McShea’s Say: Sense must prevail on Donegal sanctions which are seriously unfair

Donegal’s exciting start to the year under Jim McGuinness took an unexpected turn on Monday evening when it was revealed that the team has been hit with a number of heavy penalties. 

It seems like Donegal committed a genuine error when playing teenager Finbarr Roarty against Armagh. Roarty was 17 at the time of throw-in but turned 18 the very next day. 

My own opinion is that it was a genuine error on Donegal’s part. Armagh had brought their U-20s so McGuinness probably seen it as a good chance to use the likes of Roarty and Seanan Carr. 

McGuinness certainly wasn’t looking to gain any sort of advantage on the night so I hope common sense prevails here. As an eight-week suspension, and two for the player, are heavy calls. 

Ulster are usually transparent and fair in those matters so I hope that these penalties are dropped. In Roarty’s case, he’s still a teenager at school and it’s brought unfair and unwarranted attention on him.

There has been a ‘feel good’ factor in Donegal since the return of McGuinness to the manager’s hot seat and the optimism that prevails in the country has increased after the team’s impressive opening to the new season. 

Three wins against Roscommon, Armagh, and Tyrone is a positive start to 2024 and while Armagh came to Ballybofey with a young and inexperienced outfit, Donegal hammered them playing a most impressive attacking brand of football. 

The great crowd that travelled to Ballybofey had reason to feel very let down by the Armagh management’s attitude to the McKenna Cup, and the large following from both counties (almost 4,000 spectators) on a cold winter’s night deserved better. 

So too did the Ulster Council, the governing body who organise the competition, and particularly the large crowd from Armagh who travelled quite a distance in anticipation of seeing a competitive game of football. 

Since Kieran McGeeney, the Armagh manager, was appointed around ten years ago the Armagh trophy cabinet has never needed to be extended. 

Indeed, it has been a particularly barren period for the Orchard County and one would have thought that even a McKenna Cup victory would have represented some progress for this Armagh side. 

On Sunday in Omagh, in the first half in particular, Donegal played very well against a Tyrone team that were short a few regulars. 

But Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher, the Tyrone management duo, still had a formidable squad in action. 

Donegal did an excellent job in that first half in diluting the impact of Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan’s precision kicking. 

They pressed to great effect and Morgan, who is on a par with Monaghan’s Rory Beggan and our own Sean Patton in this regard, has seldom had a less productive half than he had on Sunday. 

He did have more success in the second half when it seemed that Donegal had lost their concentration in the third quarter of an entertaining encounter. 

Donegal, at such an early stage of the season, are playing with great pace, and their fitness levels are most impressive. 

Some of the movement in Omagh was of a very high standard and the Tyrone defence enjoyed a charmed life as Donegal created four clearcut goal chances. 

While it was disappointing that the goal opportunities did not materialise, it was encouraging to see the quality and movement of Donegal when in that offensive mode. 

In recent years Donegal have, on occasions, failed to convert such opportunities and no doubt Jim McGuinness will see this aspect of his team’s play as an area for improvement as goals ultimately win games. 

When such chances materialise, it can be soul-destroying not to convert them. With Colm McFadden now part of Donegal’s set up I’m sure that he will spend much time working with the Donegal forwards to make sure that this is an area that will see real improvement as we get down to the business of league and championship football. 

Indeed, showing the current Donegal squad a look at Colm goal in the 2012 All-Ireland final, along with Michael Murphy’s scorcher, would be a real opportunity to see two master craftsmen in action.

It was lovely to see three of our county team take time out at Christmas to visit many young patients at Letterkenny University Hospital. 

Patrick McBrearty, Michael Langan and Shaun Patton all took time out to visit the children and the photographs of their visit clearly reflected the joy the youngsters felt in meeting their heroes. 

Well Done to the boys for giving their time to make all those young patients' Christmas away from home an occasion to remember. 

And, finally, a belated Happy New Year to all our readers and if the early symptoms are anything to go by, it could be an enjoyable one.