THE game was already lost and the Armagh defenders were tired and longing for the final whistle when Donegal manager Declan Bonner showcased his impressive bench strength.
Star after star trotted out - each one could well have started for the Orchardmen. Youngster Jeaic McKelvey had fitted seamlessly into the defence after five minutes and in the second half Bonner unleashed Paddy McBrearty, Oisin Gallen, Jason McGee and then Andrew McClean.
The Donegal machine scarcely missed a beat and the performances of the five substitutes Bonner used indicated that the Tir Chonaill camp has what every ambitious squad needs - fierce competition for every jersey.
“Our bench is strong,” said Jason McGee, who replaced Hugh McFadden in midfield on Saturday.
“Anyone can start and I wouldn’t say that any of the five lads that came on today knew they weren’t going to be starting. It’s touch-and-go, you just don’t know when you could be thrown in.
“Look at last year, Odhran McFadden-Ferry’s first game was the Ulster final. That was his debut. We’re all pushing each other on in training, we’re all competing against each other and it is fairly competitive. Whoever gets the jersey is lucky to get it on the day.”
McGee scored two points from midfield in last year’s Ulster final win over Cavan and Sunday will be the Cloughaneely clubman’s second provincial decider. Donegal go into the game as huge favourites but plucky Cavan have already ripped up the script twice to get to this stage and will be determined to give a better account of themselves this year.
“We’ll probably be favourites alright but we were favourites for this game (against Armagh) and we just blocked all that out,” said McGee.
“You saw what happened down in Munster (Cork beating Kerry) so on any day, any team can win. In knockout football you don’t know what to expect.
“So it’s important for us just to keep our feet on the ground. You hear a lot about us playing Dublin, even around Donegal there’s a lot of talk about the Dubs. But in this squad everything is focussed and it’s one game at a time, there’s been no other team on our radar only Armagh for the past two weeks.”
Last Saturday, Donegal were superior all over the Breffni Park pitch. Early on they worked scores patiently but as they settled the Tir Chonaill outfit gradually became more expansive and ran Armagh ragged in the result-defining second quarter.
“It was a good win,” said McGee.
“We got off to a good start, we knew Armagh had started strong in the previous games and even throughout the League so our main aim was to go out and not let them get away because we know what kind of team they are – if they settle and they’re well in the game then they’re capable of anything on their day.
“It was positive for ourselves, we just played well. The past few years it has been pretty enjoyable playing with Donegal.
“A lot has changed, it’s more free-flowing, the forwards are getting more freedom and the kick-pass is on a lot more. We’re getting to that stage now where we’re all maturing into senior footballers.”
McGee agrees that winter football takes a bit of getting used to: “It is different,” he says. Donegal have adapted to the unique demands of this season and the feeling after Saturday’s commanding win was that there is better to come from them.
“When you’re going to training on Tuesday and Thursday nights you feel as if you should be just going out for a run – you feel like it’s pre-season,” said McGee.
“It is different but it’s just about adapting to it and we feel we have adapted well. We’re in Championship fever now and long may it last.”
