After a week off (for supporters at least) the county’s footballers are back in action this coming Sunday. Our opponents then are Donegal and this National Football League Division One Round 3 meeting takes place at O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny, where throw-in is 1.45pm. Tyrone’s Seán Hurson is the ref and the match is live on TG4, with Midwest also providing live radio commentary.
The venue shift from Ballybofey to Letterkenny – due to ongoing pitch development works at MacCumhaill Park – means that the fact there’s live TV coverage of the game may prove of more than academic interest to some.
The capacity of O’Donnell Park is around 8,000, less than half that of MacCumhaill Park, and so it shouldn’t really come as an enormous shock to learn that tickets are no longer on general sale for the game. This means that, unless you’ve already got yours (either as a season ticket holder or someone who was fast of the mark), this is set to be one you’ll have to sit out.
We’ve only ever played them once before in Letterkenny. That was back in 2009, when the blog was but a pup, and we came away from O’Donnell Park with a creditable share of the spoils, in a match where we trailed by nine at the break but fought back to claim a draw on a scoreline of 2-10 to 1-13.
Sunday’s game is a top of the table meeting. Ourselves and Donegal are the only two teams left with a 100% record after two rounds of matches in this year’s Division One campaign – we currently sit above them by virtue of a slightly better scoring difference – so something’s got to give at Letterkenny the next day.
We need no reminding that it was Donegal who ended our Championship gallop last summer, when Ciaran Moore’s buzzer-beating score earned them a one-point win over us at Dr Hyde Park. In truth, though, we’d done the damage to ourselves with that calamitous loss a few weeks previously to Cavan and so you could argue that – despite their wild euphoria at the end of our meeting in Roscommon – they were merely putting us out of our misery.
Once they’d got out of the group Donegal’s passage to last year’s final was, despite having to contest a preliminary quarter-final, aided by a series of fairly charitable draws.
This began with a pairing with Louth who, despite winning Leinster, had only made it to the knockout stage by beating Clare in a group game. Donegal swept them aside in that preliminary quarter-final at MacCumhaill Park on a scoreline of 2-22 to 0-12.
Then in the quarters they drew Monaghan, who’d emerged top of what was by far the weakest of the four groups. Donegal won that quarter-final by 1-26 to 1-20.
In the semi-final they plucked Meath, so dodging Kerry and Tyrone. And they plucked them mercilessly in that semi-final too, hammering the Royals by twenty points on a scoreline of 3-26 to 0-15.
After that mauling of Meath, they were widely fancied to put it up to Kerry in the final. In truth, that probably said more about the still legendary aura of Jim McGuinness than it did about his team’s chances of taking down a side for whom the revised playing rules were written to perfection. Donegal were no match for the Kingdom in last July’s final who, in the most one-sided decider since Kerry’s win over Cork in 2007, ran out winners by 1-26 to 0-19.
We know all too well from our own scalding experiences of finals against Kerry to recognise how badly that shoeing will have hurt Donegal. It partly explains, I guess, the prickliness evident in Jim McGuinness’s interactions with the media so far this year and also in the way they tore into Kerry at Ballyshannon last time out.
We know as well, though, that a League win over Kerry the spring after getting a hiding from them on the biggest day of all the previous year counts for little or nothing. No medals were handed out for the League win we claimed over the Kingdom in early 2007 and Donegal’s four-point victory over the Clifford-less All-Ireland champions on St Brigid’s Day falls into the same category.
The week before that game Donegal came away from a wet and windy Saturday evening at Croke Park with a three-point win over an extremely experimental Dublin team. All of which means that, like ourselves, retention of top tier status isn’t currently the kind of pressing concern for Donegal that it already is for counties lower down the table. As we know from last year, though, that picture can change very quickly from round to round.
Donegal are obviously strongly fancied to beat us on Sunday. We’ve only ever beaten them once on their home patch – that was our most recent League meeting up there, when we left Ballybofey in March 2023 with an eleven-point win that earned us our place in a League final we’d go on to win, while they were heading at top speed to Division Two that year.
