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.

Caolan Ward last Sunday week answered the call from Declan Bonner to step into the Donegal team for his first championship appearance at Croke Park when Eoghan Ban Gallagher and Neil McGee’s absences through injury were confirmed prior to the epic 1-20 to 1-20 draw with Kerry.

The group-deciding Super 8 encounter this evening in Castlebar has the potential to be explosive, a real old-style knockout championship game. There is no love lost between Mayo and Donegal dating back to the now infamous challenge game in 2012 and there are a lot of ifs, buts, and maybes making it a hard game to call.

Patience, we’re often told, is a virtue.

Former Donegal footballer Brendan Devenney expects Declan Bonner’s men to dump Mayo out of the championship this Saturday but believes Donegal, along with Kerry and Tyrone, are playing for second place thereafter, as Dublin will not be toppled.

Alan Foley Just under a year ago Patrick McBrearty trundled out of MacCumhaill Park in Ballybofey on crutches after his Donegal team-mates had squandered a four-point lead against Tyrone to miss out on a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals.

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.

Hugh McFadden believes the rivalry that has dictated the tone of Ulster football for the last decade is currently being dictated by Tyrone.

One of Jim McGuinness’s first tasks when he finally landed the role of Donegal senior manager heading into the Baltic winter of 2010 was to cobble together a backroom team.

Ryan McHugh has put his injuries behind him and is now concentrating his efforts on getting Donegal back to Division 1 and preparing for the defence of the Ulster SFC come summer.

Dr McKenna Cup semi-final Armagh 0-14 Donegal 1-10

Regardless of how the CCCC occasionally surprises us, with Ballybofey or Omagh unlikely to host an All-Ireland semi-final in this or any foreseeable lifetime, this is a big as it gets — or will ever get — in the north-west.

It was quite something to see Michael Murphy at the Irish Open Pro-Am in Ballyliffin, laughing and enjoying the company of the country’s top golfers and a few thousand avid GAA supporters ten days out from what is effectively an All-Ireland quarter-final. It wouldn’t have happened on Jim McGuinness’ watch, I can tell you that.

Former Donegal boss Jim McGuinness has urged Dublin to “do the right thing” and to insist on playing just one of their upcoming Super 8 games at Croke Park.

Former Donegal boss Jim McGuinness has urged Dublin to “do the right thing” and to insist on playing just one of their upcoming Super 8 games at Croke Park.

Donegal's All-Ireland hopes have been struck a hammer blow as star forward Patrick McBrearty has suffered a season-ending cruciate injury.

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.

Adding to the growing feelgood factor around Galway football, All-Ireland champions Corofin dominate the inaugural team of the club football championship.

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.

Sitting in the opulence of a Dubai hotel, during the 2016 All-Stars tour, Tyrone’s Matthew Donnelly was asked about the promise of his Trillick club mate, Lee Brennan.

Monaghan 1-16 Donegal 1-10: Monaghan are safe in Division One, for another season, while Donegal will have a final chance at survival on Sunday, when they host Mayo in a winner-takes-all contest in Ballybofey.

Donegal 1-16 Kildare 3-7: Donegal’s poorest performance of Division 1 this term was still enough to post a first win, at Kildare’s expense.

Donegal came through something of a must-win to give themselves a fighting chance of Division 1 survival at Kildare’s expense at Ballyshannon.

Dublin 0-20 Donegal 0-15: Dublin manager Jim Gavin insists that attacker Diarmuid Connolly remains part of the All-Ireland champions’ panel and could make a return to duty in their next game.

There were fresh-faces aplenty on show at Letterkenny in the respective Donegal and Galway ranks but, in the end, it was left to experience to settle the issue.

For a team renowned for its defensive prowess, the 17 points and four goal chances Slaughtneil offered up to Kilcar last time out has given the management plenty to think about ahead of Sunday’s AIB Ulster club SFC final.

All-Ireland winner Patrick McBrearty showed all his big game experience with a dramatic 73rd minute winning point at Pairc Tailteann to send Donegal through to Round 4A of the qualifiers.

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.

Allianz FL Division 1

Allianz FL Division 1

The semi-final pairings for the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup were confirmed last night after the final set of group fixtures.

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.