Sweeney: ‘I’m glad that Rian O’Neill is playing’

Former Donegal full-back Raymond Sweeney insists he’s glad Rian O’Neill has been freed to play for Armagh against Donegal in Sunday’s Ulster SFC quarter-final.

Dungloe clubman Sweeney is convinced that O’Neill’s presence will be a good test of just how good Donegal really are. He added that if Donegal play to their capabilities they will win as “they have the better players” 

The after-match shenanigans in their recent Allianz League Division 1 game in Letterkenny has given this tie an extra edge after two Donegal players - Odhrán McFadden Ferry and Neil McGee - were given one-match bans, which Donegal did not appeal. Stefan Campbell, Ciaran Mackin and Aidan Nugent have also been given a one-match ban. 

All in one place: Every report from weekend three of the All-County League

Easter weekend saw a host of action in all three divisions of the All-County Football League, as well as the Senior Hurling League

Armagh appealed that decision only to find that O’Neill was given a proposed one-match ban as well, while his three teammates had their appeal rejected. O’Neill’s ban was overturned on a technicality, after it was found that video evidence produced was not “official”.

But Sweeney claims that there seems to be some sort of agenda against Ulster teams when it comes to melees. 

“I don’t know if it’s a vendetta against Ulster teams as there seems to be more handlings in Ulster games, but it happened previously in the Kerry and Dublin game for example,” he said. “I didn’t see any suspensions coming out of that. 

“The Tyrone and Armagh one was a bit more unsightly, because it was so close to the wall and the spectators and then it dragged more attention to the one in Donegal. I watched it as well and there was a lot of pushing and shoving and a lot of handbags. I don’t want to know if there were a lot of punches thrown”. 

On O’Neill’s successful appeal, Sweeney continued: “You will do anything to get off and I am glad he is playing because I want to see how good he is because he is a very good footballer. I am looking forward to seeing him playing in Ballybofey and how Donegal will cope with him. 

“I know that as a footballer you will do anything to play and if it is a technicality then so be it. But if you are going to penalise somebody then do it properly and have all your ducks in a row. How many times have we seen these things overturned on a technicality?”.

Sweeney believes that Donegal need to be playing against teams with players with the calibre of O’Neill to test themselves and improve. 

“If they want to go places they have to be handling the Rian O’Neill’s of the world,” Sweeney said. He believes the shemozzle in Letterkenny has definitely given this weekend’s clash an extra bite. 

“Armagh have definitely gotten much better these last few seasons, their physicality is getting better and they are getting stronger and they also had a very good ;league campaign and it will be a very good game. I was very impressed as they beat Dublin earlier in the season and to a lesser extent against Donegal. 

“I did not know what they were at in Letterkenny as they started with a team that did not want to win it and then they had a mind-switch and Kieran McGeeney seemed to want to win it, as he threw on all his good players which brought them very close. McGeeney is in the mix and from my playing days, he and Armagh were the bane of my life. It should be a great contest”.