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Donegal GAA thread

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Replying To eddieSize5Balls:  "Tyrone were unlucky. Looks like we will once again have to face off with Armagh. I don't think they are as good as they have been other years and we are definitely better but as Pacino said "any given Sunday".
Have to get through a solid Down team first."
I thought the best team lost with the phenomenal Con Fitzpatrick driving them on. It'll take some effort to top that performance for a losing side this year. The Tyrone shooting and shot selection really let them down but the goal gave them a brilliant opportunity in extra time with an extra man but their wastefulness continued to cost them. Hats off to Armagh to come through with a man down but I felt they played much of the game with an extra man with the ref. A repeat of today's performance against Donegal (if as I expect we beat Down) won't be good enough looking forward.

panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2928 - 12/04/2026 22:27:59    2666042

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Replying To panamasam:  "I thought the best team lost with the phenomenal Con Fitzpatrick driving them on. It'll take some effort to top that performance for a losing side this year. The Tyrone shooting and shot selection really let them down but the goal gave them a brilliant opportunity in extra time with an extra man but their wastefulness continued to cost them. Hats off to Armagh to come through with a man down but I felt they played much of the game with an extra man with the ref. A repeat of today's performance against Donegal (if as I expect we beat Down) won't be good enough looking forward."
Con Kilpatrick was outstanding against Kerry last year too, but his performance got very little coverage amidst a very poor team outing. He single handedly kept driving them on, but they got very little return from his brilliant fielding and inspirational bursts forward that day. As I mentioned last week, Tyrone lack physicality around the pitch compared to most of the top teams. A great effort today, but left it behind them in the end.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2761 - 12/04/2026 22:39:13    2666048

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Replying To panamasam:  "Foolish talking about missing players of the calibre of Gavin White, Shane Ryan and Paudie Clifford? Were you in a space capsule and miss last year's AI final?"
Like this year's national league final having no relevance to the championship, games played last year have no relevance either. Every game is different, different personnel, different referee, different weather, a variety of variables come into play and each game most be taken on its own merits

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 1214 - 13/04/2026 13:01:40    2666142

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Replying To eddieSize5Balls:  "Tyrone were unlucky. Looks like we will once again have to face off with Armagh. I don't think they are as good as they have been other years and we are definitely better but as Pacino said "any given Sunday".
Have to get through a solid Down team first."
I would expect a vastly improved Armagh if we both as expected win our first round games. Mcgeeney probably chose to finish with his strongest 15 instead of starting yesterday.

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 1214 - 13/04/2026 13:09:08    2666148

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I haven't looked at any stats but it appear that Donegal have hot more goals so far this year then any previous seasons under mcguinness. To be at the top table it's a given I feel, hopefully it is something we can carry through to this year's championship

totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 1214 - 13/04/2026 13:12:37    2666151

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Replying To totalrecall:  "I would expect a vastly improved Armagh if we both as expected win our first round games. Mcgeeney probably chose to finish with his strongest 15 instead of starting yesterday."
Yeah and I think Armagh's somewhat compact home ground doesn't suit them.
They are a big, athletic, pacy team who are better suited to Clones and Croke Park I feel. They are definitely in the Ulster and All Ireland conversation.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10295 - 13/04/2026 14:05:38    2666163

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Yeah and I think Armagh's somewhat compact home ground doesn't suit them.
They are a big, athletic, pacy team who are better suited to Clones and Croke Park I feel. They are definitely in the Ulster and All Ireland conversation."
would agree with this, they are a great physical and very fast team, I fully expect them to be in the conversation as the year goes on but I do think their accuracy up front may let them down in the hunt for Sam. They've just been so wasteful

but they're a huge momentum team as well, they can really get on top of you and reel off a few big scores in a row, and their fans are excellent as well so once they get that momentum up they can be very hard stopped

CCFabu (Donegal) - Posts: 318 - 14/04/2026 09:18:56    2666303

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Replying To CCFabu:  "would agree with this, they are a great physical and very fast team, I fully expect them to be in the conversation as the year goes on but I do think their accuracy up front may let them down in the hunt for Sam. They've just been so wasteful

but they're a huge momentum team as well, they can really get on top of you and reel off a few big scores in a row, and their fans are excellent as well so once they get that momentum up they can be very hard stopped"
Yeah they're a wee bit like the good Mayo team back in the 10s that ran Dublin so close. If they had Rían O'Neill back in the fold they'd be a very dangerous proposition.

