Just 12 months ago on these pages, Michael Murphy reflected on Donegal‘s Ulster SFC final victory over Armagh. They had just beaten Kieran McGeeney’s side after a penalty shoot-out.
“You would have to say what Jim McGuinness and his players have achieved is remarkable. To beat Derry, Tyrone and Armagh – I don’t think there has ever been a sweeter Ulster success for Donegal,” he wrote.
It demonstrated quite a level of humility as Murphy had captained Donegal to five of their previous 10 senior provincial titles. However, he offered the viewpoint with an understanding of where Donegal had been only months earlier.
It is clear now that the lines of communication between the 2012 All-Ireland winning manager and captain had always remained open, but the latter wasn’t in a position to return last year.
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From looking in last season, Murphy would have seen the potential in this Donegal squad. I’ve no doubt he feels there is an All-Ireland title in the team. Once he was delivering at club level and performing to a high level, a return to the county fold was always a possibility. And so it came to pass.
The excitement over his comeback illustrates the admiration people in Donegal have for Murphy. They hope he could be the missing ingredient to take them further than last season. And it could very well work out that way.
Equally as important for Donegal has been the progress and development of players such as Daire Ó Baoill and Peadar Mogan. The continual improvement of the supporting cast is huge for the team’s overall ambitions.
Donegal are such a strong running side with several brilliant ball-carriers. That ability to take the ball forward at pace and with purpose has been evident again this season.
But what makes them particularly dangerous is an ability to mix it up when needed. Not only do they have Murphy back on the field, with all he brings in terms of leadership and ability, but I believe Donegal also have the best goalkeeper in the country.
Shaun Patton’s kick-outs are exceptional. In terms of both range and accuracy, he provides them with a weapon that can make the difference in close games.
It has been interesting to watch how McGuinness has approached this season. They hit the ground running at the start of the National League – beating Dublin in Ballybofey before securing a historic win against Kerry in Killarney. Next up was a 0-21 to 1-10 win over Armagh – a game that marked Murphy’s playing return.
Happy in the knowledge that they had done enough to retain their top-flight status, Donegal slipped down through the gears and reached for the handbrake.
They were also keen to avoid a seven-day turnaround from a possible league final appearance to facing Derry in the Ulster SFC. By the midway point of the league, the bigger picture was already coming into focus for Donegal.
For both Donegal and Armagh, the end goal this year is to lift Sam Maguire
Of their remaining four league games, they posted just one further victory, but there was no sense of a team dropping out of form or being caught in a downward spiral.
It seems they have also come through the Ulster championship with varying degrees of effort and trouble. They were able to beat Derry with little fuss but then had to step it up for a much tighter game against Monaghan, before comfortably overcoming Down last time out.
The plan all along will have been to ramp it up again this weekend for the Ulster final and maintain a concerted push for the rest of the summer.
For both Donegal and Armagh, the end goal this year is to lift Sam Maguire. In some ways that makes this Ulster final something of a free hit. But winning is a habit and the team leaving Clones with silverware can harness that momentum in the All-Ireland series.
In terms of the pathway ahead, the winner would also benefit from a slightly easier group to navigate in the round-robin, though neither group is without pitfalls.
The provincial champions would be placed in a mini-Ulster group alongside Tyrone and Cavan, with Mayo as the fourth side. The loser of Saturday’s Ulster final would be in with Dublin, Galway and Derry.
For Armagh, there might also be a score to settle here. They have lost the last two Ulster finals, but only after penalty shoot-outs.
Armagh’s last Ulster title was 2008. There’s enough in all of that to fuel the hurt-locker.
Despite being very impressive driving forward, questions remain over Donegal’s defensive solidity.
Each defensive structure has a risk-reward element to it. Donegal tend to play a zonal system. When you go man-to-man it can be easier to manipulate the opposition by dragging a player out of position and leaving space in behind for a teammate to exploit.
Most teams vary between both at different stages in matches and the new rules certainly impact how teams attack and defend. But there have been times when Donegal have looked a little exposed.
Still, they have got to this stage of the season without much trouble. McGuinness leaves nothing to chance, but you wonder if opposition managers get bogged down in trying to second-guess what he is going to do.
Tactically, he tends to focus on the right areas when it comes to analysing opponents. Donegal seem comfortable in adapting to whatever threats the opposition bring.
The clarity of message from McGuinness this weekend will focus solely on what needs to be done to retain the Ulster title
Take the Ulster quarter-final.
Rory Beggan was Monaghan’s top scorer in the National League, having finished their Division Two campaign with 38 points. Within that tally were 17 two-pointers, the vast majority of which were boomed over from placed balls
Donegal clearly targeted that Monaghan weapon and set out to neutralise it. They refused to concede frees within Beggan’s significant wheelhouse and the Monaghan goalkeeper finished the game with just one point from a 45.
That doesn’t just happen. It comes from meticulous planning and on-field discipline. That’s good coaching.
It stands up to another insight from one of Murphy’s Irish Times columns last year, when talking about what McGuinness brings to Donegal.
He wrote: “Players on Jim’s teams benefit from the clarity of his messaging and knowing exactly what their role is in the overall scheme.”
It can be easy to forget that just two years ago, Donegal were in free fall, relegated from Division One after losing five of their seven games. Down beat them in the Ulster championship that summer.
Jim McGuinness wasn’t involved then. Neither was Michael Murphy.
Both are back on board, driving Donegal’s latest quest forward.
The clarity of message from McGuinness this weekend will focus solely on what needs to be done to retain the Ulster title. In what promises to be an exceptionally close and hard-fought contest, I expect they will do enough to keep hold of the Anglo-Celt Cup.
In the overall scheme, success for Donegal this year will be measured on how close they come to winning an All-Ireland.
