It had become difficult to enjoy the club championship - Daire Ó Baoill 

Daire Ó Baoill admits that the Donegal Club SFC has cast off the shackles this term and that players are back in control of games. 

The Gaoth Dobhair and Donegal ace says that the FRC’s intervention has given some freedom of expression back to the individual and that has lent itself to what’s been a really exciting championship. 

READ NEXT: Tight schedule alongside new rules means players are running a real gauntlet - Martin Regan 

But Ó Baoill says it’s been enjoyable to watch because it’s been enjoyable to play in. 

And while the likes of Ronan Mac Niallais and Martin Regan are still earning their managerial corn along the line, the ultimate responsibility is back in the players’ hands - like it should be.   

“The new rules mean there are going to be big momentum shifts at times now across the 60 minutes,2 he said. 

“Naomh Conaill have shown that. Looking at some of their games, they looked like they were on the ropes but they’ve bounced back so often now. 

“There is just more space, that’s obvious but there is more time now too. And it’s allowing players to really have an influence. There’s scope for individuals to show what they’re about. 

“And some of the club players in the county are showing just how good they actually are. It’s class to see. You see it through all the grades too,  you’re seeing some savage talents. 

“Players are seeing a lot more ball and, without the clogged defences, you are going to back yourself in front of the posts. 

“Inside forwards, they might have only seen four or five possessions under the old rules. Now, they are touching the ball the same number of times in five to ten minutes. 

“There are now one-to-one battles and I think players are excited by that and are expressing themselves much more frequently. 

“I’ve always enjoyed my football but this has been a nice change. The way the Donegal club championship was going, it was becoming a lot harder to find that same enjoyment playing in it. 

“It was strategic and all the pressure was on lads not to make a mistake. That was the mindset. Giving it away or having a pop isn’t the cardinal sin it once was”. 

Gaoth Dobhair are a club that, not too long ago, appeared to be battening down the hatches and preparing for transition as the 2018 Ulster SFC title-winning team began to fragment though retirements and immigration.

But the way they’ve progressively built under Ronan Mac Niallais since 2023 seems to suggest they’re on the verge of seeing all that work through to the ultimate fruition. 

“The goal every time for Gaoth Dobhair, at the start of every season, is to make the county final. We were disappointed last season with how the championship ended for us. 

“We lost two years ago to Naomh Conaill, we were well beaten. But we pushed St Eunan’s right to the wire last season and just came up short in the semi-final. 

“You never take any real comfort from losing but if you step back and look at the last two seasons, we definitely have been building something. 

“And the same group of players working under Ronan, it just feels like it’s growing and growing. There is a bond there now, too, and we’re all further down the line. 

“You have to put it into perspective. Where we came from, the turnover in players, I think there has been a real improvement. I guess Sunday is the ultimate test now to back all of that up”.