Dungloe and St Eunan's taking nothing for granted as they set for ultimate final

Neither Dungloe manager Dessie Gallagher or St Eunan’s selector Brendan Devenney is taking anything for granted as their sides get their final preparations complete this week before they square off in the decider of the Donegal senior championship final this Sunday. 

The Dungloe club returns to their first senior county final this weekend in MacCumhaill Park for the first time in 60 years, where they will face the 15-time championship winners St Eunan’s who are looking to win back the Dr Maguire Cup for the first time since 2021. 

For Gallagher and his Dungloe side, it’s something the club has waited a lifetime for, with the manager admitting it was a scenario they thought would never fall their way. 

“The semi-final win was great and now we have something to look forward to. It’s something the people from Dungloe are loving at the minute and probably thought a final is something they’d never get back to,” Gallagher said at last Wednesday’s press night in Convoy. 

“I started playing at 16, and I’m 34 years trying to get into a final, so the fact we’re in one now is great for the community and that’s what the boys are playing for. Even when we were in the intermediate championship, it was all about the community and playing for them.” 

Despite capturing intermediate success in 2022, Gallagher acknowledges the higher levels his team was forced to reach in getting through the various rounds of the championship, often fighting with their backs to the walls in the second half, something the Dungloe boss admits they will need to work on for the final. 

“We knew the caliber of teams were going to be better than intermediate level, so we planned differently, but the same principles still stand, it’s about buying in and getting the basics right and the lads did that,” he said. 

“In the last two games, we went four points up and we ended up holding on until the end which we’re not happy with as a group, but we got over the line and that’s the most important thing if you’re looking to get to the final. It’s not about how well you play or by how much, it’s about winning the game.” 

For Eunan’s man Devenney, he also acknowledges that the Letterkenny men have yet to show their full potential this season, while also pointing to the fact that his side are well aware that winning only two championships in 10 years is not good enough for a club like St Eunan’s. 

“The reality of sport is if you don’t win it then you don’t deserve to win it,” Devenney said. “The secret in getting to finals is that it takes a hell of a lot of work. And even though I have very little time, I’m actually on minus time, I knew that I had to get in and help the lads out. 

“I like to see football played a certain way, I like to see players express themselves and that can be difficult due to the way teams play in the modern game, but over the past few years I felt we weren’t getting to the levels players should be at. We’ve seen glimpses of it this season but not enough of it. 

“I think as a club, we try to play the game a certain way while also trying to find a balance between our own defensive shape and getting forward. Our first port of call is the attacking side of the game and moving the ball fast.” 

While the St Eunan’s selector is happy that his club are back in a county final, he admits that they still failed to show their true potential in their semi-final win against Gaoth Dobhair and hopes that will improve this weekend to stop a Dungloe upset. 

“In the last two games we’ve seen glimpses of what we can do but not enough,” Devenney admitted. “We know it’s all about winning, but if you saw our dressing room after the semi-final you wouldn’t have thought that because we knew we didn’t get to the standards we expect of ourselves and we’ll be working on that for the final. 

“For this final, it’s about getting up to the levels that we know we can get to. 

“For Dungloe, they will be looking to get up to a level where they put us into a position where they can win the game and all you can say is may the best team win.”