WHOLE TEAM NEEDS TO KEEP DOOR CLOSED

DONEGAL must buck up defensively if they are to mount a sustained challenge in this year’s Championship, admits Declan Bonner.

Now playing a more expansive brand of football after the reigns of Jim Mcguinness and Rory

Gallagher, it’s come at a cost in this League campaign.

But despite topping the Division One North table, they had the worst defensive record having shipped a combined 5-43 against Tyrone, Monaghan and Armagh.

“This is my fourth year in now and I have seen huge changes in how the game has gone,” said Bonner. “In days gone by, it was one-v-one, but now it’s about the 15.

“You need defensive wits about you all over. It’s just a complete unit, attacking and defending. It won’t just be the full-back line that will get the blame. It takes a huge level of fitness and at this level you just can’t switch off because you will be punished.”

Bonner has taken heart from how Donegal have reeled in both Monaghan and Armagh to secure draws in both games that helped them narrowly dodge the relegation play-offs.

“We have started the games poorly. We shipped a couple of goals against Monaghan and we were five points down against Armagh. We lost Michael Murphy (left) early against Monaghan and Neil had to come out in the Armagh game just before the start. Maybe that threw us a bit, maybe it unsettled the group. We have to start better.

“We’d like to be in front from start to finish, but there are a lot of good teams out there. Dublin are still a bit ahead, but there are a lot of really good teams in Ulster and it’s close.”