Beating them in Ulster will only be half the story. Possible that you'd have to beat them again at some stage at the sharp end of the Championship!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10295 - 14/04/2026 12:55:22    2666351

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Yeah they're a wee bit like the good Mayo team back in the 10s that ran Dublin so close. If they had Rían O'Neill back in the fold they'd be a very dangerous proposition.

Beating them in Ulster will only be half the story. Possible that you'd have to beat them again at some stage at the sharp end of the Championship!"
Maybe Armagh expected Tyrone to be a walkover, they definitely brought intensity, but seemed to lack focus upfront.

Does anyone have the full time statistics from the Armagh v Tyrone match?

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1738 - 14/04/2026 18:04:22    2666437

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Replying To Commodore:  "Maybe Armagh expected Tyrone to be a walkover, they definitely brought intensity, but seemed to lack focus upfront.

Does anyone have the full time statistics from the Armagh v Tyrone match?"
Armagh won by a point.

HEREBENJI (Donegal) - Posts: 445 - 15/04/2026 09:14:16    2666488

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Had a look at all county league results, some results early on makes you wonder, Glenties beat twice and a good thumping by Glen, GD on the same boat. Be hard to call who goes down as results are going to be very valuable early on.

Whyme923 (Donegal) - Posts: 139 - 15/04/2026 10:21:39    2666502

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ticketmaster really is a joke. 12pm the tickets for Down are supposed to be available. I'm in my account and no events available for me to select tickets from. great service as usual from the biggest scam in the country.

CCFabu (Donegal) - Posts: 318 - 15/04/2026 12:07:23    2666534

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Replying To Lockjaw:  "Yeah they're a wee bit like the good Mayo team back in the 10s that ran Dublin so close. If they had Rían O'Neill back in the fold they'd be a very dangerous proposition.

Beating them in Ulster will only be half the story. Possible that you'd have to beat them again at some stage at the sharp end of the Championship!"
Judging by the full time match stats, Armagh will need to improve their scoring accuracy big time in order to be serious All ireland contenders in 2026 if that Ulster Preliminary round is anything to go by.

The Armagh vs Tyrone match stats
Total shots: 36 v 40
Total Scores: 17 v 15
Score success rate: 47% v 38%
Wides: 11 v 16
Dropped short/Blocked/Saved/Post: 8 vs 9

Armagh kickouts: 21/31 (68%)
Won clean: 16
Won break: 18

Tyrone kickouts: 17/30 (57%)
Won clean: 13
Won break: 14

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1738 - 15/04/2026 13:52:38    2666564

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Replying To Whyme923:  "Had a look at all county league results, some results early on makes you wonder, Glenties beat twice and a good thumping by Glen, GD on the same boat. Be hard to call who goes down as results are going to be very valuable early on."
Hate to say it but the leagues have become glorified challenge games.
Maybe a bit more bite in divisions 2 and 3, with teams trying to get promoted. But in Division 1, I think a lot of teams are just content to stay up.

Perhaps there is some way we could reward league winners by linking it to Championship? Even something like a guaranteed home fixture, when Championship gets to knockout?

