THERE ARE STATEMENTS of intent, and then there are, well, bringing Michael Murphy and Patrick McBrearty into your starting line-up.
A ten point win over a county that had put back to back Ulster titles together in 2022 and 2023 would seem a very good day’s work.
But Donegal will recognise the handicap that Derry arrived here with.
Donegal will face better prepared opposition, yet for now they will feel good about themselves.
For all the whiff of threat that comes with Murphy and McBrearty, it was Gaoth Dobhair’s Dáire Ó Baoill who led the way in the first half scoring stakes.
While the game has been enormously altered and tweaked, with a stomach tuck here and a chin lift there, Derry were playing some smart stuff for the first 25 minutes here. They kept the ball alive around the middle and ate a good bit of the clock while playing against the breeze.
They might have gotten more out of things in the eighth minute when Hugh McFadden tugged Shane McGuigan back while taking a shot. The resultant penalty was taken by McGuigan and while the direction and the power wasn’t great, Shaun Patton still had to get low fast to keep it out with a strong right hand, before he smothered the follow up.
After 24 minutes, the sides were level on 0-5 each. Jim Gavin was, presumably, watching this game from behind the sofa.
And then Donegal found their groove. Niall Toner was turned over in a scoring position by Ryan McHugh and the play ended with ÓBaoill’s first two-pointer.
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From the next kick out, a foul by Derry for dissent and a 21 yard tap-over free for Michael Murphy.
It got worse. The next kickout from Neil McNicholl ended with a free for Ryan McHugh. Derry’s Brendan Rogers then tugged his jersey which led to referee Brendan Cawley bringing the ball all the way up again for McBrearty to point, before ÓBaoill chanced another two-pointer.
From a sideline, Ciaran McFaul worked a move down the right side of the Derry attack with Rogers playing the final pass to midfielder Dan Higgins to slot to the net and it brought the scores back to three points.
However, Donegal needed the scores with the breeze and turned up the pressure. Another turnover up the field and a lightning break had Ciaran Moore playing in ÓBaoill who ran 50 metres with the ball, using his supporting runners as decoys before rifling the ball to the net, leaving the home side 1-12 to 1-5 in front.
On the restart, Derry brought the game back to two points, courtesy of Brendan Rogers and Conor Doherty nailing two-pointers.
But it wasn’t anything they could sustain. With the reshaping of Gaelic football, kickouts have never been more important.
And Derry had a goalkeeper in Neil McNicholl who had never played in goal before this year. He was brought in to exploit the 12 v 11 loophole at the start of the year, being an outfield player with Glenullin.
An injury to the regular goalkeeper Odhran Lynch meant McNicholl was the last man standing. Donegal forced him to go long and he suffered from just not being at the level of the elite goalkeepers of the modern age.
From drawing up to two points away, the score from the 38th minute to close was Donegal 0-13, Derry 0-4.
The Derry side was patched together. Even Conor Glass who finished the league as their second-highest scorer behind Shane McGuigan, was hampered with injury and didn’t convert any of his three two-point attempts.
Meanwhile Donegal were able to run their bench and get minutes into the likes of Jason McGee and Oisin Gallen.
Tougher times await.
Scorers for Donegal: Dáire ÓBaoill 1-4 (2 x 2 points), Patrick McBrearty 0-7 (3 frees), Peader Mogan, Shane O’Donnell, Conor O’Donnell 0-2 each, Michael Murphy 0-2 (1 free), Ryan McHugh, Finbarr Roarty, Ciaran Moore, Jamie Brennan, Oisin Gallen 0-1 each.
Scorers for Derry: Brendan Rogers 0-5 (2 x 2 points), Shane McGuigan 0-4, (4 frees), Dan Higgins 1-0, Lachlan Murray 0-2 (1 free), Conor Doherty 0-2 (1 x 2 point), Niall Toner, Padraig McGrogan 0-1 each.
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Dáire Ó Baoill the scoring star as Donegal cruise past Derry in Ulster
Donegal 1-25
Derry 1-15
THERE ARE STATEMENTS of intent, and then there are, well, bringing Michael Murphy and Patrick McBrearty into your starting line-up.
A ten point win over a county that had put back to back Ulster titles together in 2022 and 2023 would seem a very good day’s work.
But Donegal will recognise the handicap that Derry arrived here with.
Donegal will face better prepared opposition, yet for now they will feel good about themselves.
For all the whiff of threat that comes with Murphy and McBrearty, it was Gaoth Dobhair’s Dáire Ó Baoill who led the way in the first half scoring stakes.
While the game has been enormously altered and tweaked, with a stomach tuck here and a chin lift there, Derry were playing some smart stuff for the first 25 minutes here. They kept the ball alive around the middle and ate a good bit of the clock while playing against the breeze.
