Rory has a football brain I’ve never seen like of..it’s PHENOMENAL

O’REILLY HAILS DONEGAL MANAGER

DONEGAL‘S Marty O’Reilly says Rory Gallagher is the man to lead the county back to the promised land.

Jim McGuinness is regarded as the county’s Messiah after guiding Donegal to All-Ireland glory in 2012.

Gallagher was his right hand man at the time but has so far been unable to recreate the glory since taking over as manager himself.

Versatile O’Reilly (right) reckons the former Fermanagh attacker has a unique footballing brain though and is onto something special again with Donegal.

The 2007 NFL champions can reach the final again if they beat Mayo in Castlebar.

O’Reilly told Irish Sunday MirrorSport: “Rory was huge for us in 2012. His contribution sometimes might have been kept under the radar but the players at the time certainly realised it.

“His football brain, it’s phenomenal. I’ve never seen anything like it. And players like myself based down in Dublin are not travelling a couple of nights back to Donegal, along with all the other training we do, thinking we’re just going to try to get to an Ulster final and leave it at that.

“Obviously you have to set your sights higher, to try and get back to the heights of 2012.”

Donegal have lost a serious chunk of that 2012 team to retirements with five more hanging up their boots since last year’s Championship.

That’s left the onus on players like half-back O’Reilly, still just 24 but on the panel since early 2012, to lead by example.

There are 13 current U-21 players on the Tir Chonaill panel in all and 2014 All-Ireland minor finalists Jamie Brennan and Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher have been heavily used throughout spring.

Cian Mulligan and Ciaran Gillespie have graduated from that team too while Ciaran Thompson, just out of the U-21 ranks, has started all six of their games this season.

O’Reilly said: “It’s great for Donegal football. The U-21s have a good side and the minors have been doing well the last few years, getting to an All-Ireland final a couple of seasons back. Hopefully it bodes well for the future.”

Mayo are scrapping for their safety so nothing will come easy in Castlebar – even if the hosts have only won three of their last 10 League games there.

O’Reilly said: “I wasn’t aware of that stat. The way we’re looking at it is ‘never mind the venue, just look at Mayo’. They went up to Tyrone last weekend and got a great result.” O’Reilly answers his county’s call all the way from Dublin where he teaches fourth class at a primary school in Castleknock.

He’s also combining his day job and his Donegal career with a Masters Degree programme at Queens in Belfast.

The Sean MacCumhaills man said: “Rory has been understanding with the travel thankfully. But it’s nearly finished now.”