They’re in far ruder health nowadays and their better Championship run last year, plus the fact they’ve already beaten Dublin and Kerry this year, makes them understandable favourites for Sunday. That makes it a great test for Andy Moran’s remodelled Mayo team and so a fascinating contest in front of a sell-out crowd at O’Donnell Park is in prospect.
But who’ll prevail there? Let’s end with the usual pre-match vote to test the waters on that very question.
Who was Mayo's Player of the Match against London? Pick your top three performers
- Ryan O'Donoghue (30%, 375 Votes)
- Sam Callinan (26%, 322 Votes)
- Cian McHale (14%, 180 Votes)
- Paddy Durcan (7%, 86 Votes)
- Bob Tuohy (6%, 70 Votes)
- Jack Carney (4%, 46 Votes)
- Fenton Kelly (3%, 32 Votes)
- Rob Hennelly (2%, 21 Votes)
- Michael Plunkett (1%, 17 Votes)
- Aidan O'Shea (1%, 17 Votes)
- Paul Towey (1%, 16 Votes)
- Cillian O'Connor (1%, 12 Votes)
- Tommy Conroy (1%, 12 Votes)
- Stephen Coen (1%, 12 Votes)
- Hugh O'Loughlin (1%, 10 Votes)
- David McBrien (1%, 9 Votes)
- Diarmuid O'Connor (1%, 8 Votes)
- Jack Coyne (1%, 8 Votes)
- Rory Brickenden (0%, 6 Votes)
- Jordan Flynn (0%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 599
Ever the optimist says:
February 9, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Can't call it tbh. Will McGuiness continue, as is his wont, to pursue the three early victories and then jam on the brakes? With the best will in the world, I'd bet Andy is just going through the motions with this game, and hopefully exposing a few lads to the cut and thrust of league football. The gas thing is if this game had fallen in week 5 I'd be confident of a Mayo win. Donegal to edge it but it'll be tight.
No doubt says:
February 9, 2026 at 1:29 pm
I dunno will Jim jam on the brakes this year. I reckon he might go out to win considering there's a 2 week break between league final and donegal entering championship or a 3 week break after last round game so he could possibly go big this year.
Ontheditch says:
February 9, 2026 at 1:55 pm
Both teams carrying momentum into the game, its just the tie we need. Andy was not satisfied with our failure to maintain possession from kickouts and im sure its something the panel will have worked. Michael Langan, a giant in the midfield for Donegal, so that will be fascinating.
We did manage the last quarter well v dublin, Andy will be hoping for more of the same.
We have a bit of depth on the bench, we might just nick it. No question of Jim not going full tilt for this one. Big psychological boost for winners.
My Ball says:
February 9, 2026 at 3:15 pm
Agree @ Ontheditch , this is just the game we needed .. it will be a great test for us especially at mid field and for our newer / fringe players.
Id like to see Diarmuid get a full half of football plus his experience would be welcome. I also wouldn’t start Aiden and give Carr another opportunity at 14 .
All the rest have done enough to start but we could see a couple of changes. While a win would be fantastic, this league is very much about finding our strongest 26 for championship
Outside of the Boot says:
February 9, 2026 at 3:47 pm
Ya there's a good team shaping up but alot of lessons will be learnt this weekend .
Honestly Brick at fullback scaries the life out of me .
It's from hard learnt experince and most recent skinning being that which Kobe gave him however if he starts he get s my support but Mchugh is the far better choice .
Rest more less picks itself but I think we need a bit more running power to counteract their halfbacks .
Flynn will do a job but could be hard on Jack , Dawson has been class for Sigerson so maybe with a little bit more speed to offer he could do job at 10 .