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10295 - 15/04/2026 14:10:07    2666568

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Replying To CCFabu:  "ticketmaster really is a joke. 12pm the tickets for Down are supposed to be available. I'm in my account and no events available for me to select tickets from. great service as usual from the biggest scam in the country."
They really are some shower. I was in the same boat. And of course as soon as I did get in, all the stand to tickets were gone. As a Season Ticket holder, if I had known I was going to be allocated Aura Terrace tickets that would've been grand, but for God's sake don't lead us through this pretence for tickets that you're never gonna get.

I don't know if its the County Board or Ticketmassacre who are to blame.

I'm still sore over not getting Man Utd V Leeds tickets last Friday.

Or it could all be down to my Algorithm!

SouthOfTheGap (Donegal) - Posts: 913 - 15/04/2026 14:10:49    2666570

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Replying To SouthOfTheGap:  "They really are some shower. I was in the same boat. And of course as soon as I did get in, all the stand to tickets were gone. As a Season Ticket holder, if I had known I was going to be allocated Aura Terrace tickets that would've been grand, but for God's sake don't lead us through this pretence for tickets that you're never gonna get.

I don't know if its the County Board or Ticketmassacre who are to blame.

I'm still sore over not getting Man Utd V Leeds tickets last Friday.

Or it could all be down to my Algorithm!"
I was waiting from 11:45am today, when it did finally come online at 12:27pm, there were 102 people in front of me.

Got in a few minutes later and no seats left at all, not even a single seat, which made me think that they probably didn't make many seats available for Season tickets, as 102 people in front of me x Max 7 seats = 714 seats, and most accounts wouldn't have the max 7 seats.

I'm happy enough with the Aura Terrace, but they must keeping a lot of seats out of circulation.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1738 - 15/04/2026 14:57:24    2666584

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Replying To SouthOfTheGap:  "They really are some shower. I was in the same boat. And of course as soon as I did get in, all the stand to tickets were gone. As a Season Ticket holder, if I had known I was going to be allocated Aura Terrace tickets that would've been grand, but for God's sake don't lead us through this pretence for tickets that you're never gonna get.

I don't know if its the County Board or Ticketmassacre who are to blame.

I'm still sore over not getting Man Utd V Leeds tickets last Friday.

Or it could all be down to my Algorithm!"
same as that, didn't work for over half an hour and when it eventually did, I was 100 in the queue, of course then only terrace tickets available. Like you say I've no real issue with that, Letterkenny is too small a ground to accommodate all of us in the stand, but it's the usual crap experience with Ticketmaster, I can't stand them. I already know the same stuff will happen when trying to get tickets later in the year, or that we'll be placed in the corner of a ground even if it's nowhere near a sellout etc.

I emailed the PRO last year about where season ticket holders were being placed for matches and they replied it was out of their hands, they feed it all back but ultimately it's not their responsibility. she replied immediately in fairness but I don't know, like is there a single person in the country that actually thinks TM is a good platform? I've never heard anyone talk well of them. and they have a complete monopoly over ticketing in this country

CCFabu (Donegal) - Posts: 318 - 15/04/2026 14:57:25    2666585

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Replying To CCFabu:  "same as that, didn't work for over half an hour and when it eventually did, I was 100 in the queue, of course then only terrace tickets available. Like you say I've no real issue with that, Letterkenny is too small a ground to accommodate all of us in the stand, but it's the usual crap experience with Ticketmaster, I can't stand them. I already know the same stuff will happen when trying to get tickets later in the year, or that we'll be placed in the corner of a ground even if it's nowhere near a sellout etc.

I emailed the PRO last year about where season ticket holders were being placed for matches and they replied it was out of their hands, they feed it all back but ultimately it's not their responsibility. she replied immediately in fairness but I don't know, like is there a single person in the country that actually thinks TM is a good platform? I've never heard anyone talk well of them. and they have a complete monopoly over ticketing in this country"
There should be priority given to people who are season ticket holders for years and years even in the bad old days.That would cover me but alas I ended up without a seat even though I was on the ball straight away.

gunman (Donegal) - Posts: 1247 - 15/04/2026 16:56:58    2666603

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