Jim McGuinness is sometimes lazily tagged as a form of footballing Satan who created and inflicted "defensive football" on our game.
You'll find few in Donegal who agree and the rather simplistic assessment is in danger of damaging his legacy, which should be beyond question given his impact on the game.
On 26 June, 2010, Donegal exited that year's championship with a hammering by Armagh.
Jim McGuinness took over for 2011 and led that same group of players to Donegal's first Ulster title since 1992 before adding an Ulster and an All-Ireland in 2012.
On 24 June, 2023 they limped out of the championship after a season that included league relegation and a mid-season manager change.
Turmoil.
McGuinness took over for the 2024 season and won an Ulster Championship, added another this year and is now looking to cap season two with an All-Ireland.
So when it comes to McGuinness, you must park your biases.
His teams were and are thrilling to watch in attack. You need to be of a very simple mind to ignore the fact coaches of all field sports in the world will try to reduce the likelihood of a team scoring against them where possible.
Donegal deserve success. Hard work and strategy married with great players, great management, great fundraising, great supporters, great distances travelled.
There are a thousand reasons they are in the final - millions of good decisions made by players and management all season.
To understand what some of what they do well I have looked at their semi-final win over Meath and acted like a toddler (not much acting required).
I’ve asked *why*, repeatedly!
Why are Donegal in the final?
Because they beat Meath 3-26 to 0-15 in the semi-final.
Why did Donegal beat Meath by 20 points?
Because they brought Meath to a physical and tactical environment that they were unable to move or think properly in.
Why did this win Donegal the game?
Because it allowed Donegal to regularly get players into shooting positions in high percentage scoring zones under little or no pressure from Meath defenders.
Why were Donegal shot takers under little or no pressure from Meath defenders?
Because from the first minute, every single outfield Donegal player is making smart, high-intensity runs off the ball to open up the maximum attacking space on the pitch and bring the attacking threats for Meath into areas of the pitch where they are no threat should possession be gained by their opponents.
Peadar Mogan has Meath's creative centre-forward Ruairi Kinsella defending on his own penalty spot
Some contributing factors here. Donegal are in year two of a meticulous strength and conditioning preparation, they started their pre-season very promptly, they supercharged their pre-season with a November trip to UAE.
Why do these early and often off-the-ball runs lead to Donegal players getting easy scoring chances in the second half?
Each and every off-the-ball run from the first whistle is starting to deplete the fuel tank of the less well conditioned Meath players. As the game plays out, the comparatively soaring fatigue levels for Meath sees them operating at a physical and psychological level much further below their maximum than their Donegal opponents.
Donegal corner-back Finbar Roarty opens the legs and goes from Donegal arc to Meath arc
Six Donegal players complete a turnover on the edge of their arc. Nine seconds later two of them, Ciaran Moore and Finbarr Roarty, are inside the Meath D and unusually butcher a goal chance. However, this a building block for what is to come...
Donegal have a kick-out, Meath cannot track the run of Donegal wing-back Caolan McColgan. Eight seconds later he is inside the Meath 21 popping a pass for Oisín Gallen to score the goal that ended the contest
Options... Langan considers a shot under pressure, no need, Ciaran Moore is running free off his shoulder, off Moore's shoulder is an even freer Michael Murphy who receives it and taps over a point from 13 metres
Meath players decision-making capabilities collapse as the screaming legs and lungs start to diminish brain power in a fog of relentlessly and rapidly moving Donegal bodies. In turn, the Royals have less possession as they make bad decisions with the ball leading to poor shots and turnovers.
With this possession, Donegal runners are not tracked as well as they were in the first half. Donegal have more attacks, Donegal players are less tightly marked than they had been, Donegal players are making better decisions on how to use the ball.
An example of Meath fatigue, one of many examples that defined their second half – a very jaded shot from a Meath man drops well short and possession is back in the hands of their tormentors
So, why did Donegal beat Meath by 20 points?
Because Donegal tactically used their physical advantage over Meath to bring them to a state of fatigue where not enough of the Meath players were able to be in the same area as a multitude of Donegal players were throughout the second half.
This meant that Donegal could work the ball close to the Meath D and then, rather than shoot under pressure, the man in possession always had an opportunity of an easy extra pass to a team-mate who was under no pressure and could take a relatively handy goal, even point.
Remember the butchered goal chance form the first half? Now, Finbarr Roarty turns Meath over on his own D – 20 seconds later Ciarán Moore is slotting a goal home as a raft of Donegal players flow into the Meath D, note Peadar Mogan has gone from 45 to opposite 21m line
Contrast this to the other end where the Meath attackers had no option of an extra easy pass and were forcing speculative shots. This kept the viscous tide of possession and options flowing towards the Meath goalkeeper.
The price of fatigue and the value of getting multiple runners ahead of the ball. Meath end up down a blind alley on the Donegal end line due to a lack of options, 23 seconds later Paddy McBrearty is handed a ball to pop over inside the 13m line
Unintended Consequences
Like life, unintended consequences are evident on the football pitch. Donegal are so good at regularly working easy scoring opportunities that they don't need to overly bother themselves with those two pointers.
They have plenty who can kick two pointers, see Ciarán Thompson’s boomers that go into orbit before crossing the blackspot. But Donegal can get so many players so regularly free around the opposition D that they prefer the guaranteed scores, and/or are rarely slowed down enough to have to consider holding possession and considering a shot from distance.
A clearly physically empty Meath middle third are unable to compete on their own kickout, the psychologically-drained Meath defenders have made poor decisions in their positioning and Donegal's centre-back Eoghan Bán Gallagher is unmarked as part of a 4 v 2 overlap on the Meath 21, Donegal sympathetically opt for a point over a goal.
It’s a simple game when you can run further, faster, quicker and for longer than your opponents and as a function of this fitness make better decisions.
It’s not so simple convincing a group of 30-plus individuals with hugely varying personal lives to spend months and years preparing to do this, absorbing the tactics and movement patterns required to do it effectively and motivating them to apply it all from minute zero in every game.
And, they need to have plenty of football skills to tie all that together.
There is gold in every off the ball movement Donegal players make, keep an eye out for it.
Having built a wall around Donegal (well, their training pitch), if Jim McGuinness adds another Sam Maguire this weekend, he well may have enough say in Donegal to legalise casinos, chicken ranches too, after a Las Vegas-worthy party.
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