BY RYAN FERRY
IT might not be quite the boundless optimism that Donegal carried the last time they visited Croke Park but there is a sense of positivity surrounding the senior footballers as they prepare for the start of the Division 1 campaign.
In some ways that is unexpected and the dial has been moved by three promising displays in the McKenna Cup over the space of six days.
The hangover from last year’s All-Ireland defeat lingered for weeks and it was only in the knock-out stages of the club championship that the focus moved elsewhere.
The mental scars of that defeat to Kerry won’t be easy to banish and that will be a challenge for the Donegal team over the course of the 2026 season.
They were close to their destination but fell at the last hurdle and now the pursuit of glory begins all over again.
The 2025 championship run was brilliant all the way up until when the ball was thrown in for the All-Ireland Final.
There was huge anticipation around Jones’ Road as a Donegal side, who were strongly backed by a host of pundits, looked to land their third All-Ireland title.
But from when Gavin White charged forward straight from the throw-in, Donegal were always chasing.
A final defeat by ten points was harsh but Kerry were unforgiving and it was a day that stung.
Donegal were all in. For the first time in years, Jim McGuinness had all his main players fit and ready so everyone knew where they stood.
When it didn’t go to plan, it was understandable that some players weighed up where they were in the pecking order.
Patrick McBrearty’s retirement on medical advice was a blow, while Odhran McFadden-Ferry, Niall O’Donnell, Odhran Doherty and Aaron Doherty have all left the panel, and a number of players on the fringes have also departed.
It was a low-key winter. Luke Barrett moved on from the backroom team and rumours swirled about a potential replacement but nobody came in.
In the region of 24 players were looked at after the club championship, but in the main, McGuinness has opted for promising youngsters and tapped into Four Masters’ underage success perhaps earlier than people expected.
Wins over Antrim, Derry, and Monaghan in the McKenna Cup have helped to restore some confidence and belief that the reinforcements are there to replace those who have stepped aside.
If Ciaran Thompson can recover from his ACL injury, Donegal will hope to have 19 of the 20 players who lined out in the final against Kerry available for the business end of the year, and the likes of Mark Curran, Stephen McMenamin, and Eoin McHugh will feel they can work their way back into the reckoning.
Finding another couple of players who can add real value later will be an aim during the league and there are fearless youngsters who are waiting to be unleashed.
Perspective is needed and the likelihood of McGuinness opting to go with a team containing three or four Under 20s is not realistic.
He gave youth a chance in the 2024 McKenna Cup as well but by the end of the league that year, the Glenties man had a good sense of who he could trust.
There may be opportunities for some of the new blood in the coming weeks and they will have to show they can compete physically and make good decisions on the ball.
There will also be a spotlight on how Donegal play their football in 2026.
The zonal defence strategy served them well last year until the final but the Kerry county and club sides have shown that playing an expansive style and taking risks reaps benefits in Croke Park.
Will Donegal change their approach? Does McGuinness have trust in his full-back line options other than Brendan McCole to mark one-on one?
And what of the other end of the field, do Donegal have players that can stay close to goal, win the ball that will come their way and score if Michael Murphy and Oisin Gallen miss a portion of the league?
A left-footed free-taker will also need to be found. Conor O’Donnell and Peadar Mogan have hit them for Carndonagh and St Naul’s respectively but the green and gold jersey brings a different type of pressure.
Every county has had 12 months now to look at the new rules and study them. We’re likely to see fresh tactics from some and teams will have to adapt.
Dublin are the opponents this weekend and heading to Croke Park in Round 1 is not easy.
The team Dublin sent out in the O’Byrne Cup contained very few recognised players.
They have been playing challenge games with their main side and Donegal will likely have some intel from that.
The likes of Con O’Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny, Paddy Small, Cormac Costello and Sean Bugler are all on board for 2026 so there’s plenty of attacking talent at their disposal.
The Ballyboden St Enda’s players including Colm Basquel, Ross McGarry and Alex Gavin will probably be given some extra time off.
Indeed new manager Ger Brennan has said they have looked at 130 players since returning to training.
It would make sense if that’s the case that he will blood players in the league. Dublin haven’t enjoyed great success at underage level in recent years but there are always talented players coming through in the capital.
Croke Park tends to suit the Dubs as well.
They won all of their league games at HQ last year but were beaten three times on the road.
Donegal do not have to contend with the preliminary round in Ulster this year, and don’t enter the Ulster Championship until April 26 against Down.
So a spot in the league final wouldn’t be frowned upon in perhaps the same manner as it was last year.
However that said, it’s still unlikely that it will be a huge source of motivation and McGuinness has predicted highs and lows in the coming weeks.
It’s a tough start against Dublin and Kerry but McGuinness will want to have points on the board heading into Round 3 and that would leave him in a spot where he can manage the minutes of his players.
Dublin are always difficult to beat in Croker but Donegal’s three McKenna Cup matches might just stand to them and provide the desired winning start.
