Football still a waiting game for Eoghan Ban with possible FRC tweaks looming

Eoghan Ban Gallagher admits there is still a real element of the unknown attached to Gaelic football.

With five rounds of the NFL now in the rearview mirror, the Football Review Committee is ready to make its recommendations and, possibly adjustments, off the back of what they’ve seen so far.

The FRC’s original blueprint, the one managers, players and supporters have done their best to get to grips with, looks like it could well be tweaked.

Jim Gavin confirmed at the beginning of the week that he and his panel have already sent recommendations, which will be reviewed by the GAA’s Central Council this Thursday, but the former Dublin boss would not get into the specifics of what has been suggested.

The really frustrating thing for managers and players right now - and plenty have had their say since the weekend - is with further changes likely afoot, that they don’t really know what to coach or full embrace.

Speaking after Donegal’s win over Derry in Ballyshannon on Sunday, Gallagher admits that it’s still very much a waiting game in that sense.

Regardless, the Killybegs man says the revamping of Gaelic football, whatever it eventually settles into or resembles ahead of championship, very much leans now towards offensive-style players.

“It’s a forwards game now and that’s what I’m telling the lads in front of me! Listen, the truth is there is a lot of hard work to be done back there with the changes.

“But with the amount of good forwards we have, the key is trying to maximise that potential. And under the new rules, that’s a feeling-out process that every team is still trying to figure out.

“Those transitional opportunities on the turnover, it’s just really frantic. The trend seems to be quite similar across the board.

“Teams are really protective of the two-point arc and then look to really transition on the turnover. The goalkeeper too - they are having a massive impact on all of that in the 12 versus 11.

“But maybe there are tweaks coming and it’s going to be interesting to see what might change. We’re not sure what the FRC are going to do now.

“You’re kind of taking it week on week because of that but, whatever happens, there’s been a real shift.”

There was also a real shift in Fr Tierney Park inside the last ten minutes at the weekend. Derry had led 1-19 to 0-15 by the 58th minute but with Michael Murphy leading the charge, the hosts finished strongly posting 1-07 without reply to push the Oak Leafers into serious relegation trouble.

“The lads in midfield, down the stretch, the likes of Michael made a big difference with breaking ball,” Gallagher explained on that spectacular change of momentum. “Caolan McGonagle, Ciaran Moore and Ciaran Thompson were all brilliant in turning the tide.

“We got momentum with that in the last ten minutes and shooting with the breeze, hitting those two-pointers, we quickly sensed it was there for the taking.”

Gallagher is into his eleventh season now as a Donegal senior footballer - landing on the scene just as McGuinness originally departed back in 2015.

His loss at the three-quartet hour mark during last summer’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway was a serious hammer blow to Donegal’s chances of advancing.

Looking back on that disappointment, the player admits it stung at the time. However, the mood cultivated inside the camp since McGuinness came back on board meant the page turned pretty quickly.

“It was a hamstring injury at the time. It was a partial tear in the tendon and it was a 12-week one. There was no surgery or anything like that.

“At the time, it was just one of those things that deflates you as you want to be there with the lads and try to make the most of the opportunity that was right there as well.

“But thankfully that’s all behind me now and I’m feeling really good so far. The hope there now is to kick on. The entire squad, there’s that real appetite to get fitter, to progress and to just keep gelling”.

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Donegal made it eight points from a possible ten last time out and now get the chance to finally catch breath as they sit this weekend out.

After that, Tyrone come to Letterkenny in a fortnight’s time while the NFL’s regulation campaign ends with a Round 7 away clash with Mayo.

The merits, or lack thereof, of reaching the league decider were well discussed and indeed qualified by Jim McGuinness in Ballyshannon.

For Ban Gallagher, he says it’s just exciting to be looking forward to the next number of weeks and months with optimism and he says that’s the least Donegal supporters deserve at the outset of any season.

“It can’t be touched on enough. It’s exciting times for supporters and you see that today with the kids and all coming onto the field. And that’s brilliant.

“The support we’re getting is really appreciated. It’s incredible really. Believe me, it makes a huge difference. It did again here today in Ballyshannon. We felt that backing as we got back into the game.

“A big part of all of this, the motivation, is to make Donegal people happy”.