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Replying To CCFabu: "I think the nature of the defeat to Kerry in the final has us written off in a lot of the national media which won't do any harm really. There was a lot of talk of the zonal defence being completely dead after Kerry's performance but in reality I think the structures are not what let us down that day.
but as I say I'm happy enough to be under the radar, even though we are back to back Ulster champions we are third behind Tyrone and Armagh in a lot of the chatter I've seen. I think both those counties are very strong too. It'll be great to see how we get on in Croke Park this weekend.
great to see the performance of some of the young lads at the weekend there, it was my first game of the year - fair weather fan only going to finals! I was very impressed with Shea Malone especially the finish for the second goal, and also thought Turlough Carr got on a lot of ball and played well. Mark Curran I thought played well too and great to see big Hughie moving so well, he is so important to us in my opinion.
Monaghan hit a lot of wides in key moments but you always felt we had another gear especially with the strength of the bench." I best clarify. The under the radar was in reference to the young talent in the county. Not many outside the county will be aware of what's happening at Four Masters or that we've been very very close at under 20 in the last few years but when you don't get silverware those outside comment nothing coming through. I've heard it lazily banded around by one or two.
panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2905 - 19/01/2026 12:43:41
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It will be interesting to see the team for Sat.It looks like we have 8 established players for the back 6 i.e
Curran,McCole.Roarty,McHugh,McGonagle,Mogan,Eoghan Ban and McColgan
For midfield we have 3 established players i.e
McFadden,McGee and Langan
For the forwards I can only think of 4 established players for the 6 positions i.e
O'Baoill,Moore, Shane and Connor O'Donnell.
It looks like we will have at least 2 newcomers in on Sat.
I suppose Langan or McGee could be put centre half forward.
gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1215 - 19/01/2026 21:01:20
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I think we'll likely go as strong as he can against Dublin. We're in a stronger panel position than last year IMO with plenty of cover in some positions. I know the young lads have done well but when the pace and intensity of championship comes I'm not sure how many will start. Championship team and cover:
1. Patton (Mulreany)
2. Roarty (Curran)
3. McCole (McMenamin)
4. Eoin Ban (Eoin McHugh)
5. Mc Hugh (M Campbell)
6. Mc Gonagle
7. Mogan (O' Hare)
8. McGee (Mc Fadden)
9. Langan (Mac Giolla Bride)
10. Moore (Muldoon)
11. O'Donnell (T Carr)
12. O'Baoil (McCahill)
13. C O'Donnell (Brennan)
14. Murphy (McGeehin)
15. Gallen (Malone)
Also Ultan Doherty hasn't done bad but not sure if he's better than above. Kieran Gallagher was better against Monaghan and hopefully continues to improve. Cian McMenamin could come into this. Seanan Carr has more to offer but will be a bit behind for the corner forward slots yet. Ciaran Thompson is a big loss.
For Saturday I think it will be:
1. Mulreany
2. Roarty
3. McCole
4. Eoin Ban
5. Mc Hugh
6. Mc Gonagle
7. Mogan
8. McFadden
9. Langan
10. Moore
11. T. Carr
12. O'Baoill
13. C O'Donnell
14. McGee
15. S O'Donnell
Likely totally wrong but isn't it great that we can debate a 15 instead of it picking itself. The pace of Muldoon and McCahill would suit Croke Park but with the MacRory SF on Friday I doubt we'll see McCahill this weekend. Shea Malone, Max Campbell and Paul O'Hare deserve game time too after their performances to date.
Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1680 - 19/01/2026 23:37:10
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Replying To CCFabu: "I think the nature of the defeat to Kerry in the final has us written off in a lot of the national media which won't do any harm really. There was a lot of talk of the zonal defence being completely dead after Kerry's performance but in reality I think the structures are not what let us down that day.
but as I say I'm happy enough to be under the radar, even though we are back to back Ulster champions we are third behind Tyrone and Armagh in a lot of the chatter I've seen. I think both those counties are very strong too. It'll be great to see how we get on in Croke Park this weekend.
great to see the performance of some of the young lads at the weekend there, it was my first game of the year - fair weather fan only going to finals! I was very impressed with Shea Malone especially the finish for the second goal, and also thought Turlough Carr got on a lot of ball and played well. Mark Curran I thought played well too and great to see big Hughie moving so well, he is so important to us in my opinion.
Monaghan hit a lot of wides in key moments but you always felt we had another gear especially with the strength of the bench." In fairness to Kerry, they were a lot better than us on the day and showed that there was a genuine gap between ourselves and themselves in 2025. No disrespect to Louth, Monaghan or Meath, but we got a softer run to the final also, which probably didn't help.
