‘McGuinness one step from crowning remarkable comeback’

Donegal v. Kerry: All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Date: Sunday, July 27th, 2018 Location: Croke Park, Dublin

Going back in sports frequently results in regret and tarnished memories.

When Patrick McBrearty showed up at Jim McGuinness’ door two years ago, Jim had to deal with this.

McBrearty had just returned from his disastrous first year as Donegal’s captain. Donegal lost to Kerry in their Division One opener with Paddy Carr as manager but went on to lose.

Donegal were relegated after Carr resigned just 149 days into his post. Carr’s backroom team had been led by Aidan O’Rourke, but the struggles persisted and Down in Ulster was ultimately defeated.

After being eliminated from their All-Ireland team, Donegal came out as a team, but after a preliminary eight-point deficit defeat at home to Tyrone, the general opinion was that the region was in decline.

McBrearty had already seen enough and understood where he wanted to go in relation to the man who made his debut in Donegal at the age of 17 years old.

McGuinness, of course, dominated Donegal football for almost ten years.

He worked for Sky Sports as a pundit during his absence. He published a book. He experimented with soccer coaching.

He was eventually coaxed back into inter-county coaching. McGuinness worked with Conor Laverty’s Down side in 2023 following a Covid-era training session with the Galway footballers in 2020.

Prior to moving to Carr, he was also aware of a Donegal return as part of Rory Kavanagh’s ticket.

However, this was unique. McBrearty, a member of McGuinness’ Sam Maguire-winning team, arrived at the coach’s residence in Creeslough the day after the Tyrone defeat and pleaded with him to lead the team’s revival.

McGuinness had to choose between responding to his county’s request and staying away.

It took some time. The Donegal county board confirmed his return almost two months later, in mid-August.

When questioned about his decision to return, he claimed that his conversation with McBrearty “did tug at the heartstrings.”

There were many rungs in the ladder aforementioned. McGuinness acknowledged that his Donegal team was “ground zero” before a ball was kicked under him.

It was difficult to disagree. When he returned, Derry, one of Donegal’s neighbors, was being discussed as serious All-Ireland contenders. The Oak Leafers had just appointed Mickey Harte as their boss, who had previously won the Ulster title twice. The gap appeared to be significant between the two teams.

When Donegal were drawn against the holders of last year’s Ulster Championship quarter-finals, Harte’s surprise move to Derry gave McGuinness’ side an intriguing debut championship appearance to aim for.

By the time the game started, Derry and Donegal had already won Division One and two titles, but McGuinness’ side had become a championship force that evening due to events at Celtic Park.

After 90 minutes, the teams lost to each other in a pulsating Ulster final, winning 6-5 on penalties after the teams failed to separate after scoring four goals to defeat Derry and outliving Tyrone in extra-time.

Although it had only been a few months, McGuinness’ Donegal were still unbeaten in the league and championship and were already in the news as All-Ireland contenders, which made their semi-final defeat to Galway even more difficult to accept.

The fading efforts of Donegal against Galway were difficult to understand for a team that looked remarkably fit all year.

However, there was a sense of clarity for McGuinness. Donegal needed more firepower to reclaim their All-Ireland crown.

Six starting players from Donegal struggled to score in the game against Galway. There was a piece that was missing for McGuinness.

Enter Michael Murphy.

Before McGuinness called, Murphy, who won the All-Ireland championship under McGuinness in 2012, had been working as a BBC pundit before he decided to retire from inter-county football.

Murphy’s second coming, like McGuinness’, did not guarantee success, but the 35-year-old worked hard to get fit and has since thrived under the new regulations.

In 10 championship appearances this year, Murphy has scored 0-44, significantly lessening the burden on 2024 top scorer Oisin Gallen, and given the management team the opportunity to use McBrearty as an impact player in recent weeks. He was taken off early in wins over Down and Louth and Meath.

The similarities to McGuinness’ first year in charge are striking. After Armagh’s comprehensive defeat in the All-Ireland qualifier, the team was at a low ebb when he was first appointed in 2010.

He led Donegal to Ulster titles in the first two seasons of his spells before falling short in the All-Ireland semi-finals. The Sam Maguire won a second Ulster crown in 2012, making it a year before.

Victory over Kerry on Sunday would reaffirm his heroics from the second season and help him win more awards in his native county, whose 2014 All-Ireland title proved the final act of McGuinness’ first tenure.

One of his most solid tactical strategies will be necessary to defeat the Kingdom and former NBA superstar David Clifford, though.

Jack O’Connor, the Kerry boss, has succeeded after going back, just like McGuinness. He has won four All-Ireland titles in three attempts, and he, like his opposite number, has given a group that was suffering from a heartbreaking semi-final defeat (to Armagh) last year, a new life.