Mac's View: Donegal didn’t come out of the blocks against Tyrone in Omagh

It was a disappointing outing for Donegal in Healy Park, Omagh on Sunday, especially after the high of the previous week in defeating Kerry in Ballybofey.

Two things came out of the day for me. Number one, we didn’t come out of the blocks and number two, we played defensive football.

And yet, if we had been lucky enough to get the goal when the chance came towards the end of the opening half, we could have gone into the dressing room ahead. But it would have been a lead that we would have not deserved.

It was all just a bit disappointing after the previous week. It means that our next game now, away to Monaghan in Clones, is a relegation battle, even at this stage of the campaign. Monaghan are not going well at all, losing to Armagh on the opening day and they got a big thumping from Kerry on Sunday last in Killarney.

We just have to pull up our socks. Maybe there was a wee bit of complacency after the opening day win. Tyrone fielded a very strong team with very few missing. And then it is only two years since this side were All-Ireland champions.

We will just have to improve. Young Peadar Mogan came into the side at half-time and it was good to see him back. He brightened things in a good way. And to cap it all Patrick McBrearty pulled a muscle and had to go off
Nobody seemed to be able to step up to the mark apart from Conor O’Donnell, who continues to develop; maybe Dáire Ó Baoill to a lesser extent. And Mark Curran showed well at corner-back.

Tyrone won the toss and elected to play against the breeze. We just didn’t seem to have the hunger to match theirs, but they were playing with a strong team. It will be a great learning experience for Donegal and it will give players an opportunity to put things right against Monaghan.

There was a good Donegal support there and I suppose after the Kerry win, it was easy for people to travel and it was a good day for football.

We are not good at playing defensive football. We got three points in the first half after playing with the wind, that is not good enough. But we can turn things around with Monaghan struggling. Conor McManus is not back yet for them, and it is good the game is in Clones, a good big pitch, which should suit our boys.

But make no mistake, the Monaghan game is now a serious match. It is a game that they can’t afford to lose as they have no points and a win for us would put us back on track. With the two week break we have time enough to get ourselves together. Monaghan will come with all guns blazing, their new manager Vinny Corey was that type of player.
We have to go with the same hunger. We have to match them. It would be a big boost if we get two or three players back for that game.

HURLERS
Congratulations to Mickey McCann and the Donegal hurlers on a great win in their opening league match against Sligo, who are a good team. Good luck this weekend, a nice trip to London and it would be nice also to collect two more points.
I felt sorry for the Ladies, who lost out narrowly down in Kerry and it has been a tough few weeks for Maxi Curran and his young side.

I know by the time you read this, the Markey Cup final will be over, but it is great to see Coláiste Cholmcille in Ballyshannon competing at that level. There are five Bundoran men in the squad, which is also encouraging. We were used to seeing this in the past when De La Salle were going well.

KARL LACEY
News at the weekend that Karl Lacey was stepping away from the Academy was disappointing. I had heard that he was doing a very good job. I’m also hearing that at County Board meeting this week that efforts were being made to get Karl to change his mind. We just cannot afford to lose people like Lacey. We have already lost Mark McHugh to Roscommon and Colm Anthony McFadden to Sligo.

LATE PAUL DUNCAN

It was a difficult week for the Four Masters club last week with the deaths of Corny Carr and then Paul Duncan. I would have had Paul as a county minor. He would have been part of the Four Masters breakthrough in 1982 along with Corny. He was a very committed GAA man at club and county level and played hurling for the county as well. His sister Kayt worked with me when I opened the Leisure Centre in the Great Northern.
My sympathies to the Duncan family.

Sympathy also to the McShea family in Ballyshannon and Sligo on the death of Brian Flynn
In Sligo. He was the third brother-in-law of Pauric McShea to have passed away in a matter of months. Ar dheis Dé ar a hanam.