Donegal should be backing themselves to gain promotion - ex star Joe Boyle

Donegal are more than capable of winning promotion to the new Division Two of the Allianz Hurling which will come into being next season.

That is the view of one of the county’s most decorated hurlers Joe Boyle, winner of three Nicky Rackard Cup championships and captain of one of those teams.

He spoke this week to Donegal Live ahead of Donegal’s next outing away to arch-rivals Tyrone on Saturday, in Pairc Colmcille, Carrickmore. (throw-in at 2 pm).

The Burt stalwart, also a Lory Meagher Cup winner with Donegal, stepped away from inter-county hurling three seasons ago but is still playing club hurling in Mayo - where he now resides.

Indeed, he helped Tooreen to the All-Ireland Intermediate Club final back in January 2023 but they were edged out on that day by Monaleen of Limerick.

“I was at the last game against Derry and I was very impressed with the performance of a very young and inexperienced side against a strong and seasoned Derry outfit,” says the former star. They led by two or three points at half-time and could have been further ahead.

“And okay, a much physically stronger Derry pulled away in the second half against a youthful and understandably inexperienced Donegal.

“Donegal needed the experience of the likes of Danny Cullen, Declan Coulter and Ronan McDermott and one or two others who were missing; it could have been a different story.

“Mickey McCann was telling me he was short something like eight, which were first choice last year.

“Derry won at the end by seven points but if they did Donegal scored 19 points against them. The difference in the end was the couple of goals Derry scored.”

Derry won that game on a 2-20 to 0-19 scoreline. Gerard Gilmore top scored for Donegal with five points, Liam McKinney and Josh Cronnolly McGee hit two each while Stephen Gillespie, Conor Gartland, Sean Ward, Cormac Finn and Luke White chipped in with points. In all Donegal had eight different scorers on the day.

“It was a very strong Derry team apart from Brendan Rodgers, Chrissy McKeague and Shane McGuigan; everybody else in Derry are playing for the hurlers this year.

“For a young Donegal to compete for most of the game and score 19 points against such a strong Derry out can only bode well for the future.

“Mickey is giving the young lads a chance and has obviously opted for a youth policy. We saw him appoint Conor Gartland, who is only 20, captain and another young lad Stephen McBride the vice-captain.

“I know Conor very well. I coached him at underage and I’m not at all surprised he has been handed the captaincy. He is a very steady and level headed young man and a very intelligent and skilful hurler.

“I think he is a born leader and he will do well. I was watching the last day and it was hard to believe he is just 20.”

The Allianz Hurling League will take a different form next season with a new Division 2 which will be made up of the top eight teams in Division 2A and 2B.

That means the top three teams in this season’s 2B will make the step-up to the new Division 2 in 2025.

“Derry have won their opening two games and are genuinely accepted as the top team in the division.

“They will more than likely take the top spot and that leaves the five remaining teams - Donegal, Tyrone, London, Roscommon and Wicklow battling for the two promotion places left.

“I believe Donegal are capable of claiming one of those spots but they have three big games coming up in the next few weeks.

“They face Tyrone on Saturday in Carrickmore, always a tough venue to get a result. But it is a crunch game for both Donegal and Tyrone. Tyrone will also be chasing one of the promotion places.”

Like Donegal, Tyrone go into this weekend with one win and a defeat.

Both Donegal and Tyrone lost to Derry and had big respective wins over Wicklow and Roscommon.

“Tyrone were very respectable against Derry in their opening game and only lost by a similar margin to that of Donegal over Derry.

“Sean McVeigh may be back for Donegal but all the other absences are medium to long term. So the team will be along similar lines to last time out against Derry.

“It certainly is going to be a good challenge for a young team and if they perform to the level they did in the first half in particular against Derry, I give them a great chance to win.”