Donegal will be a tough nut to crack this year, no doubt about it. Some players may have left but younger players have stepped up over the last couple of years.
1739841 Just reading some of these posts from last year after Monaghan beat us in the league 2 final. Some serious humble pie should be eaten by posters who told of our demise. Gary from Derry- you must have a crystal ball- excellent poster and very balanced analysis always. Donegal are neither as bad- or good for that matter, in the 4/5 year of the McGuinness/post McGuinness era.
No crystal ball, I think too many people have a set opinion or view of other teams in their head, and this can blind them to the truth.
Take Pat Spillane, he is often slower than others at coming to realise where a team is at. He is constantly on The Sunday Game talking about Donegal's aging team with a lot of miles on them. Yet he and the other's have completely failed to notice that Donegal have almost replaced half their panel, mainly in the forwards and midfield.
Take Michael Murphy 25, Patrick McBrearty 21, Martin O'Reilly 21, Odhran MacNiallais 22, Ryan McHugh 20 and Darrach O'Connor 19, and we see a very experienced 6 forwards with an average age of around 22, that could potential play and win against any team in Ulster.
And while some of Karl Lacey 30 and Eamon McGee 32 are older now, they have back up players already in place as past couple of years. In my opinion from looking at their senior panel age and underage success, Donegal could remain a powerhouse in Ulster football for another 4 or 5 years.