McShea’s Say: Donegal have to step up to plate and go toe-to-toe with Kerry 

It is great to be heading to Croke Park next Sunday for our National League final against All-Ireland champions Kerry. 

This will be a severe test of Donegal’s credentials, and to win only our second League title would be a significant achievement. 

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No doubt after Sunday, we will have a very clear indication of our championship prospects after our joust with the current League and Championship holders. 

After going five games unbeaten early in this League, our form in our last two games against both Roscommon and Monaghan was less than impressive. 

A major concern is the fact that both Roscommon and an already relegated Monaghan ran up very big scores against Donegal. 

To ship five goals in those last two games is a cause for concern and while Roscommon have several good forwards, the drubbing they took from Mayo last Sunday is another cause for concern. 

Monaghan were short a number of their first-choice squad in Clones, but the ease with which they got through the Donegal defence for their three goals will require much discussion when the video is analysed at training this week. 

The Kerry attack is much more potent than Monaghan’s and even without Paudie Clifford, who was superb in our All-Ireland defeat, they will ask serious questions of the Donegal defence. 

Sunday will be the third major final between Donegal and Kerry in recent years with The Kingdom holding the high ground after defeating Donegal in both the 2014 and last year’s final. 

With Kerry favourites and Donegal second favourites to win this year’s All-Ireland, the outcome of this final will no doubt leave positive and negative emotions in the mind of at least some of Sunday’s participants when championship time comes around. 

The standard of Gaelic football has improved considerably in the last two years. This is the result of three factors: rule changes, greater fitness, and more competent (indeed often professional) management. 

That the extent of foul play seems not to have increased with the introduction of the new rules, and despite keener competition produced by greater fitness, is a tribute to the players and better refereeing, even though one or two managers may not agree with that last comment. 

Despite Kerry’s emphatic final win last July, I believe that these two teams are well-matched, and the rivalry between the two counties has become intense. 

So well matched are the two teams and so close will be the marking that some believe that good football may be out of the question. 

I do not agree with that view because on Sunday you will have 30 of the game’s most talented footballers in opposition, and both sides are laced with exceptionally skilful players. 

Word from the Donegal camp suggests that Michael Murphy, Oisin Gallen, Ciaran Moore and Daire Ó Baoill could all be available, which will clearly be a major boost to their teams’ prospects. 

How to deal with David Clifford will figure high on Donegal’s agenda this week. Clifford is correctly regarded as one of the most technically gifted players of this or any generation. 

His physical prowess will never diminish the skill which David possesses. One without the other would not allow him to be the wonderful player that he is. 

Yeats once was quoted as saying that a particular talent was one of “names that stopped our childhood play”. 

That would be a quote to describe the Kerry great. In what should be a top-class battle, Donegal must show much greater aggression in defence if they are to win their second league title. 

And the concession of soft goals against such a quality side would be a recipe for disaster. If the defence can manage to keep even a reasonable tab on David, then Donegal will give this final a great shot. That task, however, is a big ask.