McShea's Say: Monaghan have something that all their teams have - deep belief

As we look forward to playing Monaghan in Clones in Sunday's Ulster SFC quarter-final, we can be sure that the Farney county will relish the opportunity to bring the Donegal team back to earth with a bang.

Over the years, Monaghan have proved a bogey team for Donegal, and after winning league promotion when they beat Roscommon in the Division 2 final, they will not be lacking in confidence against Jim McGuinness’s side.

I believe that Sunday's game will be tough and physical, but not dirty, with neither team backing down. In the dressing room, the Monaghan players will be confident they can win. Monaghan have something that all their teams have - deep belief. They also have many players of real ability.

Rory Beggan is one of the top goalkeepers in the modern game. He is lethal with the dead ball as evidenced in the Roscommon game when he finished with seven points to his name, three two-pointers and one 45. Dylan Byrne, their young defender, won man of the match in the league final, and Conor McCarthy - an All-Star wing-back 0 will run at the Donegal defence whenever the chance arises.

In their attack, alongside the accurate Michael Bannigan, Jack McCarron is a player of genuine class, and Stephen O’Hanlon and Andrew Woods will buzz with attacking intent. On the sideline, Monaghan are in good hands with a perceptive manager in Gabriel Bannigan and Mayo’s excellent forward of yesteryear, Andy Moran, calling the shots.

With the game being played in Clones, Monaghan will have huge support, but Donegal fans are travelling in serious numbers to support their team, and the atmosphere will be electric in St Tiernach’s Park.

If McGuinness puts up a list in the Donegal dressing room before the match, it will include the following: winning, discipline, professionalism, team spirit, unity, positivity, performance, taking responsibility, and setting standards.

Those are the qualities that Donegal demand in every game and are honed with genuine consistency in every training session. In Ballybofey against a Derry team that looked weary and dishevelled long before the end, Donegal won with a bit to spare, 1-25 to 1-15.

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However, I have no doubt that the fact that Derry had three goal-scoring opportunities in the first half of that game merited forensic analysis from McGuinness and his mentors. No doubt the Donegal defence will be watertight next Sunday. The talk about bringing Sam back to the hills is premature and difficult for some players to ignore, but immaturity and an element of pomposity could have serious consequences, and it will no doubt be dismissed by the management team.

While not firing on all cylinders in the Derry game, there was still much to admire about Donegal’s performance. It was gratifying to see that every time Derry scored, Donegal were impressive in going down the pitch to match Derry’s exploits. There was a period early in the second half when Derry hit some nice points, but one was always confident that the maturity, which is a feature of Donegal’s play this year, would ensure a home victory.

There is much talk not only in Donegal but all over the country about Donegal’s ability to become the Kings of July - it used to be Kings of September when the All-Ireland final was played. Watching the championship games to date, I do believe that this is a very talented group of Donegal players, with the added advantage of having a top-class manager with them.

Shaun Patton is a keeper of real ability. Brendan McCole is a quality fullback, Finbarr Roarty is the find of the year, while Peadar Mogan and Ryan McHugh bring quality and creativity to everything they do.

Hugh McFadden and Michael Langan are both effective and good ball winners as we enjoy the luxury of getting Jason McGee back on board, while Patrick McBrearty, Oisin Gallen and Michael Murphy are all players of exceptional quality - as is Ciaran Thompson.

The other players involved give Donegal an edge when it comes to the panel as the strength in dept is a major reason for the confidence so evident about Donegal’s prospects over the coming weeks. Sunday will undoubtedly be a stern examination of Donegal’s credentials but no game on the road for Sam is ever easy. But I am confident that by 4pm on Sunday evening we will be looking forward to an Ulster semi-final.