Rainbow's Verdict - Football Column Aug 26

Having seen both Dublin and Donegal up close this year, as his native Kildare lost out by a single point to each team, ‘Round the Square columnist Anthony Rainbow analyses both teams as they look to secure a place in September’s decider against Kerry.

Dublin

Dublin have a hunger about them this year which we have not seen in a Dublin team in years. When we compare this team to the team of 1995 we see one major comparison and that’s hunger. They have been knocking on the door of Sam Maguire for the last 10 years and have played second fiddle to Cork, Tyrone, Mayo and Armagh. But this year is it a different Dublin side we see emerging? Have they learned their lessons of the past?

This Sunday they will find out the answers to these questions as well as so many more about this squad of players, who have seen many games snatched from them in the latter stages. Pat Gilroy has not only a seriously strong and capable starting 15 but a bench which any Kerry team would be proud of.

Tactics

Dublin play a high intensity game where every player works hard for each other. Their main strength is in their defence where you have players like Brian Cullen, Paul Flynn, Michael Dara McAuley, Denis Bastick and Barry Cahill all dropping deep into their defence with each defender disciplined in their tackling and marking.

Where this is most effective is when they attack after turning over the opposition. They attack with pace and power – looking to get the ball to Alan Brogan as much as possible who will act as a playmaker.

They say backs will always make All-Stars out of forwards and this is more evident in this team than any other I’ve seen this year. Their turnovers are won in this tight defence and the quality of ball which goes into the forwards is top class, where you have Bernard Brogan and Diarmuid Connolly benefitting from this good play.

Donegal

I believe Donegal are the most improved team this year. Manager Jimmy McGuiness, in his maiden season, has united and bonded them to create a winning formula which seems to be improving with every game that they play.

The one thing that impresses me about Donegal is that they are afraid of no-one and will cherish the thought of progressing to an All Ireland final against Kerry at the expense of Dublin. Donegal probably had the hardest of the quarter-finals and after their war of attrition with Kildare, a game that was only decided after extra time, a lot of people now see them as major contenders for the All-Ireland.

The consistency of the team from their league success to their championship form has been very impressive and they will be hoping that this will continue on Sunday.

Tactics

Everybody and anybody who is interested in Gaelic Football knows that Donegal have mastered the art of the blanket defence and this will be evident on Sunday.

They starve forwards of space and force them to shoot from distance – which saw Kildare kick some great long distant points from play in the quarter-final.

Mark McHugh will sit in front of the full-back line and work hard to starve the Dublin full-forward line of space. Naturally, he then looks to get on as much ball as possible to help set up counter attacks and feed the ball to the ever running Michael Hegarty.

We have seen in so many games this year that Donegal have an excellent half-back line in Anthony Thompson, Karl Lacey and Kevin Cassidy who love to attack when on the ball. Karl Lacey’s move to centre-back has been the driving force of Donegal’s success this year. He has been involved in everything they do and his energy and fitness has been a pleasure to watch throughout the championship.

The head to head battle between Karl Lacey and Alan Brogan will be one of the most anticipated battles this Sunday and one I couldn’t easily call. This could be the winning and losing of the game considering both players play such big roles for their teams.

Another key battle, which will be fascinating, is the head to head with Donegal’s full-back Neill McGee and Dublin’s full-forward Bernard Brogan. Here we have two players who are in great form and contenders for All Stars this year.

Michael Murphy’s role up front has been impressive to date and he showed his maturity when he was sprung from the bench against Kildare by playing a pivotal role in their victory. He is one of the most promising young footballers to play this summer and Donegal will be hoping he can produce a similar performance against Dublin for a full 70 minutes this time.

Verdict

With Dublin and Donegal you are seeing two teams who have been a model of consistency throughout the summer. Both teams reached their League finals, Dublin losing to Cork in a tightly fought contest in Division One, while Donegal beat Laois in the second tier decider. Both sides also have provincial honours to boast about.

I believe the ultimate test is who shows more hunger and I also think Dublin’s experience at this end of the championship in recent years will stand testament to their success. My verdict is Dublin but by a close margin.