In saying that, I don't think we are coming in under the radar due to a lack of underage success, some pundits might use our lack of underage titles as a stick to beat down expectations, but a lot of pundits know better and know from experience that we still manage to assemble formidable senior teams without winning underage titles, even though its still something we need to address.
The challenge now is for Donegal, and the other pack of chasing teams to try and close that gap in 2026, and it remains to be seen if any of us can sufficiently do that. Expecting Galway to come back with a bang, also think Mayo will make a big return. Dublin might be rebuilding, but will still be hard to beat. Tyrone, Armagh and Monaghan will all be difficult opposition. Ultimately Kerry will be the benchmark for 2026, the team the rest of us have to try to raise our game to beat.
Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1565 - 20/01/2026 09:03:50
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Replying To Commodore: "In fairness to Kerry, they were a lot better than us on the day and showed that there was a genuine gap between ourselves and themselves in 2025. No disrespect to Louth, Monaghan or Meath, but we got a softer run to the final also, which probably didn't help.
In saying that, I don't think we are coming in under the radar due to a lack of underage success, some pundits might use our lack of underage titles as a stick to beat down expectations, but a lot of pundits know better and know from experience that we still manage to assemble formidable senior teams without winning underage titles, even though its still something we need to address.
The challenge now is for Donegal, and the other pack of chasing teams to try and close that gap in 2026, and it remains to be seen if any of us can sufficiently do that. Expecting Galway to come back with a bang, also think Mayo will make a big return. Dublin might be rebuilding, but will still be hard to beat. Tyrone, Armagh and Monaghan will all be difficult opposition. Ultimately Kerry will be the benchmark for 2026, the team the rest of us have to try to raise our game to beat." Yeah Kerry are definitely out on their own at number 1.
I think there are then a clutch of teams who are capable of beating each other on any given day - Donegal, Galway, Armagh, Tyrone and who could topple Kerry with a strong performance and a bit of luck along the way.
Below that, teams like Dublin, Mayo, Derry, Monaghan and maybe even Cork could make things very awkward for any of the above teams.
Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10207 - 20/01/2026 12:18:01
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It was a very satisfactory McKenna Cup campaign, great to see some new talent coming through. I thought they all showed up well in particular Shea Malone and Turlough Carr. Kieran Gallagher and Paul O'Hare also did well. Some of the younger lads will make the odd mistake but that is to be expected, I wouldn't be worried about that. Overall I was really impressed with them.
It's hard to predict the starting team for the Dublin game but I'm guessing we will be back to a more experienced line up with a few of the new players thrown in. Dublin with a new manager will be a tough assignment.
With the new rules the midfield area is more important than ever. Looking back at the All Ireland final we lost midfield and Kerry had all the possession. We had a bad day at the office against Kerry but I'm still hopeful we will be a contender again this year. Hopefully Jason McGee can stay fit and Kieran Gallagher can push on. It would be great if we could have Ciaran Thompson back for the championship.
Green_Gold (Donegal) - Posts: 1937 - 21/01/2026 10:21:54
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Replying To Green_Gold: "It was a very satisfactory McKenna Cup campaign, great to see some new talent coming through. I thought they all showed up well in particular Shea Malone and Turlough Carr. Kieran Gallagher and Paul O'Hare also did well. Some of the younger lads will make the odd mistake but that is to be expected, I wouldn't be worried about that. Overall I was really impressed with them.
It's hard to predict the starting team for the Dublin game but I'm guessing we will be back to a more experienced line up with a few of the new players thrown in. Dublin with a new manager will be a tough assignment.
With the new rules the midfield area is more important than ever. Looking back at the All Ireland final we lost midfield and Kerry had all the possession. We had a bad day at the office against Kerry but I'm still hopeful we will be a contender again this year. Hopefully Jason McGee can stay fit and Kieran Gallagher can push on. It would be great if we could have Ciaran Thompson back for the championship." Kieran Gallagher reminds me a wee bit of Ryan Bradley, big athletic and powerful player, very good in the tackle.
His decision making needs work, as he had a habit of running into crowds and his passing wasn't the best, but he could be a serious option around the middle,
Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1565 - 21/01/2026 12:58:43
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Replying To Commodore: "Kieran Gallagher reminds me a wee bit of Ryan Bradley, big athletic and powerful player, very good in the tackle.
His decision making needs work, as he had a habit of running into crowds and his passing wasn't the best, but he could be a serious option around the middle," Ryan Bradley would have been way more athletic than Kieran Gallagher. You can see he hasn't played at this level since underage days and it will take him time to adjust IF he wants to. He stepped away from his club for a number of years and even when invited to the county seniors had to be persuaded by some influences to take the step. If you don't 100% want it at this level you won't last, hopefully he does and gives it time to adjust. He was much better against Monaghan.
Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1680 - 21/01/2026 18:46:06
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Replying To Lockjaw: "Yeah Kerry are definitely out on their own at number 1.
I think there are then a clutch of teams who are capable of beating each other on any given day - Donegal, Galway, Armagh, Tyrone and who could topple Kerry with a strong performance and a bit of luck along the way.
Below that, teams like Dublin, Mayo, Derry, Monaghan and maybe even Cork could make things very awkward for any of the above teams." Beliw team like Mayo hmm yes rebuilding though Paddy power thinks different wuth us at 3rd favourites ...
S1234 (Mayo) - Posts: 716 - 21/01/2026 19:41:11
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Replying To Lockjaw: "I see a good few pundits online suggesting that zonal marking is pretty much obsolete under the new rules.
It'll serve you well up to a point against inferior teams. But as soon as you come up against a superior opponent who can think their past your defensive screen, you're doomed. So says Wooly anyway.
What is the best approach here when considering Donegal?
Continue with zonal system?
Go all-out man-marking?
Bit of both lol" I don't think McGuinness will change a huge amount. There was no hint of it in the McKenna cup. One of his greatest strengths is his absolute belief in his system and getting total buy-in from his players. What will concern him more is whether Donegal were at the pitch of the game. They didn't manage Gavin White at all from throw-ins, allowing him to saunter up the pitch far too easily, and there was no one willing to physically impose themselves on Kerry. Someone needed to put a proper hit on White (and it shouldn't have been Ryan McHugh), and that's maybe a slight weakness in the side at the moment. Are Donegal missing a player with a bit of badness in them?
The unforced errors in the first half were costly, directly handing Kerry five points. There were two bad turnovers coming out of defence, and they also failed to manage the clock for Kerry's final score of the half.
I'd expect McGuinness to look at a more zonal press on opposition kick-outs. Kerry exploited the pace mismatch between Foley and Murphy, and that can't be allowed to happen again. Donegal were also poor at throw-ups, which is another area that needs work - a fully fit McGee could help address that.
Roarty spoke around the time he won Young Player of the Year about his frustration that Kerry didn't attack his side of the defence, and that's worth revisiting. Even in his brief enough McKenna Cup cameos, you can see his ability to disrupt players in possession. You'd wonder if Donegal might consider giving him a freer defensive role, allowing him to hunt the ball and force turnovers.
Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 958 - 22/01/2026 22:11:33
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Replying To Ulsterchamps_32: "I don't think McGuinness will change a huge amount. There was no hint of it in the McKenna cup. One of his greatest strengths is his absolute belief in his system and getting total buy-in from his players. What will concern him more is whether Donegal were at the pitch of the game. They didn't manage Gavin White at all from throw-ins, allowing him to saunter up the pitch far too easily, and there was no one willing to physically impose themselves on Kerry. Someone needed to put a proper hit on White (and it shouldn't have been Ryan McHugh), and that's maybe a slight weakness in the side at the moment. Are Donegal missing a player with a bit of badness in them?
The unforced errors in the first half were costly, directly handing Kerry five points. There were two bad turnovers coming out of defence, and they also failed to manage the clock for Kerry's final score of the half.
I'd expect McGuinness to look at a more zonal press on opposition kick-outs. Kerry exploited the pace mismatch between Foley and Murphy, and that can't be allowed to happen again. Donegal were also poor at throw-ups, which is another area that needs work - a fully fit McGee could help address that.
Roarty spoke around the time he won Young Player of the Year about his frustration that Kerry didn't attack his side of the defence, and that's worth revisiting. Even in his brief enough McKenna Cup cameos, you can see his ability to disrupt players in possession. You'd wonder if Donegal might consider giving him a freer defensive role, allowing him to hunt the ball and force turnovers." Sport journalist Cahir O'Kane noted last season that most teams seemed to more strongly attack one side of the Donegal defence, suggesting a known weakness, that Donegal management seemed to be aware of and felt it was worth the risk. I think he said that on the DL debate podcast with Brendan Devenney.
Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1565 - 23/01/2026 12:50:00
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interesting to see the team named for tomorrow has 5 big men in it who can win primary possession. I wonder will that be a strategy going forward. Langan, McGee or McFadden could easily slot into a forward line on any given day and stay out around the middle for kickouts.
On another note, our overall squad is very strong but we are a bit light in the forward line. It's a shame that 3 of our most promising forwards at underage in the last 10 years haven't flourished as much as they could have, for various reasons (Brennan, NOD and Eoghan McGettigan). There's some gaps there and there will be room in the championship for one of the masters lads I think, or Malone.
Exciting to see some of these new lads in croker
High_and_wide (Donegal) - Posts: 92 - 23/01/2026 18:55:00
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