Jim McGuinness admitted that his Donegal side struggled to cope with the conditions in Salthill, suffering a heavy 0-21 to 0-14 defeat to Galway in the fourth round of the National Football League on Sunday.
The home team dominated the first half, aided by a strong breeze and the brilliance of Shane Walsh, leaving Donegal with too much to do after the break.
“Listen, it was a very, very tough day for football, let’s be honest,” McGuinness said post-match.
“Galway played the elements far better than us; we didn’t play the elements well at all. We’ve done really well in the first couple of games in terms of how we support the ball and use the ball, but that wasn’t the case today.
“They went high with the press, the conditions were bad, and it was a challenge for us.”
Galway, with the wind at their backs, stormed to a 0-17 to 0-1 lead at half-time. Walsh was in exceptional form, scoring seven two-pointers, including a stunning free that McGuinness praised as a key moment.
“Shane Walsh, I don’t know how many he finished with, but maybe five two-pointers. He adapted very well to the conditions and had a couple of moments of brilliance as well into the breeze,” McGuinness said.
“That free kick with the left foot off the ground was a brilliant moment.”
Donegal improved after the break, with Dáire Ó Baoill leading the charge, but the damage was already done. Despite a numerical advantage late on after Galway had two players sent off, McGuinness was critical of the new rules’ impact.
“Galway had a man sent off on two black cards and they had one man up, and we had to leave three men back. That to me seems farcical. It didn’t make a jot of a difference to the game,” he said.
Ahead of the trip, McGuinness rested key players, including Michael Murphy and Paddy McBrearty, due to the toll of four consecutive weeks of National League football.
“We had a couple of lads with niggles. We didn’t want to take too many risks with them, so we didn’t put them into the firing line,” he explained.
Despite the loss, Donegal remain in a strong position in Division 1, with six points. McGuinness insists his team will take the lessons from this defeat into the coming weeks.
“We got six points on the board last week, and it gives us an opportunity to do other things now. We plan on developing one or two tactical things every day,” he said.
Donegal will aim to bounce back next weekend in another “big game” before a well-earned break.
