
Donegal boss Jim McGuinness on what his side must not do in All-Ireland Final against Kerry
He has watched his side blossom to date this year but acknowledges that Kerry will be 'a massive test' for his players despite the progress they have made.
With Finbarr Roarty, Peader Mogan and Ryan McHugh having underlined their blistering pace in launching telling counter attacks from defence, Donegal have imposed considerable pressure on opponents never more so than against Meath in their convincing All-Ireland Semi-Final victory.
'It's important that we take the game to the opposition. We cannot sit back and let them come at us and given the manner in which Kerry attack sides we know that we have to be ready to up our game,' points out McGuinness.
And with players such as Michael Langan, Daire O Baoill, Michael Murphy, Ciaran Thompson and Oisin Gallen among those capable of landing two-pointers, Donegal are not short on firepower.
McBrearty may be the team captain but he has been starting matches from the bench of late and may well find himself in this situation on Sunday next. Yet when he was sent into the fray against Meath he lost no time in whipping over three points to help cement his side's handsome victory. And he remains totally philosophical about his own situation.
'I love being part of the set-up and I will fulfil whatever role I am allocated. The important thing is that we triumph as a team when all is said and done,' insists McBrearty.
The Donegal bench has served the team well to date this year and there is expected to be further evidence of this offered against a Kerry side who are also accustomed to introducing substitutes to good effect, particularly when the heat is on in matches that really matter.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Caitlin Clark receives injury update as WNBA return is left in doubt
Caitlin Clark 's status remains unclear, but the Indiana Fever sensation did get some good news on Thursday. After Clark underwent further medical testing on her ailing right groin, the team has announced that no additional injury or tissue damage was discovered. Thus far, Clark has missed three games, including the All-Star Game, but is currently traveling with the team. Clark is still working with medical staff on her recovery. She previously battled left groin and left quad strains earlier this season. She has now missed 11 of 24 Fever games on top of last weekend's All-Star festivities in Indianapolis. As a result, the WNBA 's Nielsen ratings have suffered in 2025 after shattering all league records during Clark's rookie season. MORE TO FOLLOW...


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
MLS taps brakes on seismic calendar shift
July 24 - While acknowledging that it makes sense to move the MLS season to a schedule that mirrors the top soccer leagues in Europe, there was no commitment to the change during All-Star Game festivities at Austin, Texas, this week. At the MLS board of governors meeting, in conjunction with the league's All-Star week, a vote on the monumental shift in schedule that would start in late summer and end the following spring was delayed. With no commitment to a change, the earliest an MLS schedule change could happen now is in 2027. The current MLS season started in February and will run until October, although adjustments are made in World Cup years. A potential new schedule pattern would avoid league play in the core summer months. "We're not making any announcements today, but we continue to do enormous amount of work with our fans, with our partners, with all of our chief soccer officers, and with our clubs to get ourselves closer to the point we're able to make that decision," commissioner Don Garber said this week. "But we believe that alignment is something that makes sense." One issue for a schedule that spans winter is extreme cold and snow that could affect teams like the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United, CF Montreal, the New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC, and even clubs like the Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls and New York City FC. But extreme heat and thunderstorms in the summer months have posed their challenges in the current schedule setup. "It's getting hotter, and that's clearly an issue, playing through the depth and the core of the warmest months in many of our markets," Garber said. "So it just adds to the challenges and complexity that MLS has to deal with." In April, the board of governors voted to continue the exploration of a schedule that operated through the winter. This week's decision to delay a vote means the subject will not be dealt with again by the board until later this year. --Field Level Media


The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Sarina Wiegman not for sale at any price, FA chief says of England coach
Sarina Wiegman is not for sale at any price, the Football Association's chief executive, Mark Bullingham, has said, with praise flooding in for the England head coach as she prepares for her fifth major-tournament final in a row. The Dutchwoman, whose England side will try to defend their European title when they meet the world champions, Spain, in Basel on Sunday, is under contract until after the 2027 Women's World Cup. She won the 2017 Euros with her homeland and led the Netherlands to the 2019 World Cup final, before takling charge of the Lionesses. On Thursday, Bullingham said the FA would not entertain any approaches for her services. 'She has been incredible and her record of managing in five tournaments and reaching five finals is phenomenal,' he said at England's hotel base in Zurich. 'I don't believe anyone has been anywhere near that in the past and I think it will be really hard to do that in the future. 'Her connection with everyone is so special. Every single individual member of staff coming into this camp felt valued by her – everyone's in it together. She's really helped build a very, very strong culture, not just amongst players but the whole support team.' Asked how hard it would be to keep Wiegman, Bullingham replied: 'Not hard at all. We are committed to her until 2027 and she is committed to us.' He said Wiegman was 'not for sale' and, asked whether that was the case at any price, he replied: 'No price at all. She's just a very special coach. She's performed so well at the highest level, keeping that calm composure, keeping the connection with the players and managing the games really well. 'She is just a cool head in the way she transmits that on to the pitch. She looks like the coolest person in the stadium and I have no doubts that helps in critical moments … We are lucky to have her.' Bullingham was also asked whether Wiegman could be under consideration to succeed Thomas Tuchel in the men's England job. 'My answer is the same now as it was in 2023,' he said. 'The starting point is it is almost disrespectful to assume the men's job is more senior to the women's. That is not the way we view it. I said two years ago Sarina could do 'any job in football'. She is an amazing talent.' Bullingham was speaking for the first time since the England defender Jess Carter revealed she had received racist abuse on social media during Euro 2025. It is not the first time racism has been directed towards England players in relation to a major tournament, with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka sent racial abuse in the wake of England's Euro 2020 final loss against Italy. Bullingham appeared unhappy with a lack of progress from large social media companies in tackling the issue, saying: 'We did think things would improve and we lobbied very hard together with Kick It Out and other representatives in football to make sure the Online [Safety] Act came through. 'I think now it's incumbent on Ofcom to make sure they really do bring those responsible for running social media platforms to account and I haven't seen huge progress in the last couple of years. We would like to see it now. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion 'All social media platforms could be a lot better. There has been a lot of focus on taking down content and I think they could be better at taking down content but, more importantly, they could be much better at preventing it as well and then aiding prosecution when it happens.' Asked whether the FA would be prepared to boycott social media platforms if the abuse continued, Bullingham said: 'We did that in the past; we had a day when we boycotted for a day. I think we'll look at any tool within our disposal, to make a difference. I think what you've got now, that's different to before, is you've got the Online Safety Act. We're very keen to see how Ofcom starts implementing measures to bring personal accountability.'