Jim McGuinness has said the decision to suspend the Donegal SFC has helped bring his side to the All-Ireland final.
Donegal manager Jim McGuinness has credited the decision made by clubs in the county to suspend the Donegal SFC until their involvement in the All-Ireland series ends.
McGuinness believes the decision has helped his side greatly, and is one of the major reasons his side are still standing in September.
McGuinness said the negative dynamics that surrounded his team as a direct consequence of the Donegal SFC helped hamper his preparations last season.
Donegal surrendered their Ulster title, and then they were emphatically thumped by Mayo in an All-Ireland quarter-final.
However, Donegal and McGuinness have roared back this season, they regained the Anglo Celt and are now on the brink of their second All-Ireland title in just three years.
McGuinness believes one of the main reasons behind the renaissance this year, was the decision by clubs to suspend the Donegal SFC until after they were knocked out of the All-Ireland series.
McGuinness told The Irish Daily Star, “Our clubs made the decision to postpone the club championship, not Jim McGuinness.
“I proposed two rounds of the championship early in the season – one at the end of April and one at the beginning of May.
“However, the clubs said that’s too early Jim, it’s not going to work, so we’ll propose putting it off.
“And that decision has brought us to the All-Ireland final.
McGuinness felt injuries arising from those club championship matches meant he was managing a situation rather than a team, and also said an incident in a club match between St.Michaels and Glenswilly saw two county teammates engage in ‘fisticuffs’.
McGuinness added, “We had a situation last year where we picked up a number of injuries just two weeks before the Ulster Final.
“We then had fisticuffs in the match between St Michaels and Glenswilly, county boys were going to toe-to-toe with each other, then the same boys were going in to battle together in two weeks.
“That was just one of a number of negative dynamics that plagued our campaign last year.
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