Donegal talked All-Ireland final woe through and quickly  moved on - Michael Langan 

Michael Langan says the Donegal club SFC was a timely distraction as he and his county teammates looked to immediately put their Sam Maguire heartache to one side.  

But to actually process that disappointment, to break the whys and the hows of that ten-point defeat to Kerry down, that didn’t occur until the tail end of the year. 

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Jim McGuinness and his players headed off to Mexico last October and that team trip was no doubt the start of that healing process. 

The players and the management would return to the training field soon after and Langan says it was easy enough to then draw a line under 2025 and move on. 

Donegal and Kerry locked horns back in February in the regulation NFL with the hosts coming out on top that day in Ballyshannon. 

Jack O’Connor fielded just five of his All-Ireland championship XV from the start that same afternoon so what that result actually stood for, in the grander scheme of things, was hard to fathom. 

They renew acquaintances once more on Sunday, back at Croke Park, and with the Division 1 title up for grabs. 

Reflecting back on the aftermath of last season’s 1-26 to 0-19 reversal to the Kingdom, Lagan says his side was simply too slow out of the blocks. 

And by the time the smelling salts went under the noses on Jones Road, it was already too late. 

“It’s not a nice experience to lose an All-Ireland final,” he said. “Kerry, with their recent experience on the big day, played the occasion very well.  

“Kerry got off to a great start, they brought serious intensity and aggression. We just left ourselves with too much to do. 

“We made a fist of it in the second-half but Kerry just kept us at an arm’s length. We got back to three and four points a few times. 

“But we missed a couple of chances, we coughed up a few turnovers and Kerry continuously punished that. 

“It was a tough experience but you take the learnings from it and move forward.

“We went back to our clubs. It was a nice distraction. But the time comes around again, where you meet up and do the review.

“We talked it through and at the end of that process, you’re excited again, looking forward to 2026”.

Donegal might have set the early NFL pace but Kerry seemed to pick up gradual momentum, like they do, as the campaign progressed. 

While there is always a degree of shadow-boxing among the big hitters in Division 1, especially with the championship coming into focus so quickly after the league, Kerry’s league record under O’Connor indicates how much stock he places in the competition.

On the five occasions he has led Kerry to league success (2004, 2006, 2009, 2022 and 2025), each of those campaigns has concluded with Sam Maguire spending the winter in the Kingdom.

So if O’Connor is in any way superstitious, whether he sees value in the league title or not, he might not want to tempt fate on Sunday. 

For Donegal, Langan says their league objectives have already been achieved and anything outside of that, even winning the thing, will simply be viewed as a bonus. 

“We’re happy with things so far. And it’s great to be looking forward to playing in a league final.

“It will be a tough game, a tough challenge. We found that out last year in the All-Ireland final.  

“But we’re looking forward to getting another chance at them. I think we’ve only won it once back in 2007.

“The initial aim for us, before a ball was kicked, was to get to safety as quickly as possible. Anything after that would have been a bonus. The other plus is we’ve used a lot of players.

“We have improved the squad depth and got minutes into lads. It’s a game we’re going up to try to win.

“If we don’t, we’ll take the learnings and move onto the Down game in championship”. 

Langan is part of a middle Donegal line where the likes of himself, Jason McGee, Hugh McFadden and Caolan McGonagle, stepping up from a little deeper, are all looking to win primary possession from kickouts.  

He says that middle sector arm wrestle, and kicking two-pointers are now what ultimately decide Gaelic football matches. 

“It’s the second season under the new rules and you feel like you’re a lot more used to them. The two-pointer has been massive. We seen that in the final with Kerry. 

“It’s something we’ve looked at. If it’s on, you have to take it. But you can’t snatch at opportunities or look to force it. 

“I’ve always enjoyed scoring, kicking points, even when I was underage. It’s something I’m comfortable taking on. Two points for a single kick is huge. I’m confident if the opportunity arises, I’ll give it a go. 

“Kickouts too, for and against, they are a huge part of the game now. If you can get them away, or get hand on ball, you have a good chance of getting a score. 

“But it’s a real dogfight when they do go long. When you’re on top, and you have the opposition hemmed in, it’s enjoyable. 

“But when all that momentum is against you it’s tough going, a slog. Winning that area is now a platform to go on and win the game”. 

The St Michael’s man won an All-Star last season and is one of the most elegant and gifted players out there with his ability to land from outside the arc a crucial string to Donegal’s bow. 

But a nasty hamstring complaint sustained again Down in Newry back in 2023, threatened to derail his intercounty career. 

“There was a period there when I did struggle with injury and the hamstring one came right at the end of that. 

“I had a bad run of picking up niggly injuries and never felt one hundred per cent. There were Achilles and groin issues too. 

“I eventually tore the hamstring off the bone. In some ways, it was an opportunity to press a reset button”. 

Langan had the injury assessed and, eventually, repaired in London.  And he says he was fortunate that his rehab process coincided with McGuinness coming back in the door. 

“We were in a difficult place before Jim came back. Since then, he’s galvanised the whole thing. We have had success along the way, and hopefully, we’re not done yet.

“When Jim came back in, the medical and S&C team there, we got through a serious amount of work. I feel like I’m in a good place. 

“A clear run of training and games, of course, builds fitness, but it also builds confidence”.