Dr Maguire Cup race heats up in Donegal

By Michael McMullan

WITH Naomh Conaill gone from the race, the Dr Maguire Cup will have a new home this winter and we’ll know more after this weekend’s semi-finals.

One swing of Eoin McGeehin’s foot saw St Eunan’s over the line after Naomh Conaill’s comeback in the quarter-final.

It doesn’t get any handier for Barry Meehan’s charges. St Eunan’s now face last year’s beaten finalists Gaoth Dobhair on Saturday in MacCumhaill Park.

It’s the second meeting of the teams with Gaoth Dobhair coming through when they met in the group stages.

With Niall O’Donnell pushed further forward, St Eunan’s have a different approach but they’ve still got the weapon of Shaun Patton’s kick-out for Gaoth Dobhair manager Rónán Mac Niallais to focus on.

Gaoth Dobhair finished well against Four Masters and they’ll need another big performance this weekend.

The other semi-final pits St Michaels and Dungloe with the carrot of a place in the biggest game of the year in the county up for grabs.

Michael Langan was missing for St Michael’s but Martin McElhinney stood up and was counted. Daniel McLaughlin kicked half a dozen points.

Seven-time winners Dungloe hit two early goals to give them a platform to overcome Glenswilly.

They’ve not been in a final since 1964 with St Michael’s eyeing a first ever appearance in a senior decider. That’s the magnitude of the prize with the winners of Saturday’s game looking on to suss out what’s coming at them.

At the bottom of the table, St Naul’s – intermediate winners in 2019 – take on Cloughaneely in the relegation play-off. Jason McGee has been a loss for Cloughaneely who themselves were intermediate champions three seasons ago.

County duo Peadar Mogan and Gavin Mulreaney – in the absence of the injured Brendan McCole – could tip the balance.

With the intermediate final between Termon and Naomh Columba to come, the focus in on the bottom of the table where Burt and Letterkenny Gaels lock horns in the relegation play-off to see who will escape the drop to the junior ranks for 2025.