National Forum

Donegal GAA thread

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To greenfan:  "I was very disappointed with Gallen this year, he should relish playing alongside Murphy, learning from him and watching how he goes about his work every night in training. Gallen needs to step up next year and show he's really the top forward we all think he is, and not just a guy who had one good year."
Oisin Gallen had been carrying ankle injuries since last year, from which he has had various setbacks. He has stepped up to the plate at times, we know he can do it at the top level, he just isn't getting a consistent run at it and his form has suffered.

I thought Niall O'Donnell might finally step up, he has the potential to be on a different level, but for years now he seems to just lack the drive and hunger and rumour is that he won't be in the squad next season.

Our starting inside forward line in 2025 should have been Niall O'Donnell, Oisin Gallen and Conor O'Donnell, with Murphy & McBrearty as bench options. But we were forced to rely on the old hands, we need younger players to step up and claim it, like Conor O'Donnell has done.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1512 - 31/10/2025 22:12:47    2642437

Link

League provisional fixtures out, good draw for Donegal even if Four away, away fixtures ard the easier ones with top teams coming here

jacktheboy (Donegal) - Posts: 516 - 01/11/2025 12:57:37    2642492

Link

Replying To jacktheboy:  "League provisional fixtures out, good draw for Donegal even if Four away, away fixtures ard the easier ones with top teams coming here"
Ballybofey not available could have an impact, our record in Letterkenny isn't nearly as good as in Ballybofey

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 752 - 02/11/2025 17:54:08    2642679

Link

18 new players identified from the Club Championships. Paul O'Hare and Conor McGinty are two of them. Any other names?

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1377 - 02/11/2025 19:04:03    2642691

Link

Replying To peiledoir20:  "18 new players identified from the Club Championships. Paul O'Hare and Conor McGinty are two of them. Any other names?"
Yes it's good to hear that they're having a look at a lot of new players. Even if only one or two emerge as potential starters it should be beneficial.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10116 - 03/11/2025 09:06:40    2642746

Link

How are Naomh Columba and Naomh Conaill fixed for their respective provincial ties this weekend?
Carndonagh were a wee bit unlucky last weekend. Hopefully our intermediate and senior champions can progress.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10116 - 04/11/2025 14:23:46    2642993

Link

Replying To Lockjaw:  "How are Naomh Columba and Naomh Conaill fixed for their respective provincial ties this weekend?
Carndonagh were a wee bit unlucky last weekend. Hopefully our intermediate and senior champions can progress."
I was shocked to see that Conor O'Donnell was kept scoreless in that game as he had been scoring for fun all year in club and county games. He must have been very well marshalled by Emyvale?

peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1377 - 04/11/2025 14:52:53    2643000

Link

Replying To peiledoir20:  "I was shocked to see that Conor O'Donnell was kept scoreless in that game as he had been scoring for fun all year in club and county games. He must have been very well marshalled by Emyvale?"
Yeah from the sounds of things Emyvale did a good job in curtailing his influence, although he was fouled for a number of frees. The decision at the end to award Emyvale a free was harsh enough by all accounts. Carndonagh had managed a good turnover deep in injury time with the scores level, but the ref punished a "thrown" pass as they began their counter attack out of defence. The Monaghan lad dispatached the free and that was that.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10116 - 04/11/2025 16:47:07    2643025

Link

Big game this weekend for the Glenties, hopefully they can push on.

Been around the county the past 2/3 weeks and chatting to different people in different parishes when delivering and a few words going about that down a few men from last year squads that have been mentioned here, word that the Monaghan based player is one of them.

Any new additions floating about yet? Championship top scorer isn't 1 of the new 18 anyway.

Whyme923 (Donegal) - Posts: 119 - 06/11/2025 14:20:43    2643279

Link

Replying To greenfan:  "I was very disappointed with Gallen this year, he should relish playing alongside Murphy, learning from him and watching how he goes about his work every night in training. Gallen needs to step up next year and show he's really the top forward we all think he is, and not just a guy who had one good year."
This is a bit of a ridiculous comment. Gallen was 4th top scorer from play in the All Ireland SFC with 1-24. Very hard done by not to be nominated this year.
Murphy scored 0-52, but 0-31 from placed balls, so 0-21 from play. Gallen hit those frees last year.
If he hits say an additional 0-30 from placed balls and ends up on 1-54 all of a sudden he's second top scorer overall in the Championship and everyone sings his praises, football fans, journalists and pundits are incredibly blinkered sometimes.

Conor O'Donnell hit 3-25 all from play which was excellent, hopefully he gets a deserved all star.

