AI Champions GG News

No specific thread for the sam holders - presume Mods can make this a sticky or embolden it or some other form of honour of distinction.

Team to play Kildare

DONEGAL: 1. Paul Durcan (Four Masters); 2. Paddy McGrath (Ardara), 3. Neil McGee (Gaoth Dobhair), 4. Eamon McGee (Gaoth Dobhair); 5. Frank McGlynn (Glenfin), 6. Declan Walsh (Malin), 7. Anthony Thompson (Naomh Conaill); 8. Rory Kavanagh (St Eunan’s), 9. Martin McElhinney (St Michael’s); 10. Mark McHugh (Kilcar), 11. Leo McLoone (Naomh Conaill), 12. Ryan Bradley (Buncrana); 13. Colm McFadden (St Michael’s), 14. Michael Murphy (Glenswilly), 15. Patrick McBrearty (Kilcar).

13 of starting AI team, Lacey and big Neil the absentees, Mchugh has pubisomething so not sure of his berth

Kildare short odds with bookies, Donegal at the puking stage of heavy training

Nice of you to start a Kilkenny hurlers thread OMAR.....

Some of my hopes for this year:
1. Paddy McBrearty starts to show the form that he is capable of.
2. We can figure out how to get the ball to Tony Thompson when he makes his runs. forward. Umpteen times last year he was wide open and we couldn't get the ball to him.
3. Thompson learns how to kick the ball over the bar.
4. We get to see Barry Dunnion back in a Donegal jersey after a few horrible years with injuries.
5. We play Tyrone in Ballybofey.
6. We improve our long deliveries to the FF line
7. Our best players stay injury free
8. We get to celebrate something

RMDrive wrote:Some of my hopes for this year:
2. We can figure out how to get the ball to Tony Thompson when he makes his runs. forward. Umpteen times last year he was wide open and we couldn't get the ball to him.
3. Thompson learns how to kick the ball over the bar.

Perhaps it is because of 3. that the second sentence of 2. happens .....

Parouisa wrote:

RMDrive wrote:Some of my hopes for this year:
2. We can figure out how to get the ball to Tony Thompson when he makes his runs. forward. Umpteen times last year he was wide open and we couldn't get the ball to him.
3. Thompson learns how to kick the ball over the bar.

Perhaps it is because of 3. that the second sentence of 2. happens .....

I thought it was because he is usually too busy fouling and dragging his direct opponent?

Parouisa wrote:

RMDrive wrote:Some of my hopes for this year:
2. We can figure out how to get the ball to Tony Thompson when he makes his runs. forward. Umpteen times last year he was wide open and we couldn't get the ball to him.
3. Thompson learns how to kick the ball over the bar.

Perhaps it is because of 3. that the second sentence of 2. happens .....

Valid. But we mainly just tried and failed to get the ball to him.

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2nd point All that is wrong wirh a 4th year all star and and a gassun on same field of play

OMAR wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

2nd point All that is wrong wirh a 4th year all star and and a gassun on same field of play

some hit, young lad didnt now were he was or who he was.

Very reliant on him though, some day he is going to have an off day.

After a shaky start and a plethora of early wides Donegal take ownership of middle third (timewise) 9 points without reply. Murphy with 6. Reports on mcfaddens form not exavtly inspiring look forward to in flesh views o RM

OMAR wrote:After a shaky start and a plethora of early wides Donegal take ownership of middle third (timewise) 9 points without reply. Murphy with 6. Reports on mcfaddens form not exavtly inspiring look forward to in flesh views o RM

Seemed to be 2 tactical themes in the first half - long ball to Murphy and working it through the middle. The 2nd (working everything through the middle) in particular felt very planned and while there was some good intricate play at times, the end product was poor. I always felt that it was just a matter of time though before we pulled away from a Down team that was without some of their better players. In the second half we worked a lot harder at midfield and just chipped away with scores.
Murphy played well despite some uncharacteristically poor free taking in the first half and young McHugh settled into the game well as time went on and did a decent enough job on Laverty. Eamonn McGee had a good game and Rory Kavanagh put in a good shift. McFadden looked uninterested to be honest but don't know if it's a form thing or not. All in all an average performance that was good enough to beat an average Down team.