Fullforward line deserves to start again and if anything not going well then Mchale, Diarmuid, Towey all good options
Anyways should be a great challenge and our.bench is strong and be even stronger with Conor Loftus back too
Culmore says:
February 9, 2026 at 3:52 pm
Donegal will be slightly favourites for this game because they will have a full panel to pick from and we will be a few short of full panel . The goal for this game should be hold Donegal scoreless for last 15 minutes or at the very least score more than them for last quarter.
JoeG says:
February 9, 2026 at 4:18 pm
Think UL Sigerson lads should be overlooked against Donegal. They have a final in Croke Park on Wednesday and should be allowed to concentrate on that and the aftermath win or lose. Plenty of time for them to play senior inter county.
Moy2Pointer says:
February 9, 2026 at 4:26 pm
It’s not just the Sigerson Final — Castlebar Mitchels have four players and Breaffy also have four players represented in Wednesday’s Trench Cup final, including Bob Tuohy. Are there any other Mayo players set to feature in the game?
Paddyjoejohntom says:
February 9, 2026 at 5:09 pm
Tickets available for School games in Bekan Saturday. The A+C finals are sold as two separate tickets . one ticket (€10) will get you in to both surely ?
They'll hardly make you buy a separate ticket for both, i wouldn't put it past them tough
Jimbo says:
February 9, 2026 at 6:33 pm
Ther will be a huge crowd in bekan on saturday for the 3 schools finals. Kobe's final in on at 3.30 pm preceding the connacht A final.
Clare says:
February 9, 2026 at 8:40 pm
Will be a tough game I would be happy with a draw. So long as we put up a good performance. It will be good experience either way. We will know more where we are after it anyway .
Jordan Kearns says:
February 9, 2026 at 8:56 pm
It will be very close we could do with getting some minutes into Eoghan McLaughlin Cillian O'Connor Matthew Ruane as well and Conor Loftus this game could end in a draw as well and there will only be1-2 points in it but I think this game might end in a draw
Willie Joe says:
February 9, 2026 at 9:02 pm
One for our Patreon club members: we have, once again courtesy of EBS, a pair of tickets for the sell-out Donegal game to give to one of our members. Competition details have just gone to club members and we'll be picking the winner on Friday evening. Best of luck to all who enter the competition!
Clare says:
February 9, 2026 at 9:03 pm
@Jordan Kearns
Don't think Eoghan Mc is on the panel this year . Andy said he was giving time to Cillian to get up his fitness levels after the year off and to Conor Loftus is well .
SarahMc says:
February 9, 2026 at 9:28 pm
The kick outs need work, sharpening up in front of goals, wining mid field and the fifty fifty balls. Things to work on , Tommy C needs more game time as does DOC and McHugh ... someone to annoy Michael Murphy. lots to be getting on with Maigheo Abu
FW says:
February 9, 2026 at 11:17 pm
@Jordan Kearns
Eoghan Mac had a very serious injury in the county final and will do well to be back for start of championship. Mattie Ruane is injured too but expect to see him at some stage in the league,sunday might be a bit early for him.
GlasagusDearg. says:
February 10, 2026 at 3:55 am
Lots of positives so far. The enthusiasm is back. We are now playing fast direct football that is a pleasure to watch and Andy's passion is infectious. Plenty of room for improvement and to tidy things up. Our loose defence worries me, but McHugh will improve it. Kick-outs can be a little better. Need to convert more of our goal chances-I was always told as a youngster to drive it low and hard and this still applies. Finally, I was bit surprised that James Carr was'nt given more credit for his performance-I had a bird's eye view of him in the first half and I was very impressed-he won most of the balls kicked in to him, made good use of them and the ones he did'nt win, he still caused uncertainty and confusion for the defence. Think he should retain his place.
Borderline says:
February 10, 2026 at 9:31 am
I have two tickets available for Sunday, we have two season ticket holders that cant make it.
