PRIOR TO DONEGAL playing Dublin in the 2014 All Ireland semi-final, the sheer magnificence of Dublin’s play left them as red hot favourites. There wasn’t even a hair’s breadth for an argument to worm its’ way in.
The former Irish News sports writer Paddy Heaney decided to test a theory and put a call through to Jim McGuinness, by then in Glasgow as an employee of Celtic.
McGuinness talked around the game and the possibilities. When asked blatantly how they could ever hope to actually beat Jim Gavin’s side of all-talents, he said there was always something ‘you can get your teeth into.’
On the day, they used Paul Durcan’s kickouts as a slingshot. Ryan McHugh would run towards him before slamming on the breaks and taking off for where the ball might land.
In the skies, Michael Murphy and Neil Gallagher would get up and flick the ball on. McHugh was the recipient on more than one occasion and he would run the ball all the way to the Dublin goal, where the magic would happen.
Imagine, therefore, if you could replace Durcan with Shaun Patton; a significantly smaller man, but with an improbably much longer boot.
Imagine, if you will, that you still had Ryan McHugh, again a small man but slippery and elusive and even though he’s put down well over a decade in gold and green, still a sensational runner with ball in hand.
And then, let’s just imagine in a world far, far away, how easy it might have been if Dublin had have brought their goalkeeper up to the halfway line.
That’s what happened here.
Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch was pushed into being vulnerable, by Donegal.
He’s flamboyant and has many gifts, and has taken a roving brief to the extreme the last two years.
But look at the Donegal goals. First goal, the long ball from Patton. It was six Donegal players on three Derry. They went to the knife fight with a bazooka on their shoulder.
Daire ÓBaoill lobbed Lynch.
Second goal. All those in the media box and the open terrace had a perfect view of ÓBaoill sneaking along the sideline. Donegal had others pushed up and they were being scouted by Derry opponents.
But Patton, now with the benefit of the wind, added around 15 metres to his kick. It flew over everyone for ÓBaoill to run onto. Again he kicked well, but Lynch – retreating from the opposite wing – should have done better in gathering in, rather than it hitting his knee and then the net.
Fourth goal. By now, Gavin Mulreany was on for the injured Patton. Instead of kicking away from Lynch, he landed a kick down his throat. Under pressure, Lynch could not gather it and just broke the ball.
It was dished off to Jamie Brennan who deserves immense credit for blasting a hard kick to the roof of the net.
It was game over. Donegal had their thing to get their teeth into, and once they did, they gnawed it clean.
It’s important to recognise this; what happened Lynch, can happen any goalkeeper now. The game and formations have gone so uniform that it could have happened to literally two dozen intercounty goalkeepers. It has happened to many during the league and if teams still persist with the tactic, it will happen many more times.
The skill is to know when this sort of thing is on.
Tyrone’s Niall Morgan is one who understands this. He also has the benefit of playing his club football exclusively outfield. If he wasn’t such a good goalkeeper, he might be an outfield player for his county.
But there are no other Niall Morgans.
What of Derry?
There are many that will make the case that this could be the best thing to happen them, if they have aspirations of winning an All Ireland.
The view is seductive. They now have a month of getting their gameplan ready for the round robin without having to go through another gruelling Ulster campaign.
But emotionally, this defeat has the potential to do serious harm.
This was a team built in Rory Gallagher’s image. Now under Mickey Harte for the first time, they were significantly outclassed in a big game in their home ground.
Like it or not, it’s the kind of performance that has players heading away in small groups and looking to apportion blame. They seldom spend too much time in front of mirrors for this task.
For now, Harte will convince his players that Donegal got lucky. They seemed to get lucky against Tyrone quite a lot.
But take away their own mistakes and there was nothing in the game. That will be the message.
How much Derry players buy into that, with a significant tweak to the role of Lynch out the field, will determine how they proceed in becoming proper contenders for Sam Maguire.
