McBrearty predicts Donegal backlash after winter of hurt

Former Donegal footballer and GAA+ pundit Patrick McBrearty. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Patrick McBrearty reckons Donegal will want to 'lay down a marker' against Kerry this weekend.

Just over eight months since Donegal's 10-point All-Ireland final loss to Kerry, the Ulster and Munster champions will meet again in Sunday's National League Division 1 final.

McBrearty, who captained Donegal to provincial titles in 2024 and 2025, will be a notable absentee after retiring in December due to persistent knee trouble.

He said he regularly reflects on the wide that he kicked into the Davin End during the second half of last year's final, when the game hung in the balance.

"I've thought about it a lot since, it was a shot that I should have nailed," he said, describing the miss as 'a big momentum swinger'.

Even a win on Sunday won't amount to revenge for Donegal, who have already beaten Kerry in the group stage, though it would be a significant statement all the same.

"The first 15 minutes were probably the winning and losing last year, from a Donegal point of view, it's hard to claw it back when you give a team like Kerry a lead like that," said McBrearty, referencing Kerry's early 0-13 to 0-4 lead in the All-Ireland decider.

"Unfortunately we lost to a really, really good team. We had a really good year but there was a lot of hurt there and a lot of the team that were there would have carried that through the winter. So it'll be interesting to see how they get on. I'd say Donegal will want to lay down a marker."

Much of the analysis after last year's final centred on Donegal's zonal defence and their attempts to protect the scoring zone. Kerry picked that lock with relative ease.

"You've got to be able to play zonal, you've got to be able to play man-to-man, you've got to be able to play a kicking game, you've got to be able to do the running game," shrugged McBrearty.

"Kerry can run the ball, they can kick the ball and Donegal can do the same. They (Donegal) are predominantly a running team but they can kick the ball also. Donegal can defend zonally, they can go man-to-man. 

"It's not as if we can't go man-to-man, there's a lot of really good man-markers there. Look, Donegal would have definitely taken the learnings from last year but the best teams can do all those things."

McBrearty was speaking at the launch of the 2026 GAA+ Season Pass and the streaming platform's exclusive 40-match broadcast schedule. He is a GAA+ pundit having been forced to retire after the fourth operation on his left knee in a decade.

"The surgeon came out and said, 'Listen, there's extensive damage there, you need to have a few thoughts about your future'," said the 32-year-old recruitment company owner.

"He said, 'What do you want life to look like at 40?' That's what his exact words were, what would you like your Tuesdays and Thursdays to look like?

"I said that I would like, if I was fit, to be able to play a bit of astroturf. He said, 'Well, these are the things you need to consider'. I took his advice on board, got a second opinion. Same kind of diagnosis."