Gamechanger10 says:
February 10, 2026 at 11:32 am
Best of luck on Sunday, I think that Andy will be going to this game with slightly dulled expectation. Jim has the Donegal lads frightening the goats off the hills of Donegal since the Sunday after the final last year. I speak in jest of course but it’s obvious that Donegal have a significant amount of the heavy lifting done and are undoubtedly the fittest side on show at this point. Mayo probably started early enough as well and they’re clearly buoyed with the stark change of styles they are currently enjoying under Andy’s management team.
It’s wonderful to see Mayo playing heavy metal football again, mind you they have surrendered significant leads so clearly they will have to pay a bit more attention to Paddy Tally as he is a wonderful defensive coach and he knows what it takes to get a team over the line. The management will learn plenty this weekend and I feel Andy will exercise more caution in his style of football against McGuinness’s heavier defensive ethos which is stringently rehearsed to turn over the ball and then go on mass in running drills. I know it’s not as simple as that as Donegal are clearly working on set plays for two pointers and you rarely see them kicking from just inside the two point arc, it’s either just outside or well inside whick is smart football.
Jack played it cute the last day, he’s no fool and there was no point in playing your best cards against a stacked deck. Donegal had the home advantage, they are a good bit farther down the road workwise than Kerry are and Donegal had vengeance pumping through their veins. With those obstacles there was little point in giving Jim a peep under your bonnet, best to keep these reveals until the smell of cut grass is in the air.
We face Galway this weekend and I would be hopeful of a win, not sure if we will have a few more lads back but even if we do they will not be match sharp so they are unlikely to feature in the starting lineup, they may get 15 or 20 minutes depending on how the game is shaping up. Apart from Donegal I would imagine that all teams would have had a heavy training block in the fortnight break so we may get a few surprises this weekend through all four divisions. Things should get a lot more exciting as we head into march and April, I wouldn’t get too excited normally about the league but I do have a slightly superstitious leaning in my character. With Jacks record of league and championship victory’s I’m kinda hoping we manage to get to the league final. For this to happen we must win our home games, that’s no small ask as we have this weekend and yourselves and Monaghan at home this year, we are away to a wounded dublin and an Armagh full of vengeance.
Best wishes on Sunday and safe travels to all.
mayoman says:
February 10, 2026 at 12:04 pm
Hi Borderline.
I will take if not available please
087-938-2600
Thanks
Sean
Pebblesmeller says:
February 10, 2026 at 1:09 pm
If only McGuinness' haul of medals matched his aura.
Never before has so much praise and bluster been offered about a man who, not solely but majorly, went a long way to bringing the need in for new rules to make the game more attractive, because of his cynical, negative football.
At the end of the day he has ONE All Ireland title. Jack O'Connor and Mickey Harte have multiples of that, and, were far more innovative thinkers and revolutionaries of the game, yet there isn't half as much talk about them. Plus they did it over two or three sides during their time. Is McGuinness is happy with the venue this time? Is it far enough away from The Hyde or the CoE in Bekan? Could he not have brought up to Carndonagh or Downings?
Donegal are red hot favorites and rightly so. They are a year or two down the line of us, and have the hurt of a final non-appearance and hiding at the hands of Kerry to get out of their system. I just wish he'd shut his mouth and get on with the game. Maybe a little self-reflection by himself might increase their chances of winning Sam, instead of giving Paudie Clifford the total freedom of Croke Park and standing by while you watch him rip you asunder?
I'm heading up for the spin with interest to see how we handle them and see how the newer lads stand up to the test.
Ontheditch says:
February 10, 2026 at 1:15 pm
11/02 – Wednesday
19:25 GAA Beo TG4
University College Cork v University of Limerick - Sigerson Cup Final
Gamechanger10 says:
February 10, 2026 at 1:21 pm
Pebblemaster there is a lot in what you say in that post. I was in Croker in 2013 when ye schooled them in the skills of the game and more importantly the spirit of Gaelic Football. They were afraid to step out of the cage of Jim’s factory hen restrictive over controlled management style. Once the system wasn’t working they couldn’t play instinctive football as it had been coached out of them.
