Gallen hat-trick helps ease MacCumhaills into last eight
MacCumhaills are into the Donegal SFC quarter-finals after a much more comfortable victory than the seven-point winning margin over Na Dúnaibh suggested on Saturday evening.
MacCumhaills 3-15 Na Dúnaibh 2-11
In the end, the highlight in this one was an Oisin Gallen hat-trick, with the county man converting from the spot in both halves in Ballybofey.
The hosts were much the better side throughout and deservedly departed 1-7 to 0-4 in front at the changeover, with Gallen’s opening spot kick five minutes out from the break helping plump their advantage to six.
MacCumhaills brilliantly negated the impact of Cian McBride around the middle third in that opening half with some very intelligent and, indeed, subtle screening of the Meath county man.
That, in turn, suffocated the service into the dangerous Paddy McElwee and, as a result of that, MacCumhaills were firmly in control.
The visitors' opening haul came from a pair of two-point efforts as Johnny McGroddy and Ronan Gallagher, from a free, found the target.
The issue for Na Dúnaibh, though, was that, in between, the home side booted six points uninterrupted as Aaron Kelly, Kevin McCormick (0-3) and a Luke Gavigan two-pointer left it 0-6 to 0-2 headed into the second quarter.
Gallagher launched over a two-point free from the ‘45 to halve the deficit; however, with Adam Byrne and the first of Gallen’s spot-kicks registered before the short whistle, it was Damian Devaney and Luke Gavigan’s side that exited firmly in control.
The excellent McCormick - who finished with 0-6 from play - got things going once more on the resumption but a Johnny McGroddy point, followed up by McElwee from a free, left it a five-point game.
Conor McGinty then grabbed the first of his two scores of the evening before Gallen rattled in his and his side’s second goal as Na Dúnaibh’s already wilting challenge seemed to fold.
McGroddy would then upend McCormick inside the area as Gallen widened the gap to 12 with just 39 minutes on the clock.
McCormick and McGinty added further overs while a McElwee free finally severed that momentum.
Gallen responded before McGroddy blasted in off the underside of the crossbar as 1-7 languished behind 3-11.
Before the end, the likes of Gallen and McCormick added to their own personal tallies while a flicked Ronan Pasoma goal and a McElwee two-point free brought the curtain down on Na Dúnaibh’s championship season.
MacCumhaills scorers: Oisin Gallen 3-3, 2 pen; Kevin McCormick 0-6; Luke Gavigan 0-2, 1tp; Conor McGinty 0-2; Aaron Kelly and Adam Byrne 0-1 each.
Na Dúnaibh scorers: Johnny McGroddy 1-3, 1tp; Paddy McElwee 0-6, 3f, 1tpf; Ronan Pasoma 1-0; Ronan Gallagher 0-2, 1tpf
MacCumhaills: Eoin Gallen, Fionn McGinty, Joe Boyle, Ruairí Callaghan, Conor McGinty, Seán Martin, Shaun McMenamin, Luke Gavigan, Adam Byrne, Fintan Griffin, Jamie Keegan, Oisín Gallen, Chad McSorley, Aaron Kelly, Kevin McCormick.
Subs: Thomas McNulty for Gavigan (40), Darragh Boyle for McCormick (55), Cian Gallen for Griffin and Alan Sproule for F McGinty (both 51).
Na Dúnaibh: Ciaran Gallagher; Alex Gerwatowski, Tiernan McBride, Ronan Pasoma; Paidi Shiels, Ronan Gallagher, James Trevor; Cian McBride, Shane Coll; Dylan McGlone, Johnny McGroddy, Keelan McGroddy; James Lee McBride, Paddy McElwee, Oisin Boyce.
Subs: Paul McGroddy for Coll and Gary Ban McClafferty for JL McBride (both 45), Eoghan Bamforth and Seamus Trevor for Boyce and J Trevor (both 55).
Referee: James Connors (St Eunan’s).