DONEGAL COACH JIM McGuinness has suggested the clubs’ decision to defer their championship earlier this year paved the way for the team’s success.
McGuinness’ side had a disappointing 2013, losing the Ulster final to Monaghan and getting comprehensively beaten by Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
However, this year has a seen a change in their fortunes for the better, as it has included an Ulster final victory and a surprise defeat of Dublin, which has set up an upcoming All-Ireland final with Kerry.
And in an interview with Newstalk’s Off the Ball, McGuinness has cited “preparation” as one of the main reasons for their improvement, which has been aided by the clubs’ controversial move to call off fixtures in Donegal.
“In footballing terms, if you go into a game and your preparations aren’t 100%, you’re hoping that the opposition are going to be poorer than you. Not that you’re going to bring your ‘A game’. And for me, that’s the most important thing.
“The clubs made a decision this year in Donegal to put off the championship. We offered two rounds earlier in the year — to have one in the last week of April and one in the first week of May and then at least we’d have three weeks before the first round of the Championship. But the clubs said: ‘No, it’s too early. We want to give you the chance to prepare.’ We’re in the All-Ireland final on the back of that decision by the clubs.”
And while the Donegal boss has been praised for this change, he was reluctant to take credit for it.
“It wasn’t my decision,” he said. “It was the clubs’ decision. They really appreciated the fact that we had won two Ulster championships and an All-Ireland, and they wanted to give us the chance to prepare. I didn’t ask for it to be called off.”
He also suggested that the club championship last year significantly hampered his team’s bid for glory.
“The one thing that will always frustrate me and put me under pressure is preparation. If I don’t get the preparation right, I don’t feel right.
“I felt very aggrieved last year that we didn’t get to prepare the team properly, and I felt doubly aggrieved because we won the All-Ireland the year before. We proved we were good enough to win the All-Ireland and our preparations the following year were taken away from us.
“Four out of eight weeks of the Ulster Championship, our lads were playing club football. We picked up nine injuries in that period of time and it had a huge impact on us going on to try to retain our provincial championship again.”
As for Donegal’s upcoming opponents, Kerry, McGuinness said he was well aware of their qualities.
“If you know every single one of their players, you should know what they offer in each position.
“They’ve got pace in the side — young [Stephen] O’Brien, Barry John [Keane] as well as James O’Donoghue and these lads — they’re always going to be a kicking team.
“But they’re not just a kicking team, they also have strong, talented runners with the ball… I’ve been really impressed with Aidan O’Mahony, I think he’s been exceptional.
“I think Eamon [Fitzmaurice] has gone for players that are really rolling their sleeves up and going in for dirty ball and they still have a huge amount of quality within the team. So it’s a big challenge.”
McGuinness is a great coach and good luck to him if he can get away with it. But the disgraceful treatment of club players throughout the country (especially in Donegal) is ripping the heart out of the GAA. A complete overhaul of GAA competitions is required. The association is meant to be about playing the game, not endlessly training for a blitz in autumn! And does McGuinness think Brian Cody is a poor coach for letting the Kilkenny lads play for their clubs between 2 All-Ireland finals? Sorry, rant over!
They should just run off the championship in consecutive weeks, it makes it harder for tv scheduling initially but it could be done between July and Septemebr, have the club championships between Apr and June.
Agree with Michael absolutely, such blatant disrespect for club players. Watching a game as epic as the hurling last Sunday you have to factor in that Tipp players (probably Cats too I don’t know for a fact) were playing full blood club championship games 2 weekes beforehand as they do throughout the entire summer. If the GAA continues to allow allow practises like suspension of club championships then it flies in the face of everything that is good about the sport. The real worrying thing is if Donegal win an All Ireland doing so this year how many of their competitors will follow suit next year….
He’s only insisting on a level playing pitch – other counties been doing same for years.
No they haven’t .
Yes they have. For example Tyrone: http://m.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/tyrones-club-schedule-is-not-fair-to-players-morgan-30306785.html
“Tyrone traditionally did not play the first round of their club championship until August, but they changed their schedule this year and have the first round over the coming six days.”
Thankfully we don’t have that problem here in Leitrim.
The scheduling of the club and county games needs an overhaul. No doubt about it. Personally id do away with the league, have club championships in full flow from spring then dedicate the latter half of the summer/autumn exclusively to a longer championship.
No respect for the ordinary club player. Think its time that the gaa set the club championships to start and finish on set dates. The year is long and there are always delays in running off the club championships. Jim mc Guinness not worried about any Donegal clubs he moaned enough last year the ballbag.
He’s only doing what other counties have been doing for years ya nonce.
Nonce lol big word for you. Other counties run their club championship throughout the year. All the early rounds are played and after any provincial finals, so think you need to do more investigating into that, ya inbred fool.
I can name 1 – Tyrone that’s been doing it for years. How about you attacking the inconsistencies if the GAA that allow cork and Kerry to parachute into the later stages of the qualifiers? How about seeding for ulster the only province that really has a championship?
Shoot McGuinness the messenger but ignore the policy makers lol
Lol your clutching at straws little man. Hope kerry make shite of ye
Who cares really kerry are going to beat them