Donegal headed to Killarney to take on Kerry would, at the best of times, seriously whet the All-Ireland SFC appetite.

But this is now a grudge match, on the day it is and, over the course of the recent past and, possibly future, this very same season, it could be again.

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There is an edge to matters and it’s two groups that probably feel they are, or very near, to being Gaelic football’s premier pair of top dogs.

Some of Donegal’s own aura has slipped, not just because of the Down loss but, more so due to the manner in which Armagh unceremoniously swept the same opposition aside in the Ulster SFC semi-final.

And Armagh going on to lift an Anglo Celt crown they’ve craved for so long, that would also energise further a squad that is already serious All-Ireland contenders.

No disrespect to Monaghan, and if this season has shown us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.

But the momentum the Orchard side would potentially bring into the All-Ireland after finally getting that provincial monkey off their backs pushes them further up into that Sam Maguire conversation.

Armagh, with the bulkiness of their squad and the quality numbers at McGeeney’s disposal, they’ll look at Donegal and Kerry right now as unconvincing.

Roscommon, in disposing of Galway in the Connacht final, have also pushed themselves in that same conversation.

Their minors and U-20s are provincial champions too so Rossie tails are certainly up. But a Tyrone side that pushed Armagh to the brink lies in wait. That will be another cracker.

But back to Kerry and their injury concerns leave them looking somewhat vulnerable ahead of Sunday week but Jack O’Connor and the Kingdom don’t usually get into their groove this early anyway.

So there is much to weigh up as the season moves into what is a seriously exciting juncture.

Donegal have been very quiet since that shock defeat to Down in Letterkenny. The hope would be, by the time we get to Killarney, is that Michael Langan is back in tow.

Langan – joint skipper with Shane O’Donnell – rolled his ankle a week prior to that Ulster opener and it certainly left a huge void on the day. In his absence, Odhran Murdock stood tall and inflicted so much damage.

Caolan McGonagle was handed that tagging task but, in the process, was pulled out of the centre of the home defence and time after time, Down raided through the middle in O’Donnell Park.

Indeed, when the numbers were crunched after, they revealed that 25 out of 37 of Down’s shots came from in and around the 25m mark.

So even if Killarney comes too soon for Donegal’s midfield All-Star, a tactical rejig of sorts will still be needed to shore up that hole.

McGonagle would no doubt be instructed to stay put, and the hope would be that Hugh McFadden, Jason McGee and a withdrawn Michael Murphy can conjure up some of that middle pressure that was so effective in the NDL Division 1 final.

Thompson close?

Another thing, and this would be a huge boost if it materialised, is that Ciaran Thompson has to be on, or very near, that magic nine-month number now when it comes to his ACL recovery.

The Naomh Conaill man’s miss was really felt against the Mourne men. As well as what he offers from general play, which is considerable, the absence of the Glenties native’s left-sided free-taking was glaring that same day.

Donegal have a real issue there. And while Killarney will come too soon for Thomspon, it’s going to be very interesting to see how Jim McGuinness addresses that problem.

If any lesson was learned against Down, from that situation, you would imagine it would be to take the shot on, and not look to work it back.

Whether that’s Conor O’Donnell on his favoured left, Oisin Gallen on his weaker but still very useful left, or indeed Michael Murphy cutting over off his right, have a pop at the posts.

Mentioning Gallen, his situation is a curious one. He’s not seeing games out. He was hooked against Down on the three-quarter mark when he was on five points and probably the side’s main scoring threat.

There is obviously an issue and whether it’s a sports science one or an injury that just flares up, Donegal simply need Gallen on the pitch more frequently and longer.

Whatever is niggling or troubling the MacCumhaills man, it also hampered his season last term. And it’s a problem that they simply need to get on top of.

Reset

The relentlessness of back-to-back Ulster SFC title successes and chasing an historic third, Donegal seemed to just run out of gas in Letterkenny.

That was difficult to fathom as they’d just come off the back of a month’s break after the NFL success and a warm-weather training camp.

Maybe the group just needed to get off that carousel and, mentally, more than physically, needed a reset.

Kerry’s feathers are up too when it comes to Donegal. So Killarney is going to be a cauldron.

The Kingdom are brilliant when it comes to mind games and planting seeds.

They have many high-profile newspaper columnists and Darragh Ó Sé bangs that drum loudest, frequently and, indeed, conveniently, providing his county with things to pin to the dressing room wall.

Jack O’Connor took aim at the Kerry legend last season for criticism of his side and their form coming out of Munster.

But it all seemed a little too convenient, concocted even. And it was no surprise that Ó Se again was the one chastising Kerry for letting Michael Murphy throw them around Croke Park in the Division 1 decider.

Donegal’s 2012 All-Ireland winning skipper could and should have walked for an overzealous hook on Dylan Casey but thankfully, from a Donegal perspective at least, only a yellow card was flashed by David Gough.

However, in his column for the Irish Times, six-time All-Ireland winner Ó Sé said when justice wasn’t served on the field, Kerry should have taken matters into their own hands.

“If I was one of Casey’s teammates, I wouldn’t want to hear a word about David Gough or disciplinary committees or anything like that. I’d be looking in the mirror.

“Murphy should have been dealt with there and then, on the pitch. Great fella, brilliant footballer, whatever.

“A box in the jaw is a box in the jaw and you can’t be a team that lets that slide. Murphy needed to be reminded of that and if it meant a Kerry player taking a card, so be it.”

So there will be extra heat attached to Sunday week. A defeat isn’t fatal, and there is that one last championship safety net.

A win re-rails Donegal and they’re back in contention; a loss would leave them in a strange space.

McHugh fairytale

This weekend, Mark McHugh and Westmeath take centre stage as they attempt to keep the pages turning on their fairytale Leinster SFC campaign.

If McHugh’s involvement wasn’t enough, four Lake County players who will run out at Croke Park on Sunday have Donegal mothers.

Wing half-forward Kevin O’Sullivan’s mother, Lisa, hails from Killybegs; midfielder Brían Cooney’s mother, Elaine, is a Kilcar native, while Shane Ormbsy is also a regular visitor to Donegal with his mother, Joan, a Castlefin woman.

So there will be more than usual reason to tune into that clash at the weekend to see can McHugh and his underdogs get over the lne.