felt very aggrieved last year that we didn’t get to prepare the team properly, and I felt doubly aggrieved because we won the All-Ireland the year before. We proved we were good enough to win the All-Ireland and our preparations the following year were taken away from us.
“Four out of eight weeks of the Ulster Championship, our lads were playing club football. We picked up nine injuries in that period of time and it had a huge impact on us going on to try to retain our provincial championship again.”
As for Donegal’s upcoming opponents, Kerry, McGuinness said he was well aware of their qualities.
“If you know every single one of their players, you should know what they offer in each position.
“They’ve got pace in the side — young [Stephen] O’Brien, Barry John [Keane] as well as James O’Donoghue and these lads — they’re always going to be a kicking team.
“But they’re not just a kicking team, they also have strong, talented runners with the ball… I’ve been really impressed with Aidan O’Mahony, I think he’s been exceptional.
“I think Eamon [Fitzmaurice] has gone for players that are really rolling their sleeves up and going in for dirty ball and they still have a huge amount of quality within the team. So it’s a big challenge.”
Clubs' decision paved the way for Donegal's Dublin success - McGuinness
DONEGAL COACH JIM McGuinness has suggested the clubs’ decision to defer their championship earlier this year paved the way for the team’s success.
McGuinness’ side had a disappointing 2013, losing the Ulster final to Monaghan and getting comprehensively beaten by Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
However, this year has a seen a change in their fortunes for the better, as it has included an Ulster final victory and a surprise defeat of Dublin, which has set up an upcoming All-Ireland final with Kerry.
And in an interview with Newstalk’s Off the Ball, McGuinness has cited “preparation” as one of the main reasons for their improvement, which has been aided by the clubs’ controversial move to call off fixtures in Donegal.
“In footballing terms, if you go into a game and your preparations aren’t 100%, you’re hoping that the opposition are going to be poorer than you. Not that you’re going to bring your ‘A game’. And for me, that’s the most important thing.
And while the Donegal boss has been praised for this change, he was reluctant to take credit for it.
“It wasn’t my decision,” he said. “It was the clubs’ decision. They really appreciated the fact that we had won two Ulster championships and an All-Ireland, and they wanted to give us the chance to prepare. I didn’t ask for it to be called off.”
He also suggested that the club championship last year significantly hampered his team’s bid for glory.
“I felt very aggrieved last year that we didn’t get to prepare the team properly, and I felt doubly aggrieved because we won the All-Ireland the year before. We proved we were good enough to win the All-Ireland and our preparations the following year were taken away from us.
As for Donegal’s upcoming opponents, Kerry, McGuinness said he was well aware of their qualities.
“If you know every single one of their players, you should know what they offer in each position.
“They’ve got pace in the side — young [Stephen] O’Brien, Barry John [Keane] as well as James O’Donoghue and these lads — they’re always going to be a kicking team.
“I think Eamon [Fitzmaurice] has gone for players that are really rolling their sleeves up and going in for dirty ball and they still have a huge amount of quality within the team. So it’s a big challenge.”
Listen to the full interview here>
The Clare People have a great back page on the Collins’ decision to play football>
Report – Donegal set for five day stay in Lough Erne resort before All-Ireland final>
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
clubs All-Ireland Senior HC Interview Jim McGuinness Off The Ball Donegal Dublin Kerry