In a similarly depressing way to how Kerry always seem to be able to tap into great bloodlines, I see 19 year old Ryan McHugh made his debut last night. What do our Donegal posters make of him? Is he likely to be making the same impact as his brother over the next couple of years?

Thomas Clarke wrote:In a similarly depressing way to how Kerry always seem to be able to tap into great bloodlines, I see 19 year old Ryan McHugh made his debut last night. What do our Donegal posters make of him? Is he likely to be making the same impact as his brother over the next couple of years?

Haven't seen a huge pile of him, he was minor last year. Seems to be cut from same cloth as mark, in that he can play almost any role. Does the opposite to marks role for the county in that he Seems to line out in half back line on occasions but gets forward a lot often chipping in with several points.

Kilcar won county minor last year with ryan putting in some impressive performances en route, although he was outshone in the final by his cousin Eoin MHugh.

Thomas Clarke wrote:In a similarly depressing way to how Kerry always seem to be able to tap into great bloodlines, I see 19 year old Ryan McHugh made his debut last night. What do our Donegal posters make of him? Is he likely to be making the same impact as his brother over the next couple of years?

It was Ryan that I referred to with my "young McHugh" reference above. He did well and seems to have good pace about him. I think he'll benefit from a year or two on the panel.

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Have a look at Murphys point. Not something he would try if mcguinness was watching !

OMAR wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Have a look at Murphys point. Not something he would try if mcguinness was watching !

Obviously doesn't have a left foot!

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Have a look at Murphys point. Not something he would try if mcguinness was watching !

Obviously doesn't have a left foot!

Watch the othe clip Paul Flynn provides some clarity on the matter

OMAR wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Have a look at Murphys point. Not something he would try if mcguinness was watching !

Obviously doesn't have a left foot!

Watch the othe clip Paul Flynn provides some clarity on the matter

The best footballer in the country, according to Flynn. Has he replaced Lacey in Omar's pecking order?

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Have a look at Murphys point. Not something he would try if mcguinness was watching !

Obviously doesn't have a left foot!

Watch the othe clip Paul Flynn provides some clarity on the matter

The best footballer in the country, according to Flynn. Has he replaced Lacey in Omar's pecking order?

He did say at the moment. Lacey seems busy doing rugby roadshows at present

OMAR wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Have a look at Murphys point. Not something he would try if mcguinness was watching !

Obviously doesn't have a left foot!

Watch the othe clip Paul Flynn provides some clarity on the matter

The best footballer in the country, according to Flynn. Has he replaced Lacey in Omar's pecking order?

He did say at the moment. Lacey seems busy doing rugby roadshows at present

True. Leaving the correct answer to be Sean Cavanagh.

The defender in that clip is the media declared " best full back in the country" which makes the score a bit sweeter if of course he meant it

He'd want to be careful taking the pi55 like that - often doesn't go down well and can end in tears ...

Plenty of talk about this score doing the rounds, why I can't fathom.

1. It was a poor effort at selling the solo dummy and
2. Has he no left foot to just loft it over rather than the effort he produced.




In an aside issue concerning him, he was on the wireless there about 2.45 on RTE sports talking about an array of issues.
He was on for about 3 mins with Jacqui Whatshername and used the phrase "I suppose" surely after every 5th. word.

It was akin' to O'Hailpín punctuating his observations with his customary "D'ja Know"..Cringeworthy stuff in this day and age....

Michael Murphy aged 4
Michael what would you like to do when you grow up?

Response

1) read the news in donnybrook
2) lift Sam maguire and score a goal in the final

I suppose (sic) second best will have to do

In fairness to Murphy, who's surely an all right guy, can this forum , either indirectly or directly address the issue of "I suppose" in his replies/discussions with media....

I'm referring to my previous post and am quite happy to have said post withdrawn in fairness allround....

Looking closely at this again he did not actually sell the dummy before the shot. He actually winds up for a shot and seems to realise O'Carroll may block - and indeed he does get a hand on it. Murph seems to not follow through 100% on the shot. After the hand deflection it pops back for Mick Murphy and he scores. No big deal at all. He has scored much better.