They might have gotten more out of things in the eighth minute when Hugh McFadden tugged Shane McGuigan back while taking a shot. The resultant penalty was taken by McGuigan and while the direction and the power wasn’t great, Shaun Patton still had to get low fast to keep it out with a strong right hand, before he smothered the follow up.
After 24 minutes, the sides were level on 0-5 each. Jim Gavin was, presumably, watching this game from behind the sofa.
And then Donegal found their groove. Niall Toner was turned over in a scoring position by Ryan McHugh and the play ended with ÓBaoill’s first two-pointer.
From the next kick out, a foul by Derry for dissent and a 21 yard tap-over free for Michael Murphy.
It got worse. The next kickout from Neil McNicholl ended with a free for Ryan McHugh. Derry’s Brendan Rogers then tugged his jersey which led to referee Brendan Cawley bringing the ball all the way up again for McBrearty to point, before ÓBaoill chanced another two-pointer.
From a sideline, Ciaran McFaul worked a move down the right side of the Derry attack with Rogers playing the final pass to midfielder Dan Higgins to slot to the net and it brought the scores back to three points.
However, Donegal needed the scores with the breeze and turned up the pressure. Another turnover up the field and a lightning break had Ciaran Moore playing in ÓBaoill who ran 50 metres with the ball, using his supporting runners as decoys before rifling the ball to the net, leaving the home side 1-12 to 1-5 in front.
On the restart, Derry brought the game back to two points, courtesy of Brendan Rogers and Conor Doherty nailing two-pointers.
But it wasn’t anything they could sustain. With the reshaping of Gaelic football, kickouts have never been more important.
And Derry had a goalkeeper in Neil McNicholl who had never played in goal before this year. He was brought in to exploit the 12 v 11 loophole at the start of the year, being an outfield player with Glenullin.
An injury to the regular goalkeeper Odhran Lynch meant McNicholl was the last man standing. Donegal forced him to go long and he suffered from just not being at the level of the elite goalkeepers of the modern age.
From drawing up to two points away, the score from the 38th minute to close was Donegal 0-13, Derry 0-4.
The Derry side was patched together. Even Conor Glass who finished the league as their second-highest scorer behind Shane McGuigan, was hampered with injury and didn’t convert any of his three two-point attempts.
Meanwhile Donegal were able to run their bench and get minutes into the likes of Jason McGee and Oisin Gallen.
Tougher times await.
Scorers for Donegal: Dáire ÓBaoill 1-4 (2 x 2 points), Patrick McBrearty 0-7 (3 frees), Peader Mogan, Shane O’Donnell, Conor O’Donnell 0-2 each, Michael Murphy 0-2 (1 free), Ryan McHugh, Finbarr Roarty, Ciaran Moore, Jamie Brennan, Oisin Gallen 0-1 each.
Scorers for Derry: Brendan Rogers 0-5 (2 x 2 points), Shane McGuigan 0-4, (4 frees), Dan Higgins 1-0, Lachlan Murray 0-2 (1 free), Conor Doherty 0-2 (1 x 2 point), Niall Toner, Padraig McGrogan 0-1 each.
Donegal
1. Shaun Patton (St Eunan’s)
2. Finbarr Roarty (Naomh Conaill) 3. Brendan McCole (St Naul’s) 4. Ciaran Moore (St Eunan’s)
5. Ryan McHugh (Kilcar) 6. Caolan McGonagle (Buncrana) 7. Peader Mogan (St Naul’s)
8. Hugh McFadden (Killybegs) 22. Michael Murphy (Glenswilly)
10. Dáire ÓBaoill (Gaoth Dobhair) 11. Ciaran Thompson (Naomh Conaill) 12. Shane O’Donnell (St Eunan’s)
23. Odhran McFadden-Ferry (Gaoth Dobhair) 14. Conor O’Donnell (Carndonough) 25. Patrick McBrearty (Kilcar)
Subs:
Derry
1. Neil McNicholl (Glenullin)
2. Diarmuid Baker (Steelstown) 3. Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil) 4. Martin Bradley (Ballinascreen)
5. Conor Doherty (Newbridge) 6. Padraig McGrogan (Newbridge) 7. Eoin McEvoy (Magherafelt)
8. Conor Glass (Glen) 9. Dan Higgins (Magherafelt)
10. Ethan Doherty (Glen) 11. Paul Cassidy (Bellaghy) 12. Ciaran McFaul (Glen)
13. Niall Toner (Lavey) 14. Shane McGuigan (Slaughtneil) 15. Lachlan Murray (Desertmartin)
Subs:
Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)
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Derry Donegal First Day Out Here comes summer Ulster Championship