MacNiallais taking step back as he aims to cope with tragedy
ODHRÁN MacNiallais has ruled himself out of a quick return to Donegal duty as he comes to terms with the death of his close friend Micheál Roarty and Gaoth Dobhair’s exit from the All-Ireland series at the hands of Corofin.
Donegal are meeting their neighbours — and the only unbeaten side in Division Two — this Sunday in Fermanagh, in a game that will be a repeat of last year’s Ulster final and a dry run for the provincial quarter-final this summer, but they will certainly be without their sizeable Gaoth Dobhair contingent.
Last Saturday’s defeat has punctuated an intensely painful period for the Gaoth Dobhair community, who lost a hugely popular clubman in the Donegal road accident back at the end of January.
“I’ll take a while out now anyway to see what happens. I will chat to (Donegal manager) Declan (Bonner) and the boys and see what their plans are,” MacNiallais said.
“I will have a few weeks out. I have been on the go now for almost two years and it has been non-stop. I just need a break, especially after the last few weeks.
“It’s tough. I just need a bit of time out. There is a lot of pressure and I need to do a bit of relaxing.
“It’s been a long season. A couple of months leading up to this game and you are waiting and waiting on it to come and it just goes like that. It’s so disappointing and you don’t know what to do with yourself.
“Football is going to be the last thing on my mind for the next few weeks anyway. I’ll just relax for a few weeks now and see what happens. The appetite, I don’t think it’s going to be right for a few weeks especially after this defeat.”
A minute’s silence for Roarty (right), as well as Daniel Scott, John Harley and Shaun Harkin who also died in the accident, was impeccably observed by the crowd in Carrick-on-Shannon and MacNiallais admitted it has been a terrible time for all.
“It’s been heartbreaking really. It puts football to the back of your mind really for the last few weeks. It really shows you what is important in life and it’s your family, your friends. Football, yeah it gives you a lift and it is enjoyable and all, but at the end of the day Micheál was a very, very close friend of mine and you never, ever expect something like that to happen.
“It’s just heartbreaking for the family and everyone close to him.
“I just don’t know how… your heart goes out to them.”
He continued: “Football means a lot to everyone in that dressing room. It is a massive part of our lives. It takes up most of our lives but at the end of the day it is not everything. You kind of take it all for granted and life for granted.
“Micheál was only 24 years of age and a great footballer. He would have been involved with this group too only he couldn’t give the commitment, he was too fond of the partying.
“That’s a real loss, whereas that defeat is just football.”
Gaoth Dobhair looked like they might catch All-Ireland champions Corofin going down the stretch with three late consecutive points, but the physical nature of how the kingpins push an aggressive high line wore them down.
“We wouldn’t be used to it in Ulster, teams pressing and going man for man on you,” explained MacNiallais.
“We are kind of used to teams dropping back into a defensive shape and that.
“They are kind of more pressing us out the middle of the park and once you are tackled there are two or three men around you. We are not really used to that.”
Gaoth Dobhair won their first county title since 2006 this year and became the first Donegal club to win a provincial title (St Joseph’s in 1975 were an amalgamation).
“A lot of people have been saying over the last few months that this is bonus territory for us. In reality, it is. It’s somewhere a club in Donegal has never been. We have exceeded all expectations and had a great year and that’s the positive way to look at it,” said MacNiallais.
“This defeat is disappointing, but Corofin are the top team in Ireland over the last few years and they showed that here.
“To compete at that sort of level there, it’s only a lesson for us and we are going to learn from it.”
The Donegal Championship has not been retained since St Eunan’s managed three in a row from 2007 to 2009 and the idea of dominating domestically is a tall order for Gaoth Dobhair.
“It is a hard Championship to win and especially to dominate year after year,” added MacNiallais.
“The top teams are Glenties, Kilcar last year, and there’s a great team in Glenswilly too. We just came through this year and there are a number of top sides in Donegal.
“We’ll look to build on this year. That’s the plan.
“We will go back at it and build for next year and then get another run in the Championship.”