Donegal SFC preview: A semi-final for the ages

When Enda McFeely throws in the ball in O'Donnell Park, Letterkenny on Sunday at 1:45pm, to borrow a well-worn line, 'a county will hold its breath'.

Kilcar and Naomh Conaill were probably destined to meet once more - and Saturday will decide the issue for once and for all - hopefully not by penalties!

The two clubs are clearly the two form teams in Donegal for some time now and after last weekend's quarter-finals, that was underlined more clearly. Going home from Ardara on Saturday night after seeing Kilcar demolish Sean MacCumhaill's, you would be thinking they are the best right now.

But then Naomh Conaill came out on Sunday afternoon and were frighteningly single minded in the way they disposed of Gaoth Dobhair.

On August 14, the sides met in the 2020 county final. Naomh Conaill went home with the Dr Maguire Cup after a penalty shoot-out while Kilcar went home feeling they had not lost the match.

We all know that there was an appeal against the number of subs used by Naomh Conaill and the matter has still to be resolved at board level.

Whatever happens, I think it is in the minds of both camps this week, that Saturday will decide once and for all.

That's what makes the game this weekend so special. It will attract a bumper crowd to Letterkenny, with the two best supported teams in the county taking part. It is also to be shown live on TG4.

So, who will take the spoils?

The bookies have it Kilcar 8/11 with Naomh Conaill at 6/4.  And it is telling that the outright betting to win the Dr Maguire Kilcar are favourites with Naomh Conaill second, which is indicative of the way people are thinking; these are the two best teams left in the competition.

Since their clash in August, there have been changes to both sides. Kilcar have re-located Eoin McHugh to full-back and Ryan McHugh to the forwards. They have Brian O'Donnell back in the panel. They would appear to be stronger and if things are not going their way, they will call on Conor McShane and Michael Hegarty a little earlier than they did in the 2020 county final.

On the Naomh Conaill side, there are quite a few changes. Ciaran Brennan and Kieran Gallagher are doubtful; Jason Campbell has replaced AJ Gallagher at full-back, and his tilt with Patrick McBrearty will have a big bearing on the game. McBrearty had a big game in August and Kilcar will need the same from him on Sunday.

And talking of big games, Ciaran Thompson was majestic that night, and if Naomh Conaill are to prevail, Thompson will have to be at his best again.

The match-ups are mouth-watering. The pace of the Dohertys against the McHughs and McCleans. Will Matthew McClean be fit to play? He is Kilcar's only doubt.

Kilcar manager, John McNulty, was in Ballybofey on Sunday to watch Naomh Conaill: "Gaoth Dobhair went two up but Naomh Conaill came back and also got two. I think they got 1-2 then without reply and really dominated the game from then on, controlled the game.

"I think they saw the game out at their own pace from then on. Naomh Conaill got on top around the middle and Gaoth Dobhair struggled. Naomh Conaill turned them over and made more use of the ball coming down the field.

"Naomh Conaill were very good. You would expect that from them. We'll prepare this week for the game on Sunday next."

And what about the rivalry? "You just look at it that's it a semi-final to get to a final in 2021 and that's the way I'd be looking at it," said McNulty, without giving too much away.

Martin Regan, the Naomh Conaill manager, saw his side go 23 unbeaten under the lights of MacCumhaill Park on Sunday as they flexed their muscle to win, hugely impressively, 1-10 to 0-8 against Gaoth Dobhair.

“We are really pleased where we are at,” he said. “We are playing very well. The lads were playing so well, it was into the last few minutes before we made a substitution. We have a big week ahead of us now preparing for Kilcar. 

“Kilcar have been brilliant since the start of the championship. The scores they have been putting up have been very impressive. And they have been conceding very little. If you take the Gaoth Dobhair game out of it they have only conceded some like eight or nine points. 

“They have shored things up at the back and the defence are playing very well  so scores are going to be hard to come by.”

Whatever the result, these two teams deserve great credit for the effort they have put in, not just this year, but over the last number of years. Who will win it. I think it's a toss of a coin. It will come down to discipline and desire. 

Head on the block: Kilcar.

St Eunan's must improve

The first semi-final is on Saturday evening in MacCumhaill Park at 5pm with St Eunan's meeting St Michael's.

The Letterkenny side are something of an enigma. They have blown hot and cold this year, on top of Kilcar in the opening round game, before succumbing to the Kilcar comeback.

Since then they had a very impressive outing against Aodh Ruadh and made the quarter-finals with hard-fought wins over Termon and Bundoran. They haven't got a settled team and that, more than anything else, has worked against them. I said at the start of the year that having too many players to pick from can be a headache as well as a bonus.

St Michael's were far from convincing in the group stages, but on Friday night last they looked a very good side in disposing of Aodh Ruadh. They have big players in Liam Paul Ferry, Stephen Doak, Michael Langan, Christy Toye and Martin McElhinney. 

There is word that Jim McGuinness has had an input and Daniel McLaughlin would hardly turn that down. They will also hope that Colm McFadden is fit to play some part.

"There is work to do," said St Eunan's boss, Rory Kavanagh, after his side defeated St Naul's in last Sunday's quarter-final. "We have to be better against St Michael's. They were very impressive on Friday night. I know Ballyshannon were affected by absentees but on the flip side, St Michael's have a lot of experience.

"They can bring in the likes of Christy Toye and Martin McElhinney up front doing a job. They were without Colm). Listen, they have huge amounts of experience still in that team and they are going to be a very, very dangerous opponent.

"Michael Langan has been phenomenal. I was really impressed with his performance for the county this year. On his day he can drag any team with him and can win a game on his own. He is definitely one of their stand-out performers and one that we will have to keep an eye on.

"Any games we have had with St Michael's have been nip and tuck. We will take nothing for granted, and why should we. We haven't been in a county final since 2015. It's a long, long time. We have to show that hunger and match that appetite that St Michael's will bring.

"We have a young team and they are all mad to get to a county final, and we have to show that hunger on Saturday," said Kavanagh.

At the Bridge, Kevin ‘Cookie’ Gallagher was in charge for the opening All-County Football League Division 1 fixtures, only to part company with the Dunfanaghy-based club and in stepped Daniel McLaughlin.

“The main objective at the start of the season was to retain our place in Division One, in the league and hopefully come through the group stages and make it to the quarter-final,” he said. “We did that and we beat Aodh Ruadh, in the quarter-final and we are now in bonus territory really. 

“Colm McFadden did a light workout on Monday night and we will see how he gets on this week and we are hoping to have him. But we won’t know for sure until later in the week. We hope to have him. The lads that came in for him did very well but Colm is very experienced and he had been playing well. Otherwise we have a clean bill of health.”

It could be a closer game than might have been expected. St Eunan's will still go in as strong favourites and if they can keep tabs on Michael Langan, then they can reach the final.

Verdict: St Eunan's