THE Ulster Championship continues to throw up mismatches on a weekly basis with Monaghan giving out the biggest beating to date last weekend.
Down dominated for long spells of the first half, but failed to make it show on the scoreboard.
The underdog must take their opportunities when they are in the ascendancy.
At half time there was an inevitability about the result.
Malachy O'Rourke made a key tactical change late in the first half pushing up on the Down kick outs.
From then they started to win possession from Down restarts and that allowed them to get the three point lead going in at the break.
It wasn't a good reflection on Down that the flow of the game changed so easily.
From being level with 33 minutes gone, Down were outscored 2-16 to 0-3 over the remainder of the game.
When I'm watching a game I will analyse in this column, I note down points as the match progresses.
What I had written down in the first 30 minutes of the game was totally irrelevant by the end of the match.
Defensively Down looked reasonably well organised for long spells in the first half.
However, conceding 2-22 despite Conor McManus being limited in his influence tells its own tale.
They lacked discipline in the tackle, especially within the scoring zone.
There is no point getting numbers behind the ball if you consistently foul the opposition and Down conceded nine points from placed balls.
From an attacking aspect they didn't provide any real threat to the Monaghan defence and a nine point return in perfect footballing conditions is shocking.
There is no doubt Down football have serious issues to address.
They are a proud football county, but as a whole the players showed a serious lack of pride in the county jersey.
One thing that Down players have always had is confidence in their ability.
What I saw on Sunday was players who had no belief in themselves or their teammates, and, more worryingly, they give up far too easily.
A Down team that were playing football in Division 1 should not be losing a Championship match to Monaghan by 19 points.
On the other side, I was extremely impressed with the speed of Monaghan's counter attack play.
When they forced a turnover, they had five, six and sometimes seven players coming at pace in support of the ball carrier.
When they come up against teams with more organised defensive systems, this will be crucial to their chances.
It's likely they will need to beat both Donegal and Tyrone, who won't provide the room for them to operate in that was available last week.
Donegal are a really hard team to analyse. Everything would suggest that the players have too much football in their legs to be able to get back to the levels we saw a few years back.
However, you cannot discount a team that has been in five Ulster finals in a row and is just two years removed from an appearance in the All-Ireland final.
The one thing that keeps coming back to me though is their Championship exits in 2013 and 2015.
They were unable to produce their usual high energy game when it mattered most and the 2014 victory over Dublin looks more and more like an aberration.
Even the performance in the 2014 final was a long way from Donegal at their best.
They have had a nine week gap since their defeat to Dublin in the league semi final.
The break will probably prove to be of benefit to Donegal.
As a player you cannot wait to get the Championship started.
All the work put in over the winter and trying to earn a starting place during the league was about the Championship season.
For Donegal the late start is beneficial on two fronts.
Firstly, they will be ultra focused as anticipation has build up watching all other eight Ulster counties enter the fray.
That will ward off any complacency which may set in when they are such strong favourites against Fermanagh.
Secondly, and more significantly, Donegal will have the shortest potential time of any country to win an Ulster title.
Their Ulster campaign will not last longer than five weeks barring a final replay.
With the age profile of their team that can only be a good thing.
At the start of the season I felt the key to Donegal's season was how Rory Gallagher could integrate new personnel into the starting team.
There were plenty of younger players given opportunities during the league.
It remains to be seen how many line out on Sunday, but going on the league semi final the team will still be dominated by the old reliables.
Fermanagh will need to dominate the midfield exchanges if they are to cause an upset in Ballybofey.
In Eoin Donnelly they have someone who is among the best midfielders in the province.
Midfield appears a weak area for their opponents with Neil Gallagher having barely kicked a ball all year.
Michael Murphy will be needed to re-enforce the middle third thus removing Donegal's major inside threat.
The loss of Paul Durkan is the most significant aspect as he has a terrific ability to place his kick outs.
Most teams win their own kick outs, so Fermanagh need to control their own restarts while also gaining parity on the Donegal kick outs.
Sean Quigley may well move out the field and Pete McGrath will hope that Tomas Corrigan can cause damage in the full forward line.
However, Donegal rarely allow a light weight forward to cause them real problems due to the lack of space inside and the physicality with which they defend.
I believe Quigley is needed closer to goal and would provide a more obvious threat.
Had the game been in Brewster Park Fermanagh would have had a much better chance, but I cannot see them realistically going into Donegal's back yard and advancing to a semi-final clash with Monaghan.
It may be the closest contest to date in the Ulster Championship, but Donegal's experience and greater mental toughness should see them win by more than a kick of the ball.
