Inspired Gweedore roll back the years
IT was fitting that the final decorative nail was hammered home by Odhrán MacNiallais, which served as the cue for scenes of unbridled Gweedore joy.
His converted free — modest in the context of the seven points which had preceded it — was the final play in a decider which the Donegal star was simply a class apart.
And the explosion of joy was sparked not just by Gweedore’s first county title in 12 years; it also marked their 15th in total, pushing them back to the top of Donegal’s roll of honour ahead of St Eunan’s.
When tradition weighs heavy on your shoulders — and it has, given that this was just their third county success in 57 years — things like that matter in football heartlands like Gweedore.
In truth, though, what should excite is the future rather than the past — this title secured with a young team, married to the experience offered by the McGees, Eamon and Neil, along with ageless Kevin Cassidy — hints that more will follow.
Outside of that perfect mix of youth and experience, they possess a cocktail of talent spiked with undiluted quality.
Which brings us neatly to MacNiallais, who reminded once more that he may just have the most cultured left boot in Gaelic football, but he also possesses the football smarts to go with it.
‘I think he showed out there that when he plays like that there is not a footballer in the country as good as him,’ suggested Cassidy afterwards.
That may be a difficult argument to prosecute, but this made for compelling evidence.
It may be a touch tabloid to distil a county final into a single play, but a moment of MacNiallas’ jawdropping quality underlined the chasm in class between Gweedore and Naomh Conaill yesterday.
Just before half-time, the Donegal star chose to flick rather than field Christy Sweeney’s kick-out into the path of Dáire Ó Baoill, kick-starting a move which he would finish with a sublime angled kick.
That helped Gweedore to a 0-8 to 0-6 lead at the interval, but the modest nature of that advantage could not dull the sense that these two teams were at different levels.
Gweedore settled into their groove early —Eamon McGee a potent early influence as sweeper and his assist for Cassidy’s point in the seventh point had a feel of the clocks being turned back.
But, in truth, it was their younger brigade that carried the fight, not least the lively Naoise Boyle, his first cousin Daithi, the hard-running Ciarán Gillespie and Cian Mulligan — the latter stinging for a couple of momentum shifting points in the second-quarter.
To be fair, it was hardly as Naomh Conaill wilted and they stayed in the game by not just sticking to their defensivenuanced game-plan, but also by seeking to unsettle the Gweedore defence — and Neil McGee in particular — by slipping midfielder Kevin Gallagher into full-forward.
However, they were too slow in their build-up to exploit his presence and, with the exception of Marty Boyle’s 14th-minute diagonal centre which Gallagher punched into the hands of Gweedore goalkeeper Christy Sweeny, the expected goal threat did not materialise.
Indeed, that lack of threat in open play was underlined by the fact that the points form Ethan O’Donnell and Brendan McDyre — which bookended the first half scoring — were their only from play.
Anyhow, what intrigue this contest held dissipated within five minutes of the restart.
Two booming converted frees — six of his eight points came from placed balls — from MacNiallais inside as many minutes opened up a gap that would take seismic proportions in the 35th minute.
Marty Boyle was already on a yellow card when he dragged Eamon McGee to the ground and the resultant black card left frustrated Naomh Conaill a man and four points down.
It was a procession from that point; the losers did not manage to open their account until substitute John O’Malley pointed in the 52nd minute.
True, it might have rolled differently — although that would require some wishful thinking — had Ethan O’Donnell (who was stretchered off before the end with an injury) and sub Eoghan McGettigan found the net with half-chances in the final quarter.
O’Donnell’s blistering drive from the edge of the square flashed past Sweeney’s right-hand post in the 46th minute, while the Gweedore goalkeeper was smartly off his line to save from McGettigan four minutes from the end.
As it transpired, they would find the net when Ciaran Thompson scrambled the ball to the net deep in injury time, but it was far too little, too late.