Gaelic Games

Gaelic football round-up: Dessie Farrell to stick with young guns for decider

Derry and Donegal to meet McKenna Cup decider after semi-final wins

Donegal ran out 4-14 to 0-11 winners over Monaghan in their Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup semi-final in Castleblayney. Photograph: Andy Paton/Inpho

Paul Keane
Sun Jan 14 2024 - 19:09

Dessie Farrell has insisted that he won’t be rushing any of Dublin’s experienced players back despite the possibility of another piece of silverware next weekend.

Dublin’s 5-17 to 1-11 O’Byrne Cup semi-final win over Wexford on Saturday, thanks in part to a hat-trick of goals from Seán Lowry, was in the main achieved with rookie and fringe performers.

Niall Scully, who oozed quality throughout and struck 1-1, did make a surprise cameo and along with goalkeeper David O’Hanlon and attacker Brian O’Leary possessed Championship experience.

But the rest of Farrell’s callow crew, including 2023 Dublin under-20 attacker Luke Breathnach, who struck 1-4, were simply trying to make a name for themselves.

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Farrell said he hopes to carry forward around half a dozen from the group so opportunity is knocking for the likes of Breathnach, Lowry, Killian McGinnis, Ethan Dunne and young defender Liam Smith, who was named man of the match.

Asked if he’s tempted to buttress his squad for the clash with holders Longford, Farrell shook his head.

“No, no, the squad will remain as it is,” he said, describing it as a balancing act to keep the O’Byrne Cup going alongside his separate preparations of the ‘core squad’.

That pre-season final is expected to take place on Saturday, the same day as the McKenna Cup final in Ulster between Derry and Donegal.

Both Mickey Harte’s Derry and the Jim McGuinness-managed Donegal made it through semi-finals to ensure an intriguing decider.

Donegal comfortably dispatched Monaghan by 4-14 to 0-11 in Castleblayney with Oisín Gallen sniping 2-4. Substitute Ronan Frain, on his senior debut, netted too as did man of the match Odhrán Doherty.

Donegal had victory wrapped up by half-time when they led last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists, who experimented and used 25 players across the 70 minutes, by 3-9 to 0-3.

Shane McGuigan was the key figure with 10 points in Derry’s 0-17 to 2-7 dismissal of Armagh. Fielding a relatively strong team, the back-to-back Ulster champions could afford to concede goals to Armagh’s Seán Conlon and Cian McConville and still progress.

Roscommon have a useful habit of reaching Connacht Football League finals and will contest another on Friday evening against Galway.

Davy Burke’s side beat London, surprise victors against Mayo, by 0-21 to 1-9 and a six-in-a-row of points between the 13th and 22nd minutes laid a platform for their win.

Conor Cox top-scored for the Rossies with seven points while Diarmuid Murtagh contributed 0-5 in a game that Burke used to look at 23 different players in total. They will return to the Air Dome in Bekan for the decider.

Cork will play Kerry on the same evening in Munster’s McGrath Cup final.

Cork defeated Waterford by 1-20 to 0-6, their second win in the competition. Chris Óg Jones was their chief scorer with 1-5 in Mallow. Elsewhere, Tipperary beat Limerick 1-11 to 0-10 but Kerry advanced to the final as Group A winners.

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