This game was a clash of the two primary factors of the Donegal county team. St Eunan’s opened the game bringing the relentless speed in numbers that spurred Donegal’s summer. Conor Parke played a big role in this, running into attack from the back as the Letterkenny club looked to attack quickly.
In the opening 10 minutes this worked as treat as Eunan’s opened up a 2-point lead. Parke fired the opening salvo as he shot wide from a fast break in the first minute. Leo McMonagle got Eunan’s off the mark on 5 minutes as he finished off another fast passing move. This was followed by Conal Dunne finding the posts on 8 minutes after the Letterkenny club moved the ball cross-field from inside their own half.
Sean McVeigh’s score a minute later would however be their last notable attack for nearly the next quarter hour as Naomh Conaill adapted.
The risk St Eunan’s ran with such a fast-paced game was that they were more open to dropping the ball and giving up easy turnovers. After their initial surge, Eunan’s were unable to get the ball out of defence with alacrity and when they managed to get into the opposition half, their forwards struggled to maintain possession in slippery conditions. The lone scored in the final 21 minutes of the half came from a rare cleanly executed move. Kevin Rafferty found Rory Kavanagh wide open with a cross-field ball and the inter-county star finished well on 23 minutes.
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Naomh Conaill happy to build
While Eunan’s brought the speed to the opening 30 minutes, Naomh Conaill’s focus was on maintaining possession. It took a while for the plan to come together. Breaking slower from the back, the Glenties club gave the Eunan’s defence time to get organised. This restricted chances early as the Letterkenny club forced attackers wide. Naomh Conaill were nothing if not persistent with their calm approach. Their first chance on two minutes was started by Leon Thompson in the right corner and finished, albeit with a wide, by the same player on the right wing. Thompson eventually opened his account on 15 minutes, off a direct ball from Leo McLoone, and the pressure he was bringing forced Eunan’s to take off Eddie Brennan for Damian McClafferty on 20 minutes.
It did not have the desired effect. Within a minute McClafferty picked up a yellow for a foul on Thompson. Dara Gallagher converted the resulting free.
Despite being camped in St Eunan’s half for the bulk of the first half, the Glenties club was unable to pull away on the scoreboard. For all their success in keeping the ball, Naomh Conaill’s attackers were forced into taking shots from unfavourable angles. They finished with 6 of 14 shooting in the first half, leaving them just 2 points up at the break.
Haran’s movement changes the tempo
With possession a problem for Eunan’s, John Haran was dropped into a much deeper role after the break. This shored up matters at the back and further aided Eunan’s in limiting scoring chances for Naomh Conaill. Moreover it led to an adjustment in attacking focus from the Letterkenny club. While the fast breaks were still there, with a point off a turnover on 32 minutes, Eunan’s became more like Naomh Conaill in attack as they tried to maintain pressure in the opposing half. This new-found patience eventually led to a Mark McGowan point on 44 minutes as he dropped back into an open position.
The Letterkenny club finally re-took the lead 10 minutes from time when Kavanagh fed McVeigh who put McMonagle through to find the net. It was the only real goal chance for Eunan’s in the hour, having surrendered a couple of short-range chances at their own end. Losing David McGinley a minute later to a straight red card looked to be a big blow as the substitute had provided a creative boost in his brief time on the pitch. The Eunan’s defence however would come big in the closing stages to keep them in the fight.
Glenties can’t find the angles
Defensively Naomh Conaill owned the field for the opening stages of the second half. With 4 turnovers forced in the first 13 minutes after the break, it appeared as though they had taken plenty of inspiration from their clubman Jim McGuinness. For all their initial success in repelling Eunan’s attacks, the Glenties club couldn’t find an answer at the other end.
Much like the first half, Naomh Conaill owned the territorial battle but with Haran back in cover, Eunan’s now had even more success in limiting scoring chances. McLoone was unfortunate not to find the net on 31 minutes and Thompson went close in the 40th minute but by and large their shots came from difficult positions. When it paid off, the Glenties club looked spectacular, with Dermot Brick Molloy and Gallagher both scoring impressive points. The problem with low-percentage shots however is that teams tend to miss most of them. With just 3 of 12 shooting after the break, giving Naomh Conaill a total conversion rate of just 35 percent for the day, the Glenties club was unable to claw things back when they went behind for good 2 minutes from time.
The verdict
The winning score may have come in unusual circumstances, off a 45 from a mis-hit line-ball back to the goalkeeper, but the result rewarded the more efficient team. The easy line to draw from this game is that Naomh Conaill threw it away but that doesn’t do justice to a sterling performance from the St Eunan’s backs. The clash of styles meant the Letterkenny club was always going to have to do the bulk of the defending but they put in a shut-down display to deny quality chances. Their attack may not have been in the game for large periods, managing just two scores between the 9th and 44th minutes, but they did enough to stay in contention. Bizarre as the manner of their final victory looked, they effectively won the game from inside their own half.
Such an approach is unlikely to suffice next time out. With defending All-Ireland champions Crossmaglen Rangers awaiting, the Eunan’s defence will be forced to deal with a much faster opponent than they will have come across to date. That worry is for another day. The Dr Maguire Trophy is back in Letterkenny after a two-year absence.
