SHEA Malone’s four-year hiatus from Gaelic football means that there is an impulsiveness to the way he plays the game.
The Naomh Conaill ace had hoped to forge a professional soccer career at Sligo Rovers, but the door was closed on that chapter last year.
As a result, Malone was coaxed back into his club action with the reserves, until some big scoring soon brought him into the senior ranks.
Missing out on development through county academies might be viewed by some as a circuit-breaker to progress but, in Malone’s case, it feels like he has benefited from bypassing that conventional route.
He arrived on the scene with a bang, scoring a goal against Dublin at Croke Park on the opening night of the National League, and Malone’s evolution continued with a 2-3 haul in Sunday’s victory over relegated Monaghan.
The 21-year-old knows that while there are some non-negotiables, Jim McGuinness and his coaching staff are also encouraging the bit of off the cuff magic he brings.
“I suppose you just get a wee bit more confident as you get settled, and a bit more experienced.
“You’re seeing the level that is there as well. You’re looking to - not express yourself - but make a real contribution across the game.
“I’m trying to be a little more direct now, not forcing it but looking to make it happen a wee bit. Colm McFadden works alongside us and just wee pointers about getting the head up right away.
“The new rules mean there is that opportunity now to sort of gauge what’s on and what’s going on. Then, if there isn’t an option, it’s a chance to maybe take your man on.
“The more game-time you get, the coaching from the likes of Jim, Colm and - even though he looks after the defenders - Neil McGee has some interesting sort of pointers on what defenders hate to come up against.
“I had a few years away from Gaelic, so I’m really enjoying that side to it. Like, I got last season under my belt with Naomh Conaill and coming into the Donegal set-up, I’ve just tried to take as much on board as possible.”
Even though he was previously immersed in a professional environment in the League of Ireland, Malone says it wasn’t a simple segue into inter-county football.
“They are two different games. What they ask of your body is very different too.
“But I feel like a lot has changed in a short period of time. That first night in the league in Dublin, I grabbed a goal and it was brilliant, but a I’m looking to add more to that. I hope I have but, at the same time, there is so much more improvement to be made.
“I see other lads and how much work they put in away from the collective, but there are still times when maybe that freshness or rawness even can bring something different.
“If that’s taking the man on, or even taking on that shot a bit early - like today for the first goal - those are things I don’t want to lose.”
Malone regularly references the new rules, and he readily admits that football might not have turned his head again had there not been such a seismic shift in 2025.
“It just got so exciting again, and really quickly. Like, there was no fun being crammed in there, lost in the middle of a sea of defenders.
“In a weird way, it just felt like things fell into place lovely for me. Soccer wasn’t working out and Gaelic football again just seemed to blossom.
“A year earlier, I don’t think Gaelic football would have had that pull. I don’t think I would have had an interest in going back.
“I’m actually so grateful now to both Naomh Conaill and Jim and the county boys for the chance I’ve got; it’s Gaelic football for me from here on in.
“It’s a brilliant game to play and it’s even great to watch. I’ll sit now and watch other games, and you can’t take your eyes off it. That has to be a good thing”.
Malone and Donegal are set for a rematch with All-Ireland final foes Kerry in Sunday’s Division One decider.
And, with a goal already under his belt at Croke Park this year, he admits he would love to experience that feeling again.
“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a brilliant experience. It was cold, dark and windy but for me it was something I thought I’d never do.
“I stood in the Hill for the All-Ireland final. I was there shouting for Finnbarr [Roarty] but not having any idea I’d be getting the chance I have.
“It was just around the time I felt that soccer was maybe in the rear view mirror. I’d played a few league games for Naomh Conaill but I still probably wasn’t 100 percent decided.
“So to be going back to Croke Park, a league final against Kerry, it’s another step up.”
