How far have Cork's footballers progressed: Donegal at Páirc Uí Rinn will reveal all

JIMMY McGuinness’ delight at the manner of his side’s 0-21 to 0-14 All-Ireland SFC Group 3 win over Tyrone was evident in his immediate post-match thoughts.

No matter how hard he tried, the Donegal senior manager couldn’t play down a vibrant display that blew away one of the toughest defences in the country, let alone Ulster.

“People had the opinion that Ulster would take a lot out of us but we felt that it was just fantastic to get over the line and we would be buoyed by that,” McGuinness told Off The Ball’s Tommy Rooney.

“We played tonight for the first time all year with that sense of energy, and abandonment at times, because we won Ulster. It is a joy and privilege to be Ulster champions. We really enjoyed winning it and the celebrations after it. You can only take energy from that.” 

It is fair to say that we had become accustomed to Donegal strangling opponents rather than attacking in waves and kicking 20-plus points since the days of Michael Murphy patrolling the square.

Yet, winning this year’s Ulster title, as McGuinness predicted they would, has revitalised Donegal.

The Ulster champions are playing as you would expect any provincial champion to perform. Right from the off, going at Tyrone with a relentless abandon showed how far Donegal have come since Jimmy’s return.

SEARING

Are Donegal still getting numbers behind the ball? Yes, absolutely, but they are now marrying that with an ability to attack from either wing or down the middle at a searing pace that can cut open any defence.

Their current sky-high confidence is understandable and makes the Tír Chonaill men realistic challengers for this year’s Sam Maguire.

“Once you have won an Ulster title, it sort of disintegrates and the All-Ireland Series opens up,” McGuinness added.

“It was a different game and I would expect the same to happen next week and be a different type of football. We have to get our heads around that and ride that wave as much as we can.

“Ground zero for us will always be the Ulster Championship. Now that we have managed to achieve that goal, we have to throw ourselves into the next two phases of the championship.” 

Donegal certainly threw themselves at Tyrone. A full-forward line comprising Patrick McBrearty, Oisin Gallen and Niall O’Donnell combined for nine points. Those three will take some stopping at Páirc Uí Rinn.

More worryingly for Cork was the spread of Donegal’s scorers. Ten players got their names on the winning scoresheet last weekend. Half of those scorers weren’t forwards.

So, there’s been plenty for John Cleary and his backroom team to ponder over the past week. Cork’s previous visit to Ballybofey, by John Cleary’s own admission, was a bad day at the office. Much has changed since the Rebels’ 1-20 to 2-6 National League Division 2 trimming at the end of January.

There isn’t any point looking into the statistics from that league opener as Cork rebounded to finish joint-third before overcoming Clare in their maiden All-Ireland SFC Group 3 outing to setup this weekend’s clash.

Since then, under John Cleary, Cork have become a more solid outfit than 12 months previously. Cork’s welcome upturn in form and additional solidity may not be enough to cause a surprise defeat against the equally in-form Ulster champions.

A full house in Páirc Uí Rinn with the home supporters getting behind their team would go a long way to helping the Rebels pull off a surprise result. You only have to witness how Cork’s supporters have helped boost the county’s senior hurlers fortunes in recent weeks.

Imagine what a shock victory over Donegal would do for football in the county.

It will be far from straightforward but, in recent years, some of the senior Cork footballers' best performances have come when their backs were against the wall. Saturday’s game is another of those moments. Let’s hope the Rebels seize the day.