Tactics not Passion: The book
Tactics not Passion, the book, is now available to order. The book tells the story a year in tactics from Sam to Sam and features several chapters looking at the All-Ireland winning Donegal Football team. Order your copy here.
Northern exposure: how St Eunan's were crowned Donegal champions
Reproduced with permission from Action 81
Eunan’s start with speed
This game was a clash of the two primary factors of the Donegal county team. St Eunan’s opened the game bringing the relentless speed in numbers that spurred Donegal’s summer. Conor Parke played a big role in this, running into attack from the back as the Letterkenny club looked to attack quickly.
In the opening 10 minutes this worked as treat as Eunan’s opened up a 2-point lead. Parke fired the opening salvo as he shot wide from a fast break in the first minute. Leo McMonagle got Eunan’s off the mark on 5 minutes as he finished off another fast passing move. This was followed by Conal Dunne finding the posts on 8 minutes after the Letterkenny club moved the ball cross-field from inside their own half.
Sean McVeigh’s score a minute later would however be their last notable attack for nearly the next quarter hour as Naomh Conaill adapted.
The risk St Eunan’s ran with such a fast-paced game was that they were more open to dropping the ball and giving up easy turnovers. After their initial surge, Eunan’s were unable to get the ball out of defence with alacrity and when they managed to get into the opposition half, their forwards struggled to maintain possession in slippery conditions. The lone scored in the final 21 minutes of the half came from a rare cleanly executed move. Kevin Rafferty found Rory Kavanagh wide open with a cross-field ball and the inter-county star finished well on 23 minutes.
Naomh Conaill happy to build
While Eunan’s brought the speed to the opening 30 minutes, Naomh Conaill’s focus was on maintaining possession. It took a while for the plan to come together. Breaking slower from the back, the Glenties club gave the Eunan’s defence time to get organised. This restricted chances early as the Letterkenny club forced attackers wide. Naomh Conaill were nothing if not persistent with their calm approach. Their first chance on two minutes was started by Leon Thompson in the right corner and finished, albeit with a wide, by the same player on the right wing. Thompson eventually opened his account on 15 minutes, off a direct ball from Leo McLoone, and the pressure he was bringing forced Eunan’s to take off Eddie Brennan for Damian McClafferty on 20 minutes.
It did not have the desired effect. Within a minute McClafferty picked up a yellow for a foul on Thompson. Dara Gallagher converted the resulting free.
Despite being camped in St Eunan’s half for the bulk of the first half, the Glenties club was unable to pull away on the scoreboard. For all their success in keeping the ball, Naomh Conaill’s attackers were forced into taking shots from unfavourable angles. They finished with 6 of 14 shooting in the first half, leaving them just 2 points up at the break.
Haran’s movement changes the tempo
With possession a problem for Eunan’s, John Haran was dropped into a much deeper role after the break. This shored up matters at the back and further aided Eunan’s in limiting scoring chances for Naomh Conaill. Moreover it led to an adjustment in attacking focus from the Letterkenny club. While the fast breaks were still there, with a point off a turnover on 32 minutes, Eunan’s became more like Naomh Conaill in attack as they tried to maintain pressure in the opposing half. This new-found patience eventually led to a Mark McGowan point on 44 minutes as he dropped back into an open position.
Glenties can’t find the angles
Defensively Naomh Conaill owned the field for the opening stages of the second half. With 4 turnovers forced in the first 13 minutes after the break, it appeared as though they had taken plenty of inspiration from their clubman Jim McGuinness. For all their initial success in repelling Eunan’s attacks, the Glenties club couldn’t find an answer at the other end.
Much like the first half, Naomh Conaill owned the territorial battle but with Haran back in cover, Eunan’s now had even more success in limiting scoring chances. McLoone was unfortunate not to find the net on 31 minutes and Thompson went close in the 40th minute but by and large their shots came from difficult positions. When it paid off, the Glenties club looked spectacular, with Dermot Brick Molloy and Gallagher both scoring impressive points. The problem with low-percentage shots however is that teams tend to miss most of them. With just 3 of 12 shooting after the break, giving Naomh Conaill a total conversion rate of just 35 percent for the day, the Glenties club was unable to claw things back when they went behind for good 2 minutes from time.
The verdict
The winning score may have come in unusual circumstances, off a 45 from a mis-hit line-ball back to the goalkeeper, but the result rewarded the more efficient team. The easy line to draw from this game is that Naomh Conaill threw it away but that doesn’t do justice to a sterling performance from the St Eunan’s backs. The clash of styles meant the Letterkenny club was always going to have to do the bulk of the defending but they put in a shut-down display to deny quality chances. Their attack may not have been in the game for large periods, managing just two scores between the 9th and 44th minutes, but they did enough to stay in contention. Bizarre as the manner of their final victory looked, they effectively won the game from inside their own half.
Such an approach is unlikely to suffice next time out. With defending All-Ireland champions Crossmaglen Rangers awaiting, the Eunan’s defence will be forced to deal with a much faster opponent than they will have come across to date. That worry is for another day. The Dr Maguire Trophy is back in Letterkenny after a two-year absence.
Tactics not Passion: The book
Tactics not Passion, the book, is now available to order. The book tells the story a year in tactics from Sam to Sam and features several chapters looking at the All-Ireland winning Donegal Football team. Order your copy here.
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Donegal GAA St. Eunan's Tactics