Donegal’s leading men need to tone it down

RORY GALLAGHER’S men obviously knew it was Oscar Sunday. Why else would they spend four minutes acting their hearts out as though the sky had fallen in on them in Ballybofey? Why else would they bother to serve up such dramatic entertainment for the 11,000 people who had paid their good money to see another rousing battle between the 2012 All-Ireland finalists? The game which saw Donegal enhance their position as the most fired-up team in the country at the start of a new season — as well as cementing their place at the top of Division 1 with a two point victory, and happily leaving Mayo paddy-last — was seven minutes into the second half when Evan Regan was tripped up in the square by Anthony Thompson. It was a penalty, clear as day. Moments earlier the ball may have crossed the end line. Or maybe it didn’t. On a breezy afternoon up in the northwest, with no goal line technology to touch anything that goes as standard in rugby’s Six Nations Championship these days, who knows? But as Diarmuid O’Connor waited and waited to take his penalty kick during the four minutes of amateur dramatics, every last-man-jack on the Donegal team had Best Supporting Actor on his mind. While he was waiting around, O’Connor amused himself during this lengthy phase of gamesmanship and high farce by belting the ball high into the net. He had to retake it, and arrowed it low and hard at the same side of the keeper. Manager Gallagher was well pleased with his team after it all, despite warning everyone listening that Donegal are still not at their very best. ‘I thought we turned the screw even before they scored the penalty,’ he remarked. ‘We were the better team and we showed good control of the game.’ Pity Gallagher (below) cannot say the same about his players controlling their emotions. Quite why half a dozen of them did not get yellow cards for their shenanigans, which started off as amusing, moved to irritating, and finished up childish and boring, is a mystery.