Donegal into All-Ireland final as three-goal salvo hammers Meath in semi-final

Donegal routed Meath and are on their way to the county’s fourth All-Ireland SFC final. 

Second-half goals by Oisin Gallen, Ciarán Moore and Conor O’Donnell paved the way for a 20-point win over Meath at Croke Park in the semi-final.

Donegal will face Kerry in the final after a memorable day at headquarters, where a full house, 82,300, bore witness in the flesh as Donegal ran riot in the second half.

Gallen’s goal in the 42nd minute lit the touch paper for Donegal, who had led 0-13 to 0-8 at half-time.

Fed by Caolan McColgan in a little pocket of space, Gallen worked a moment of magic. The Ballybofey man riffled powerfully and brilliantly past Billy Hogan.

They had traded blows until then, but Gallen’s was the uppercut that sent Meath on the way to Croker’s canvas.

For good measure, Moore followed up with a hammer blow of his own seven minutes later. 

Moore, having a splendid summer, expertly found the bottom corner after the ever-tenacious Finnbarr Roarty - who was the Man of the Match - forced a turnover.

Twelve minutes from the end Conor O’Donnell, who ended with 1-3, shimmied and side-footed to the bottom corner. 

The return of Jim McGuinness in the autumn of 2023 stirred Donegal and, again, the Glenties man has turned water into wine.

Donegal had won only three SFC semi-finals previously - 1992, 2012 and 2014 - while Meath were bidding to reach a 17th All-Ireland final.

On a blinding day, the old Cathedral was like a furnace, Hill 16 almost seeming like a griddle as the gold and green masses soaked the sun.

Michael Murphy, having his most prolific championship campaign having u-turned on retirement late last year, was withdrawn 10 minutes into the second half after contributing six points, while Caolan McGonagle made his long-awaited return from injury as a second-half replacement. 

Early on, Murphy slammed over into the Hill to open the scoring after Ryan McHugh made a sharp incision at the Meath rearguard in the second minute. 

Conor O’Donnell clipped over after Ruairi Kinsella levelled the sums momentarily before Eoghan Frayne and Murphy swapped two-pointers - the latter from a free kicked off the floor.

There were moments fraught with danger in the early exchanged for Donegal. Brendan McCole stepped in to steal from Mathew Costello before the Dunshaughlin man took receipt off a pass from Jordan Morris - whose father, Gary, works as a barman in Bundoran Golf Club. 

Sean Coffey rattled a Donegal upright after just 12 seconds of play, his effort going the wrong end of the steelwork and it4 was the first of four wides posted by Meath in the first 10 minutes. 

Shane O’Donnell, Ryan McHugh and Michael Langan - who led Donegal behind the Artane Band beforehand - all reeled off points for Donegal, but a Kinsella two-pointer kept Meath firmly in touch. 

Meath were dealt a major blow in the 20th minute when an injury forced midfielder Bryan Menton out of the action and despite a signifiant breeze billowing in their sails the Royals were wasteful.

At times, Donegal seemed content to let Meath shoot from distance and their wide count stood at eight by the interval with another two falling short. 

When Keith Curtis tucked over in the 32nd minute, it was Meath’s first score in 17 minutes. 

In between times Langan, Murphy, Gallen and Ciaran Thompson hoisted white flags for Donegal. Thompson’s effort grazed the top of Billy Hogan’s crossbar on the way over and it wasn’t the only goal chance Donegal had in the closing minutes of the first half.

Conor O’Donnell was denied by a Donal Keogan block and goalkeeper Hogan had to smother at the feet of Hugh McFadden moments later after Shane O’Donnell’s effort careered down from a post.

Murphy, with his left foot, whizzed over the top for Donegal’s final point of part one, the last play of which perhaps summed Meath up as Kinsella fired wide when aiming for another two-pointer.

Donegal were five to the good and, having left at least one goal behind in the latter passages of the first half, were five to the good as the hooter sounded. 

This has been, by some stretch, Donegal’s most testing championship campaign ever. This was their 10th outing in 14 weekends from the start of April, having to navigate Ulster from the preliminary round and, having finished second in their group, also needing play a preliminary All-Ireland quarter-final. 

In the third quarter, Donegal scored 2-4 to put the game firmly out of Meath’s reach.

Donegal ‘keeper Shaun Patton, playing in his 100th game for the county, managed a clean sheet and an appearance on the scoresheet, nailing a ’45 after the fingertips of Hogan turned away when Thompson tried his luck.

By the time Conor O’Donnell was wheeling away in celebration, it was game, set and match.

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Scorers for Donegal: Conor O’Donnell 1-3, Michael Murphy (1 2ptf, 1 f) 0-6, Oisin Gallen 1-2, Ciarán Moore 1-1, Michael Langan 0-4, Patrick McBrearty 0-3, Ciaran Thompson 0-2, Shane O’Donnell, Ryan McHugh, Shaun Patton (’45), Peadar Mogan, Daire O Baoill 0-1 each 

Scorers for Meath: Eoghan Frayne (1 2pt, 1f) 0-5, Keith Curtis, Ruairi Kinsella (1 2pt) 0-3 each, Mathew Costello (1f), Jordan Morris, Conor Duke, Sean Rafferty 0-1 each

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Finnbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Caolan McColgan; Hugh McFadden, Michael Langan; Shane O’Donnell, Ciaran Thompson, Ciarán Moore; Conor O’Donnell, Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen. Subs: Patrick McBrearty for Murphy (45), Jason McGee for McFadden (50), Caolan McGonagle for McColgan (51), Daire O Baoill for McHugh (55), Odhran McFadden-Ferry for Mogan (58).

Meath: Billy Hogan; Seamus Lavin, Sean Rafferty, Ronan Ryan; Donal Keogan, Sean Coffey, Ciaran Caulfield; Bryan Menton, Adam O’Neill; Conor Duke, Ruairi Kinsella, Keith Curtis; Jordan Morris, Mathew Costello, Eoghan Frayne. Subs: Conor Gray for Menton (20), Eoin Harkin for O’Neill (46), James McEntee for Lavin (50), Brian O’Halloran for Curtis (57), Shane Walsh for Kinsella (62).

Referee: Paul Faloon (Down).