Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter-final
Down v Donegal
Sunday, 3pm, O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny
By Peter McGrath Jnr
WHEN assessing Down’s chances this weekend against Donegal, it’s fair to say the odds are stacked against them. Donegal are arguably the best side in Ulster, maybe even Ireland, at the minute. Any team – Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Dublin, going to the Northwest to play them this week would be up against it. Down are no different.
That said, a couple of years ago, admittedly under the old rules, Down ran a very strong Armagh side to within a point. While this can’t be a case of absolute blanket defending given the need to keep three men upfield now, there may well be lengthy spells of Down holding the ball, slowly working it from side to side around the middle third while Donegal’s defence sits in to invite them on.
Jim McGuinness revealed over the weekend that Shaun Patton is back in contention to play having recovered from his February foot operation. Daire Ó Baoill, Ciaran Moore and Oisin Gallen are back to fitness and Ciaran Thompson won’t feature against Down as he makes his way back from an ACL injury but his availability may not be too far away. “The injuries are clearing up for us at the right time”, McGuinness said.
From the outside many will look at this as a free hit for Down but within the group there will be a determination to make it more than that. With Westmeath possibly en-route to a Leinster final, Down’s only chance of Sam Maguire football may come through the Ulster Championship.
Huge performances will be needed from the leaders in the squad. Daniel Guinness, Odhran Murdock, Ryan McEvoy and Pat Havern will need to be at their best but others too will have to be at their absolute optimum. The tight surroundings of Letterkenny will create a real championship atmosphere even though the overall attendance may be lower than if the game was played in Ballybofey.
Restarts will be a huge part of the game. Pressing kickouts can lead to teams getting a lot of joy under the new rules and an in-depth analysis of how their opponents restart games will have been a massive element of both Donegal and Down’s preparation.
Down will attempt to contain the pace and running power that Donegal possess so that they are in the game with ten minutes to play. If they can reach that stage, they will hope to use the uncertainty that’s been created to ask questions going down the home straight. Wicklow’s strong show against Dublin is testament to the fact that even the longest odds can be overcome. However, no matter what way you frame this game, it’s tricky to see beyond the likelihood of a home win.
