GOING FOR BROKE
Rejuvenated Donegal targetting final place insists Devenney
Donegal v Monaghan Tomorrow, Ballyshannon, 3pm
DONEGAL pulled the handbrake 12 months ago when a League final came into view, though Brendan Devenney expects them drive on this year. Devenney was a key member of the last Donegal team to reach a League final in 2007 (right), when they won the competition for the only time in their history, and has been pleasantly surprised by the progress Rory Gallagher’s new-look side has made this spring. A day out in Croke Park at the end of the campaign would round it all off nicely. Last year, Donegal started the League in flying form, winning their opening three games. With their top flight status as good as assured with a healthy scoring difference at that stage, they then lost four on the trot but still found themselves in a semi-final against Dublin. They fulfilled the fixture but little more than that. This year, the semi-finals have been removed with only the top two qualifying for the final and Donegal are currently in second place behind Dublin on scoring difference as they welcome Monaghan to Ballyshannon tomorrow. After a spate of retirements and defections over the winter, their personnel and priorities are different. “I think they want to get to a final,” says Devenney. “These young lads haven’t played together as a team in Croke Park and some of them definitely haven’t played as a senior player in Croke Park so for the evolution of this team, it’s very different from last year. “It wouldn’t have been something that Donegal would really have been interested in. They were more interested in Ulster. “But I think this team, although obviously interested in an Ulster, they certainly want to get to Croke Park. “There’s just something very fresh and this team now, every week, every game, is coming on leaps and bounds from the first 40 minutes against Kerry when they were 10 points down and they hadn’t played in the Mckenna Cup and you thought, ‘God, this transition’s going to be tough’.” They closed the gap on Kerry without threatening to beat them and have barely looked back since. Devenney identifies the draw with Dublin as a turning point. “They were definitely in awe of Dublin in the first half and Dublin were toying with them, 5-1 up, and next thing Donegal hit them for two goals. And then they really grew into it in the second half. “Since then they’ve went from strength to strength. Last week I thought this was going to be a tight, tight game with Tyrone looking to shut Donegal out and hit them on the counter attack but Donegal completely owned possession. “Donegal last year said that they needed the senior players to stay on and maybe that was so but the change has probably happened at a good time. “When you break now, you need to be able to get from 21 to 21 and I don’t think players the wrong side of 30 can do that as much as they would like. “Where fellas can make x amount of runs, lads that are 22, 23, 24 can maybe make that plus 30% and that is what’s really hurting teams. The pace they have is unbelievable.” VERDICT: Donegal