GER BRENNAN knew Louth would need a bigger boat when Donegal smelt blood in Ballybofey.
The Wee County managed to stay afloat after a gruelling first half of football, as Ryan Burns started reeling in the hosts with 0-4 from play.
But Donegal’s power proved too much after the restart, and they devoured their opponents 1-16 to 0-5 in the second 35 to surge into the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
A devastating spell of 1-7 on the bounce blew Louth out of the water as Ciarán Thompson marked his 50th championship appearance with his first championship goal and hometown hero Oisín Gallen fired 0-5.
Two-pointers from Michael Langan and Michael Murphy along with Peter Lynch’s black card left the Wee County clinging for life before they gradually sunk out of the championship.
And Brennan admits the high of winning their first Leinster title in 68 years caught up with them as they lost three out of their next four games to bow out.
He said: “It was a perfect storm. Unfortunately, we were the ones on the little boat with the oars. We couldn’t survive it. Donegal just steamed through on a cruise liner and punished us for every error.
“Credit to them, very efficient, and they’re a superb team. Second half, just the tempo, intensity, just upped it everywhere.
“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, a great bunch of fellas, we just weren’t able to live with it.
“In terms of a quick reflection as a management and a group of players, I think the winning of a Leinster final after 68 years, going into the All-Ireland Series took more of us than we realised.”
Louth were right in the game at the break thanks to 0-4 from the brilliant Burns and some poor shooting from the hosts.
Donegal fired five wides and saw three shots drop short in the opening 35 alone, as their efficiency in front of goal let them down badly in a game of chess in the Ballybofey heat.
Defensive tactics prevailed early on as Brendan McCole put the shackles on Sam Mulroy, and Donal McKenny did the same to Murphy at the other end.
But despite Donegal’s poor shooting, Conor O’Donnell’s goal was the difference right after Dara McDonnell’s super score made it 0-6 apiece.
Murphy rose highest to flick on Shaun Patton’s bullet restart to Gallen, and Ciaran Moore’s fist pass played the Carndonagh man clean through to smash home.
It was harsh on a Louth team asking serious questions despite falling 0-5 to 0-1 behind on 17 minutes.
Peadar Mogan, O’Donnell, Murphy, Oisín Gallen and the brilliant Finbarr Roarty all scored before Gallen fired a sitter wide when Michael Langan played him clean through.
The next three scores read Burns, Burns, Burns as Donegal fell into Louth’s burning ring of fire and Ryan McHugh and Thompson added to the misses at the river end.
Gallen ended a 14-minute wait for a score to banish his missed goal chance, but Louth kept coming at them as McDonnell’s boomer levelled it.
With 32 minutes on the clock, Murphy made his mark when he got a hand to Patton’s kick-out and Moore read O’Donnell’s run to perfection for him to lash home.
Burns had the final say of the half with his fourth from play, before a different Donegal emerged.
Hugh McFadden began to lord the skies when he replaced Jason McGee, and his team-mates all moved up a gear to power home.
Roarty, Mogan, Eoghan Bán Gallagher and Moore ran at their opponents constantly as Thompson and Murphy began to pull the strings inside.
Gallen and Langan fired over before McFadden won the next kick-out for Murphy’s epic two-pointer.
It opened up a six-point gap before their second goal when Gallen fed Thompson and he lashed home from distance to make it 2-11 to 0-9.
Louth were all at sea as Lynch was black carded for a late hit on Murphy and the relentless hosts kept turning the screw.
Langan boomed over another two-pointer as Conor O’Donnell, Gallen, Daire Ó Baoill and Shane O’Donnell followed suit to finish the devastating 1-7 flurry as McGuinness rolled in the cavalry from the bench.
Mulroy thought he had scored on the double at the other end, but Patton got a hand to it to reduce it to one as they failed to stay in the game.
Donegal skipper Paddy McBrearty failed to score, but created the next 0-3 for Niall O’Donnell, Ó Baoill and the brilliant Caolan McColgan before McFadden completed the rout on the hooter.
And McGuinness beamed as 12 of his players hit the mark to fire them back to Croker against Monaghan or Meath this weekend.
He said: “In terms of the team, it’s very important now that we dial-in very quickly to the next challenge which is going to be Monaghan or Meath and we wait for that draw to come and then we can start the ball rolling again for another week.
“Very happy, very happy obviously, one game more than we wanted but at the same time we’re happy to take the game.
“Obviously loads and bits of pieces to work on as well, particularly in the first half in terms of decision making and stuff.
“We were clinical and done a good job to get over the line and get over the line with 20 minutes to spare basically and give us a chance to get some players on the pitch as well that have been doing well in training.
“Odhran McFadden-Ferry has been doing well in training, Niall O’Donnell coming back into it again. Daire Ó Baoill I thought was very very good when he went on and Patrick when he went on as well, and I think Patrick might have had three assists.
“Whenever we got beat against Tyrone we knew we’d be in this situation potentially and we were targeting these three weekends. So we’re delighted we have an opportunity at the third game now.”
DONEGAL 2-22
LOUTH 0-12
DONEGAL: S Patton, F Roarty 0-2, B McCole, P Mogan 0-1; R McHugh, EB Gallagher, C Moore; J McGee, M Langan 0-3, 1tp; C McColgan 0-1, C Thompson 1-0, S O’Donnell 0-1; C O’Donnell 1-2, M Murphy 0-3, 1f, 1 tp, O Gallen 0-5.
Subs: H McFadden 0-1 for McGee HT; D Ó Baoill 0-2 for McHugh 49; P McBrearty for Murphy 51, N O’Donnell 0-1 for C O’Donnell 54, O McFadden-Ferry for Gallagher 54
LOUTH: N McDonnell; D Nally, D Campbell, D McKenny; E Carolan, P Lynch 0-1, C Lennon 0-1; T Durnin, D McDonnell 0-1; C McKeever, C Downey 0-1, D Corcoran; P Matthews 0-1, S Mulroy 0-3, 1f, R Burns 0-4.
Subs: C Grimes for Carolan HT; S Callaghan for Durnin 48, R Walsh for Matthews 51, C McArdle for Lennon 53, C Byrne for Burns 57
REFEREE: B Cassidy (Derry)
