The Donegal players can enjoy a rest this weekend and be content with their early season form.

It’s been a busy start to the 2024 campaign and there is a lot of positive energy surrounding the team at present.

They have been playing week in, week out, and there will have been plenty of hard training done during that period.

Jim McGuinness hinted that he might ease off with the training somewhat this week and that will help the players as it’s a long season and you want them staying fresh.

Donegal have now won two games from two in the National Football League and the victory over Cavan last week was well-deserved.

There was only one point between the teams at the end and that flattered Cavan even if there was a nervous finale.

Donegal were looking comfortable four points ahead with ten minutes to go, and some harsh frees against them allowed Cavan to make a comeback.

There was a new referee in the middle in Sean Lonergan and perhaps the occasion got to him as he made some poor calls, particularly late on.

However, it doesn’t matter if you win by one or twenty, you still only collect two league points and from Jim’s perspective, he will be pleased with the result.

We mentioned last week that Cavan were going to present a much more difficult challenge than Cork did and that’s the way it played out.

Cavan are a proud football county and they were never going to allow Donegal to come down and boss them about.

The Breffni men got stuck in and there were some hefty challenges and Donegal did well to keep their cool at times.

Looking at it, there were two big positives on either side of the pitch.

One of them was Oisin Gallen’s display at full-forward.

Oisin missed the win over Cork but he showed his class in Cavan.

He just has that x-factor about him, and he can score off either foot. A lot of the top teams have a real marquee forward and Oisin can be that man for Donegal.

Patrick McBrearty, is playing a different type of game now and he’s a smart player who will adapt.

I was also delighted to see Stephen McMenamin back in the mix and playing well.

I know Stephen a long, long time and I could see from an early age that he was a real championship-type player, who plays on the edge.

He’s had a bad run with injuries over the last few years but for me, if you were looking to take men with you to the trenches, it would be Stephen McMenamin.

Hopefully he can stay fit because I feel he will be a really valuable player if he’s at his best.

MacLarnon Cup

Abbey Vocational School have a big game this Sunday when they face Knock from Belfast in the MacLarnon Cup final.

Donegal schools don’t have a great record in Ulster schools football, and it’s difficult when you’re up against teams who have 15 feeder clubs at the elite level.

It’s better balanced at MacLarnon level but it’s still a very hard trophy to win.

Abbey have been in sensational form the whole way through this year’s tournament and nobody has been fit to give them a game.

You’d think that maybe the big day might get to young lads.

But then you remember that so many of them lined out for Four Masters in the Ulster Minor Final last month, and they won’t be fazed.

Abbey can also call upon some good players from Naomh Bríd and St Naul’s and they are a formidable outfit.

Knock just about got past Rathmore who were fortunate to edge out an understrength Loreto Milford side at the quarter-final.

If Seanan Carr, Conor McCahill, Callum McCrea and Kevin Muldoon hit form, it’s hard to see anything other than an Abbey victory.