Gaelic Games

Dublin leave Donegal battered and bruised as injuries pile up for Dessie Farrell

Donegal keep Michael Murphy in reserve but still have enough to beat the Dubs in Ballybofey

Hugh McFadden of Donegal gets away from Cian Murphy of Dublin. Photograph: Andrew Paton/Inpho
Hugh McFadden of Donegal gets away from Cian Murphy of Dublin. Photograph: Andrew Paton/Inpho
Chris McNulty
Sun Feb 02 2025 - 12:30
NFL Division One: Donegal 0-20 Dublin 0-16

Springtime officially began on Saturday, though Ballybofey was very much in the throes of an after-storm.

Upstairs in the Sean MacCumhaill’s GAA Centre, Dessie Farrell and Jim McGuinness were very much chirping from the same songbook in terms of the increased demands on players.

Winter still lingered on a night when Donegal held off a second-half fightback by Dublin to get their Division One return off to a winning start in front of 12,560.

If the Allianz League’s opening weekend drew commentary about Gaelic football’s new rules, the physical demands on players were the order of the night in Ballybofey.

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Dublin lost Davy Byrne, James Madden and Colm Basquel to hamstring injuries over the course of an entertaining night by the Finn.

“We only trained once this week trying to mind and protect fellas and we still came away with three injuries,” Dublin manager Dessie Farrell said. “It’s definitely very disappointing and something the association needs to look at in the strongest possible way.”

The increased demands on bodies will ensure that Michael Murphy is kept under wraps for a little while yet, it seems.

“We need to make sure that it’s perfect for him because the challenges are so high,” McGuinness said. Later, the Donegal manager mentioned that Murphy, his captain when Donegal won the All-Ireland in 2012, “is in good shape” since his U-turn on retirement. He said: “He’s strong and he’s fit. We want to be careful with him.”

Donegal’s Michael Murphy on the sideline. Photograph: Andrew Paton/Inpho
Donegal’s Michael Murphy on the sideline. Photograph: Andrew Paton/Inpho

Daire Ó Baoill boomed over a pair of two-pointers in the first half to give Donegal a 0-11 to 0-6 lead at half-time.

Michael Langan, Donegal’s captain on a night that saw his late uncle, Donegal GAA refereeing stalwart Don, honoured with a minute’s silence beforehand, helped Donegal to an early lead.

Basquel momentarily swung the pendulum, but it was the only time Dublin led.

Donegal posted five scores in a row, one of them raising the county’s first orange flag, via Man of the Match Ó Baoill.

Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton saved well from Tom Lahiff and Ó Baoill repeated his trick to give Donegal a firm five-point lead at the changeover.

McGuinness told afterwards how his team weren’t clinical enough in the opening half – “we should have had a lot more on the board”, he remarked – which might’ve explained an extended stay in the dressingroom during the interval.

Greg McEneaney hammered over two points and Ciaran Kilkenny landed a delicious two-point score to bring Dublin to within a point.

Donegal gave a League debut to Finnbarr Roarty and McGuinness’s fellow Naomh Conaill clubman certainly looked right at home.

Oisin Gallen, playing on his home patch, hit four points in the second half, one of them from just inside the 40m arc, and Patrick McBrearty came off the bench to help steady the Ulster champions, who saw a planned opening weekend game in Kerry shelved due to Storm Éowyn.

It was something of square pegs in round holes by the end for Donegal, though.

“Peadar Mogan is one of our fittest players and he was really, really struggling there in the last 15 minutes,” said McGuinness, who voiced support for the addition of a sixth substitute. “I actually feel for Dublin; they’ve lost three men with hamstring injuries.

“I think that aspect will have to be taken into consideration when they go to review it.

“I picked up on the very first FRC document that there was talk of six subs and I thought it made perfect sense. We know from our own training the metrics that are going up;’ it’s the explosive ones, the ones that challenge you the most.

“I do think asking fellas to play at that sort of pitch, there should be flexibility for six subs ... These lads are going to be stress tested and we have to be very careful with that.”

Farrell echoed the sentiments of his opposite number.

He said: “I had to seek clarity on it before the first game because in my head it was six subs. That seems to have got lost in the ether somewhere.

“The data still has to be analysed in terms of what the physical demands are on players. There is something just slightly awry in terms of preseason, the new rules, the collective training date, the volume you’re getting into lads and then games are coming thick and fast.”

Donegal: S Patton; F Roarty, B McCole, P Mogan (0-1); R McHugh, E Gallagher, C Moore; M Langan (0-2), C Thompson (0–0-1, 1f); D O Baoill (0-2-2), C O’Donnell (0-0-1), S O’Donnell (0–0-2); H McFadden, O Gallen (0-0-4, 1f), C McGonagle. Subs: J Brennan for McFadden (50), Patrick McBrearty (0-0-3, 2f) for C.O’Donnell (50), E McHugh for R McHugh (61) Odhran Doherty for S O’Donnell (61), M Curran for Gallagher (64).

Dublin: G Sheridan; D Byrne, T Clancy, S MacMahon; B Howard, C Murphy, G McEneaney; J Madden, K McGinnis (0-2); K Lahiff, S Bugler (0–0-2), C Kilkenny (0-1-1); C Basquel (0-3), E O’Donnell, B O’Leary. Subs: T Lahiff for K Lahiff (25), C Tyrell for Byrne (29), N Scully (0-0-1) for Madden (29), L Breathnach (0-0-2) for Basquel (43), S Lowry (0-0-1) for O’Donnell (64).

Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon).