Donegal GAA's July county committee meeting put back a week

This week’s county committee meeting has been deferred by a week and will now take place on Wednesday, July 20, at the Donegal Training Centre in Convoy.

It is common practice for the Donegal senior team manager to give an end-of-year report to the clubs of the county at the meeting that follows the conclusion of the inter-county campaign.

Senior team manager Declan Bonner last August agreed a two-year extension to his previous three-plus-one-year agreement, during which he guided Donegal to back-to-back Ulster SFC crowns in 2018 and 2019 before losing the 2020 decider to Cavan at the Athletic Grounds. Donegal last year lost out on a 0-23 to 1-14 scoreline against Tyrone, who went onto win both the Ulster and All-Ireland SFC titles, in the provincial semi-final.

This season, Bonner’s Donegal finished in fourth place in the Allianz League Division 1 with seven points before losing out to Derry after extra-time on a 1-16 to 1-14 scoreline in Clones in the Ulster SFC final. Donegal were then beaten by Armagh 3-17 to 0-16 in the second round of the All-Ireland qualifiers.

Bonner has not spoken publicly since the week leading into the Armagh clash, which took place on Sunday, June 12, with players and management opting not to conduct post-match interviews at St Tiernach's Park. Bonner was due to meet Donegal County Board chairman Mick McGrath last week.

Following their All-Ireland quarter-final win over Armagh 4-1 on penalties following a 3-18 to 2-21 draw after extra-time, Galway on Saturday overcame Derry, who are managed by former Donegal boss Rory Gallagher, 2-8 to 1-6 at Croke Park. The Connacht champions will take on Kerry in the final on Sunday week, with Jack O’Connor’s side pipping Dublin the second of the semi-finals on Sunday, 1-14 to 1-13, with Seán O'Shea landing a mammoth late free to win it.

In the inaugural Tailteann Cup final, Westmeath defeated Cavan 2-14 to 1-13 to lift the title. Westmeath are managed by Gallagher’s former assistant with Donegal, Jack Cooney, whose wife Elaine Byrne is from Kilcar. Paddy McConigley, the former Donegal defender from the Gaeil Fhánada club, was a selector for the Kilkenny team who beat New York in the final of the All-Ireland JFC on Sunday.