Pebblesmeller says:
February 10, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Gamechanger10, if only we schooled them the year before :(
I agree 100% though.
catcol says:
February 10, 2026 at 2:05 pm
Interesting points there glasagusDearg on James Carr. Hadn't noticed those touches.
Willie Joe says:
February 10, 2026 at 3:26 pm
Our Donegal preview show is up now on Patreon.
Ontheditch says:
February 10, 2026 at 5:25 pm
Looking forward to the expert opinion wj.
In the meantime we have sigerson tomorrow night.
Backbone of team are mayo, though lads like Brosnan and McNamara play a hugh role.
A win will sent a message to the Mayo camp that the newbies are a new tough breed. Winning finals is the name of the game, no apologies.
A lot at stake on Sunday. We can safeguard our status as a div 1. team with an opportunity to experiment a little in the remaining league games.
WestKerry says:
February 10, 2026 at 5:26 pm
Pebbles,
I agree 100% with your post.
I will give Jim credit in turning this team which was going nowhere 3 years ago into back to back Ulster champions with a semi and final appearance.
But the nonsense that is spoken about Donegal i find very off putting.
The utter arrogance to think that he only takes counsel from managers who have won All Irelands was absolute nonsense, He obviously doesn't listen to his coaches on the line as none have All Irelands.
He also id imagine expected people to listen to him as a soccer manager even though he had little experience.
The carry on before throw in for the final was a load of nonsense aswell.
Going into that final youd swear it was Jim that was going for his 5th All Ireland.
Good luck on Sunday I dont think Donegal are as good as people make them out to be.
FrostTHammer says:
February 10, 2026 at 5:38 pm
Predicted team for Donegal;
Hennelly
Coyne Brickenden Hession
Callinan Durcan McHugh
Thornton McBrien
Duffy Towey Flynn
D. O'Connor Carr Conroy
No idea how either side will line out tbh. With so many lads involved in college and school finals, it's difficult to know who Andy will involve on Sunday.
2fansinclare says:
February 10, 2026 at 7:15 pm
@westkerry
They’re not - couldn’t figure how the pundits were so
50-50 before last years final. I was expecting Kerry to do a job on them and ye did.
Ever the optimist says:
February 11, 2026 at 7:03 am
There is a lot of egotistical claptrap talking up McGuiness, agreed. I suppose the way mcbrearty and co are alleged to have courted his return by banging his door down adds to the romantic nonsense. I've a few levelheaded Donegal acquaintances who would shirk at the notion McGuiness is the Messiah but would probably also attest that the county only has 2 All Irelands. So, in his first year back he reached the semis, then the final in his second year etc etc.
Kerry did a number on them in the final (bigger one on Armagh). I think he'll fall short again this year too as I'd be backing Kerry to win outright, but there's no harm in a little romanticism either. Sure we'd be lost without it ourselves.
JoeG says:
February 11, 2026 at 7:24 am
Think we should concentrate on our own dealings and leave Jim McGuinness alone. He's Donegal manager and Donegal fans love him so I doubt he gives a toss what outsiders think. The noise around him is largely from the media and beyond his control and in fairness we should know about media hype in Mayo.
Ontheditch says:
February 11, 2026 at 9:56 am
Well said JoeG. He has Donegal in great shape, two big scalps taken already, and playing great football. We love distractions, we go on with the same rubbish re Joyce and Brennan.
Rusty Bridges says:
February 11, 2026 at 10:49 am
I have no love for Jim but the job he has done a phenomenal job with this team. Donegal were a joke in 2023, they were annihilated by Tyrone. They hadn't even made an All Ireland semi since 2014! Jim comes in & immediately turns them into contenders.
He did the same in 2011 lest we forget.
He doesn't seem to like the media. I don't like his poor me nonsense. But he is a fantastic manager & I am 100% in the belief that he would have gotten us over the line with our 2010s team (if that had ever came to pass)