A familiar theme of coming from behind and simply refusing to accept defeat played out again at Croke Park where Dublin suckered Donegal with a late onslaught to steal a narrow Allianz League win.

Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day.

Donegal led by seven points at one stage in the second half.

The GAA is not only about identity of course, but the first Ulster Club title for the hardest of hardcore GAA clubs in Kilcoo Eoghan Rúa will forever sustain this miniscule community of shepherds in a hollow of the Mourne mountains.

Naomh Conaill will take on either Kilcoo from Down or Fermanagh’s Derrygonnelly in the Ulster Club SFC final following the Donegal champions’ win over Clontibret tonight at Omagh’s Healy Park.

Cavan’s bid to break their luck in the Ulster Club SFC continues after Castlerahan were defeated by Naomh Conaill at Kinspan Breffni Park.

Andy Moran kicked two injury-time points to ensure his Mayo side sealed a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals as they withheld any notions of Donegal comeback.

You know what? These Super 8s might be something after all.

Donegal were 9-point winners against Meath at the sun-kissed Ballybofey, although the scoreboard only tells half the story of a gripping contest.

Donegal have progressed to the Super 8s largely unscathed, but also largely untested.

Don't be fooled by the scoreline.

Donegal have no fresh injury worries ahead of their Ulster SFC final against Cavan on Sunday week.

Donegal swept past Tyrone to book their place in the Ulster SFC final, scoring a first win over fierce north-west rivals Tyrone in four Championship clashes as they triumphed by four points at Kingspan Breffni Park.

Donegal wriggled free of Fermanagh’s blanket of stubborn defensive resistance to find the spaces at a claustrophobic Brewster Park and pick off sublime second half scores on their way to the Ulster SFC semi-finals.

Donegal’s fourth league win of the spring has kept alive their promotion bid, while, in the process, moving Cork perilously closer to the relegation trapdoor.

Stephen Rochford’s pathway from Mayo to Donegal wasn’t exactly straightforward.

Tipperary knew the implications of defeat here. Injury-ravaged and with only one point from a possible six, not to mention upcoming trips to Armagh and Newbridge, relegation to Division 3 would have been near unavoidable.

Declan Bonner, the Donegal manager, commended the resolve shown by his young side as they came from four points down late on to overcame Meath in a frost-bitten Ballybofey on Saturday night.

As much as Clare have progressed and consolidated under the masterful watch of Colm Collins, they’ve developed a regrettable tendency to foil glorious chances to nail a big trophy head upon the wall.

Mickey Graham’s busy end to 2018 finished with a win in his first day at the office as Cavan manager, Conor Madden’s point deep into injury-time snatching a 0-13 to 1-9 McKenna Cup victory over Down.

YESTERDAY’S events in Thurles told us more about a man who wasn’t on the field than one who was. If anybody was in doubt about the Westmeath man taking charge of the All-Ireland final, they aren’t now.

Donegal 2-18 Fermanagh 0-12

My expectation that Fermanagh would make things horrible for Donegal in yesterday’s Ulster final never materialised. Perhaps I hadn’t factored in how much of an occasion this was for the Fermanagh players.

Donegal 2-22 Down 1-12

Donegal 2-20 Cavan 1-15

Although some of the fizz has been taken out of the provincial championships since the introduction of the qualifiers back in 2001, there’s a semblance of a climactic feel to Donegal’s preliminary round opener against Cavan in Ballybofey tomorrow.

When Mayo are in town, there’s usually drama and that was certainly the case in Ballybofey yesterday when a point from Kevin McLoughlin in the fourth minute of injury time preserved the top-flight status of Stephen Rochford’s side at Donegal’s expense.

Tyrone 1-12 Donegal 1-16: Donegal and Tyrone threw the play-books out the window and served up an entertaining Bank of Ireland McKenna Cup final.

It’s hard to believe. Tyrone 1-21 Donegal 1-12 — and it was a scoreline that flattered Donegal.

Donegal 3-19 Antrim 1-9: With the wheels of change evident in Donegal, there was further evidence of its forward trajectory at Ballybofey yesterday.

Big three, big four, two groups of 16, three tiers, and the Super 8. The GAA is all about the numbers at the minute, writes Oisín McConville.

Few Allianz Football Leagues have provided more excitement. Fewer still have unearthed so much developing talent. John Fogarty picks the 10 standouts who’ve announced themselves this spring.

Donegal’s Marty O’Reilly insists that qualifying to face Dublin in an Allianz Football League final wouldn’t be viewed as a poisoned chalice.

Allianz FL Division 1

Donegal 2-5 Dublin 1-8: No harm to either team’s unbeaten records, but no foul, either — how Ciaran Branagan felt Donegal had earned a last-gasp free to tie this game was mystifying.

A disputable additional time free ensured Donegal extended their unbeaten record in Ballybofey to 16 games.

Allianz FL Division 1

University of Limerick 0-10 Dublin Institute of Technology 0-7: University of Limerick will meet reigning champions UCD in next week’s Sigerson Cup semi-final after squeezing past the error-strewn challenge of DIT.

Donegal 1-17 Kerry 2-17: Too close for comfort in the end but a deceptive scoreline in many ways.

Meath 2-15 DIT 0-10: Two third-quarter goals paved the way for a Meath victory in this O’Byrne Cup tie at Ashbourne last night. 

Christy Toye is expected to make his first competitive outing of 2016 tomorrow when Donegal welcome Mayo to Ballybofey.

Down 0-7 Donegal 3-15: Rory Gallagher wants Donegal’s established players to feel the heat from the next generation, and there were loads of positives for him to take from Saturday night’s emphatic league win in Newry.

Donegal have hammered Down in their National Football League Division 1 opener with a 17-point win in Newry tonight.

Donegal 1-11 Down 0-11: Frank McGlynn’s goal, after only 68 seconds, fired Donegal to a useful opening-day win over Down, in the Dr McKenna Cup, at Ballybofey.