Harte’s head can swing it for Tyrone
FOR all the excitement created by the Super 8s, the only game that everything is riding on is in Ballybofey. This is the only do-or-die, winnerstake-all encounter.
All eyes will be on the northwest in what is effectively an AllIreland quarter-final. Before a ball was kicked this summer, DonegalTyrone was the expected Ulster final pairing.
That didn’t transpire but the new Championship structure has intervened and given us a tantalising match-up. Just to add even more spice, there has been a bitter rivalry between these counties going back many years.
Declan Bonner has been at the centre of some of that controversy, as both minor and under-21 manager. These are two counties that seem to get under each other’s skin.
It won’t be the Ulster final, but this is a game that will have the edge we have come to expect of a Championship match in the north. And it is a chance for both sides to lay down a marker and be considered serious All-Ireland contenders this summer.
When Bonner came in for his second tenure as senior manager, he promised a more attack-orientated game-plan than was seen under either Jim McGuinness or Rory Gallagher. He has been as good as his word, even if the cost was relegation in the National League.
Even without talismanic forward Paddy McBrearty, Donegal gave a rusty-looking Dublin a stern enough test in their Super 8s opener. However, as we expected would happen, for some teams in this new structure injuries are beginning to add up.
Eoghan Bán Gallagher is a massive loss for Donegal. He has become a cornerstone for the team and if he did somehow regain his fitness it would be a huge boost.
It has been a very impressive first season for Bonner, having won the Ulster title. An All-Ireland semi-final appearance would cement that, and give this young Donegal team a platform to go onto greater heights in the years to come.
Tyrone are a big obstacle in the way. They are always ruthless and relentless under Mickey Harte and this summer has been no exception. The shock they suffered against Monaghan in May would have unhinged many teams but they negotiated a path through the qualifiers, riding their luck at times, especially against Meath when they were helped by one or two dubious refereeing decisions.
They now have serious momentum. Hammering Roscommon and putting Dublin to the pin of their collar in Omagh two weeks ago are evidence of that.
When they threw the shackles off in the final 10 minutes, Tyrone showed what they are capable of – and if it wasn’t for James McCarthy’s goal, they might have caused a sensation in Healy Park.
Harte has injury concerns of his own. Cathal McCarron is gone and Ronan McNamee limped off against Dublin. But given Tyrone is more about the system than the individual, they will be able to compensate.
Harte has continued to deny that there is a change of tactical approach from last year, when they were humiliated by Dublin in Croke Park, but the evidence suggests otherwise.
Far more players are being committed to attack, the ball is moved at a much faster pace, and there are scoring threats from all angles through the likes of Connor McAliskey, Niall Sludden, Peter Harte and Richie Donnelly.
For Donegal to maintain their eight-year unbeaten record in League and Championship at Sean MacCumhaill Park, they will have to blunt the threat of each of those four players because I expect Tyrone to do a similar job.
And Donegal will need to score a goal in Ballybofey, something they have yet to do in the Super 8s. Michael Murphy did look rejuvenated in Dr Hyde Park but there is a big difference between Tyrone and Roscommon.
Harte will have a plan in place to blunt Murphy, Ryan McHugh and Odhrán Mac Niallais. It is what he is good at, planning for the opposition danger-men.
One of the concerns about the direction of Gaelic football is that games are won now by teams who do the best job of curbing the opposition’s best players. This is a fundamental change. When I was managing, it was all about maximising your own strengths. Now, it is more about stopping the opposition.
So, while Bonner and Harte should be looking at getting the most out of Murphy, McHugh, Sludden and McAliskey tomorrow, they will be focused more on neutralising the opposition. That is what modern football has become. Negate the opposition at all costs.
That’s what we will see in Ballybofey. It will be the game of the weekend, because there is very little between the teams and it is likely to be tense until the final moments. It will also be a fractious and edgy affair which will need Joe McQuillan to lay down the law early.
But when it comes to negating opposition threats, few do it better than Mickey Harte. That is why I give Tyrone a very hesitant vote to make it through to the semi-finals.