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31st July 2013
07:28pm BST

Declan Whooley says... With Mayo expectations hitting dizzying heights, the stage is perfectly set for Donegal to make a mockery of their underdogs tag and keep their dreams of back-to-back All-Ireland's alive.
It is a while since a side facing Jim McGuinness’ men have been placed as odds-on favourites – 4/6 in some places – so the reigning champions will be under no illusions at the task at hand on Sunday, but if ever there was a game primed to get their title hopes back on track then this is surely it.
Facing them on Sunday is arguably the form team so far this summer. The Dubs might have something to say about that, and the standard in Connacht is not what it has been in previous years, but nonetheless, James Horan’s men have shown that the team is improving on what was an overall impressive showing in 2012.
However, Donegal have not become a bad team after one below par showing against Monaghan and it is easy to forget that they had far too much firepower for Tyrone and never looked likely to fall to a Down team in the semi-final. Last weekend was a case of getting through it and McGuinness himself conceded that many of the wrongs from the provincial decider had been put right.
First off, the injuries look to be improving. Neil Gallagher started against Laois with no ill-effects and will resume his partnership with Rory Kavanagh, while Karl Lacey appeared as a substitute and is expected to resume at centre-back. That adds serious experience to Donegal’s defensive structure and rumours abound that Mark McHugh could also feature at some stage which would bolster their options even further.
And speaking of defensive structures, for all the talk of a Donegal dip, it must be remembered that they have yet to concede a goal in the Championship. Of course the men from the west haven’t either, though their standard of opposition hasn’t been of the same standard as Tyrone, Down, Monaghan and Laois.
And while things are looking rosier defensively, the attack too is looking potent. Any inside forward line containing Paddy McBrearty, Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden is liable to cause untold damage, and Mayo painfully know the extent of that particular threat.
Michael Murphy does drift out to the half-forward line, indeed he started there against Laois, and should Donal Vaughan be chosen to pick him up on the 40, then his own attacking game may have to be curtailed to curb his threat.
David Walsh moved into the inside line last weekend and along with McFadden and McBrearty contributed 10 of Donegal’s 14 points. McBrearty in particular will have a point to prove after being substituted in last year’s final and admitting it took a slight gloss off what was a huge celebration for the county.
Aside from Cillian O’Connor, Mayo’s most natural forwards in Alan Dillon and Andy Moran are not long after returning from injuries while their midfield, so often the launchpad of their attacks, will face one of the most consistent partnerships of the past two seasons.
Lest we forget, there is a PR warfare that is going on and Jim McGuinness’ insistence that Donegal are the recipients of illegal challenges on a recurring basis. While it may not necessarily affect Joe McQuillan’s handling of proceedings, it is hard to ignore such public statements and will only take one big call to go their way for the mind games to have succeeded.
No matter what way the game pans out, it is the tie of the weekend and no quarter will be given or asked. In truth there is little in footballing terms between the sides and will come down to very fine margins. For that reason alone, I would be lumping my disappointingly small life savings on the reigning All-Ireland champions managed by a sports psychologist to come up trumps rather than a team with a history of falling short on the big occasions. Donegal by two points.
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