'We're Gaoth Dobhair': Mac Niallais on the level of expectation that brings

Ronan Mac Niallais didn’t have to pin anything to the board back in Magheragallon in the lead-in to the weekend’s SFC semi-final win over St Michael’s. 

Gaoth Dobhair impressively blitzed their way through to the decider with a 1-16 to 0-13 win in Letterkenny on Saturday. 

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Domhnall Mac Giolla Bhride’s goal in injury time at the end of the first stanza made sure the sides went in level pegging in O’Donnell Park. 

And with the breeze favouring Gaoth Dobhair on the restart, they eventually got a real grip on proceedings to cross the line by six points at the final whistle. 

“That performance was the performance we needed today,” admitted Mac Niallais after. “St Michael’s had put up big scores, been impressive so we needed to find a certain level to get past them. 

“We were disappointed with the first-half and some of the scores we allowed them to get off. But we really upped the gears after the restart. 

“It’s all about two weeks now and being ready for that”. 

St Michael’s - from the off - looked intent on hunting down two-pointer opportunities but that ‘all in’ strategy probably meant they left behind some one-point efforts, had they progressed a number of plays on. 

And when Mac Giolla Bhride lamped in his goal it felt like a huge momentum shifter. 

“The goal before half-time was really big,” the boss agreed. “It probably was a four or five-point wind so to go in even was a big thing. 

“That said, they came out well after half-time and got ahead again. But those two-pointers from us were huge. they are huge scores and we made the most of the wind there”. 

Gaoth Dobhair just came up short in last season’s semi-final clash with eventual winners St Eunan’s and it’s a result that stung, over the winter months, for Mac Niallais and his players. 

“Last year was such a disappointment and to come up short to St Eunan’s in the last four was a bitter disappointment. That hurt, we were banging that home today and it drove us on”. 

He added: “We’re Gaoth Dobhair, we’re always competing. I don’t think we got the credit we should sometimes. 

“Even the last two games we’ve gone in as underdogs. That’s fair enough, that’s how others are seeing it. 

“But we’re Gaoth Dobhair, the second most successful side in the county ever. Every player that puts on that jersey knows they have to go up another level. 

“We didn’t perform two years ago and maybe that opportunity came a little too soon. We didn’t perform that day but we will perform this time”.