Northwest90 (Donegal) - Posts: 18 - 07/11/2025 13:29:26    2643368

Link

Replying To Northwest90:  "This is a bit of a ridiculous comment. Gallen was 4th top scorer from play in the All Ireland SFC with 1-24. Very hard done by not to be nominated this year.
Murphy scored 0-52, but 0-31 from placed balls, so 0-21 from play. Gallen hit those frees last year.
If he hits say an additional 0-30 from placed balls and ends up on 1-54 all of a sudden he's second top scorer overall in the Championship and everyone sings his praises, football fans, journalists and pundits are incredibly blinkered sometimes.

Conor O'Donnell hit 3-25 all from play which was excellent, hopefully he gets a deserved all star."
I think Gallen was carrying an injury, nothing new there for hard worked players these days, he done very well at times, hope he has a big year next year as we need to step it up another level to have a chance of landing the Holy Grail again.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3544 - 07/11/2025 13:49:32    2643373

Link

Replying To Northwest90:  "This is a bit of a ridiculous comment. Gallen was 4th top scorer from play in the All Ireland SFC with 1-24. Very hard done by not to be nominated this year.
Murphy scored 0-52, but 0-31 from placed balls, so 0-21 from play. Gallen hit those frees last year.
If he hits say an additional 0-30 from placed balls and ends up on 1-54 all of a sudden he's second top scorer overall in the Championship and everyone sings his praises, football fans, journalists and pundits are incredibly blinkered sometimes.

Conor O'Donnell hit 3-25 all from play which was excellent, hopefully he gets a deserved all star."
Nothing ridiculous about it at all. If Gallen was reliable and could play a full season where he was consistent in every game, Murphy wouldn't need to be taking the frees.

greenfan (Donegal) - Posts: 752 - 07/11/2025 15:31:55    2643393

Link

Replying To greenfan:  "Nothing ridiculous about it at all. If Gallen was reliable and could play a full season where he was consistent in every game, Murphy wouldn't need to be taking the frees."
Don't let the facts get in the way of your story sure

donegalgael-12 (Donegal) - Posts: 41 - 07/11/2025 17:39:34    2643418

Link

Best of luck to naomh Columba tomorrow in the intermediate and off course my own club Naomh conail on Sunday.
And well done to all our all stars and nominees.
And a special shout-out to my own clubman on winning an all star and young footballer of the year, well deserved.
Isn't it great to be amongst the all star talk and reaching all Ireland finals.
Thank you to Jim McGuiness for bringing back pride in the county. And we should be doing everything possible to persuade Jim to extend his time beyond next year, and blood in even some more young talent.

The keeper (Donegal) - Posts: 737 - 07/11/2025 20:53:41    2643436

Link

Conor O Donnell should have got the All Star, he was Donegals best forward this year.

jacktheboy (Donegal) - Posts: 516 - 07/11/2025 21:52:12    2643441

Link

Well done to our All Stars & especially to Finnbarr on winning YPOTY. A magnificent achievement.

Hopefully we can have another enjoyable year in 2026!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10116 - 07/11/2025 23:31:36    2643456

Link

Congrats to the lads on their well deserved all stars and especially Finnbarr on getting young player of the year. For me himself and David Clifford were shoe ins. Of course the anti Murphy brigade out in force with some suggesting he shouldn't have got an All Star and definitely not in the running for player of the year. I went to every championship game and he was either motm or one of the top candidates. Delighted to hear he is staying on and I share the keepers gratitude in everything Jim has done since coming back. Load's of young talent coming through so I took hope he stays on longer.

panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2893 - 08/11/2025 16:05:32    2643522

Link

Delighted for the four who got the allstars and a bit disappointed for the few others who i thought were in the conversation. Conor should have got one but sure this is always the way with the format as it is and there is inevitably someone left out who was more deserving than others. I have to say I am very pleased with McCole finally getting one after three years of being nominated. He has been so consistent and was one of the few stand out players even in that awful season 2023. He's hands down one of the best defenders in the country this long while.

WeGoAgain (Donegal) - Posts: 107 - 08/11/2025 18:35:57    2643543

Link

Replying To WeGoAgain:  "Delighted for the four who got the allstars and a bit disappointed for the few others who i thought were in the conversation. Conor should have got one but sure this is always the way with the format as it is and there is inevitably someone left out who was more deserving than others. I have to say I am very pleased with McCole finally getting one after three years of being nominated. He has been so consistent and was one of the few stand out players even in that awful season 2023. He's hands down one of the best defenders in the country this long while."
Maybe in the future we should just have all Donegal players for all stars you might be happy then !

S1234 (Mayo) - Posts: 464 - 08/11/2025 19:19:37    2643549

Link