Sam heads for the hills as Donegal turn perceived football wisdom on its head

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness and captain Michael Murphy celebrate their team's victory over Mayo in the All-Ireland football final in Croke Park yesterday. Murphy opened the scoring with a goal after three minutes; the final score was 2-11 to 0-13.Photograph: Dara MacDonaill

Related

• Donegal bask in the sun as Mayo rue cost of a lifetime waiting for Sam | 24/09/2012

In this section »

• Burton says Ireland's EU presidency will help jobless youth
• Varadkar says Reilly move looks like stroke politics

KEITH DUGGAN

IN 100 YEARS’ time the roll of honour will show Donegal won the All-Ireland football championship for the second time. But the result of yesterday’s high-wire and deeply tense September showpiece was just the final step on a miraculous journey completed by Glenties man Jim McGuinness and the players from the northwest.
In two years Donegal have come from nothing and nowhere to sweep the board. In doing so they patented a game filled with dark magic and have turned much perceived football wisdom on its head.
If there was a cruel twist to one of the most unexpected fables in Gaelic games, it was that Mayo, the county cursed by too many empty Septembers, once again discovered that this was not their year. The final score was 2-11 to 0-13, a tooth- and-nail scrap from first to last.
“I said to them over the past few weeks that I could see the cup in the front of the bus,” McGuinness said after the team had finally left the pitch in Croke Park after a euphoric victory lap. “But the moment the door closes on that bus and I know we are heading home . . . that is going to be the best journey that these boys will ever be on in their life. That is the moment I am looking forward to.”