By Matthew Wilson
Gavin Mulreany: The St Naul’s clubman enjoyed another great outing in a Donegal jersey on Saturday evening. Mulreany kicked two superb two-pointed frees for his side in the first stanza before denying Paddy Small and Sean Bugler after the restart to maintain his clean sheet. 8
Caolan McColgan: McColgan had a solid outing at Croke Park on Saturday evening. He carried out his defensive duties well and got forward to support in attack when possible, kicking one effort which went just wide off the mark. 7
Brendan McCole: Donegal supporters will have been pleased to have seen McCole following his early departure at Healy Park last week. The Mountcharles man was tasked with the job of marshalling Con O’Callaghan and he did a fine job, limiting him to one two-pointer from play. 7.5
Peadar Mogan: It was a proud day for the St Naul’s native and his family, captaining Donegal for their opening league encounter on Saturday. Mogan wore the number seven on his back but lined out at corner-back, picking up Paddy Small and he carried out his responsibilities very well. 7
Ryan McHugh: The two-time All Star was another player who was in for his first start of the campaign at GAA Headquarters. He made a flying start by landing a fine score after two minutes of play and continued to contribute for his side throughout proceedings. 7.5
Caolan McGonagle: On his 100th appearance for the county, McGonagle produced a great display to mark the milestone. The Buncrana man played a big part in Shea Malone’s major, providing the assist and also popped up to land a late score for the side. 7.5
Finnbarr Roarty: The 2025 Young Player of the Year was in for his first start of 2026 for the meeting with Dublin and excelled in the half-back line. Roarty helped to break down numerous Dublin attacks while also drove forward with the ball throughout the 70 minutes. 7.5
Michael Langan: The 2025 All-Star was a late addition to the starting 15 on Saturday but he produced a Man of the Match performance for Jim McGuinness’s outfit at GAA HQ. The St Michael’s man got on a lot of ball against Dublin and slotted over six points in Act Two to help to keep the hosts at bay. 8.5
Hugh McFadden: The Killybegs native had a strong outing against Ger Brennan’s side on Saturday, helping his team to secure both primary and secondary possession in the middle third. He came close to finding the back of the net in the first stanza but saw his effort hit the base of the post. 7
Daire O Baoill: Having sat out the Dr McKenna Cup, the Gaoth Dobhair man was back in from the start for Donegal on Saturday. Ó Baoill impressed throughout the meeting with the Dubs and added three points for his side including a superb effort from outside the arc. 8
Shane O’Donnell: The electric half-forward produced his usual workmanlike performance at GAA HQ on Saturday. O’Donnell got on a serious amount of ball in the encounter and slotted over a tide first half effort for his side. 7.5
Ciaran Moore: The Letterkenny man covered serious ground in Dublin on Saturday night and put in a serious shift for his side throughout the 70 minutes of play. He’ll be pleased with his evenings work. 7
Conor O’Donnell: The Carndonagh man was lively throughout proceedings at Croke Park and caused Eoin Murchan some problems with his pace and directness. He also contributed to his side’s tally, slotting over two points from play. 7.5
Jason McGee: The Donegal midfielder was busy around the middle third at the weekend, an area that was very competitive throughout. He helped to win some crucial possession for his side and landed Donegal’s first score of Act Two with a nice effort. 7.5
Shea Malone: Following an impressive Dr McKenna Cup campaign in his first year with the squad, Malone made his league debut at Croker and carried on where he left off last week. The Glenties native fired home a major from close range in Act One for his side which proved vital at the full-time whistle. 7
Eoghan ‘Ban’ Gallagher: Having made his first appearance of the season last weekend against Monaghan, the Killybegs defender was introduced after 46 minutes of play and carried out his duties. He produced a good line break late on to set Caolan McGonagle up for Donegal’s final point of the evening. 7
Kieran Gallagher: The Glenties man replaced his club mate Shea Malone for the closing quarter of an hour at Croke Park and looked to be eager to get involved and impress while he was on the pitch. 7
Turlough Carr: Saturday was a memorable day for Turlough Carr and his family, with the youngster making his league debut against Dublin. He came on for the final six minutes in place of Ó Baoill and looked to get involved. Not on long enough to rate.
Conor McCahill: The Four Masters youngster was another individual to make his league debut when he replaced Conor O’Donnell with four minutes to play. It’ll have been a proud day for himself and his family. Not on long enough to rate.
