CLUX OF ISSUE FOR DONEGAL
JIM MCGUINNESS believes Donegal’s plans for Dublin on Saturday have to start with Stephen Cluxton – if the Blues skipper is fit.
Cluxton sat out his first Championship match since 2004 when missing the Leinster final win over Laois having sustained bruised ribs in the semi-final, with Evan Comerford deputising.
Donegal were the last team to beat Dublin in Championship football when Mcguinness (inset) was in charge of them in 2014 and when asked about the Cluxton factor, he said: “He’s the best player that has ever played the game in that position, no doubt.
“I always make the point that when you’re going to play Dublin in the Championship, the first problem you’ve to solve is Stephen Cluxton.
“That is a very unique situation in team sport, where the goalkeeper is the DUBLIN legend Jimmy Keaveney is certain his St Vincent’s club mate Diarmuid Connolly will play for the Blues again.
Connolly’s Dublin career is in limbo after the 31-year-old quit midway through the League and is playing for the Donegal Boston club alongside another Vincent’s man, Shane Carthy, who came on in Dublin’s NFL final win in April.
Former Footballer of the Year
Keaveney told the
Blue is the Colour podcast:
“Diarmuid (right) is such a great advertisement guy you’ve got to have the biggest plan for – it’s normally the best fullforward, centre-forward.
“But with Dublin that’s the first conundrum. Young Comerford did a really good job in the Leinster final. He was doing all of the same things that Stephen Cluxton was doing; the way they went short, the medium ones, the long ones and the diagonals, playing over the press. “So everything was there that Stephen could do but the reality is that we won’t really know until the pressure comes on.
“I thought Laois missed a beat with that, they could have pushed up very aggressively number one and asked the question of him, ‘What has he got when we’re fully locked on?’
“Put the ball in on the edge of the square and really, really test them in the air, because he’s not as big and possibly not as strong.” for the GAA. He won an All-ireland hurling colleges medal with Dublin Colleges, he’s a fabulous hurler, and a fabulous footballer and when he wants a break from things, he’ll take the break and he’ll come back again.”
The 1970s hero (above) said: “I was talking to Diarmuid before he went away. He’s a good young fella, he’s (got) a sound head on him. He’s going away just to make a few bob for himself and maybe put himself in a better position. He has it all going for him back here.”