Donegal didn't enamour themselves to everyone with their style of football in 2011 but for a very long way in the championship – in fact, 35 minutes into a semi-final with Dublin – it was thoroughly effective.
They ran through last year's Ulster Championship, beating Antrim, this weekend's opponents, Cavan, Tyrone and Derry en route to a sixth provincial title.
There seems to have been a lot of unrest in the camp since then and Jim McGuinness' side weren't able to replicate that Championship form in Division 1 of the league. In fact, it was only through a final-day defeat of Armagh that they avoided relegation.
However, there were positives to be gleaned from their early season form, two of their three victories in the league coming against subsequent finalists Cork and Mayo, beating the Rebels by four points and Mayo by seven.
They were beaten on all three road trips, away at Down, Kerry and Dublin but that shouldn't come into consideration when they travel to face Cavan this weekend as their opponents won only one of their four home games in Division 3 of the National League, losing to Longford, Offaly and Antrim.
Cavan are the most successful side in the Anglo-Celt Cup but their domination is very much in the past and a single-point victory over Derry in the 1997 final is their sole success since 1969. There haven't been any significant signs that a return from the wilderness is imminent and getting past the first hurdle looks difficult.
Donegal, on the other hand, travelled to Mayo for a pre-Championship friendly recently, coming away with a win. While little should be read into such games, the attitude and aptitude they displayed so willingly in 2011 will be their strongest asset this term and they will be determined to do something they've never done before: win back to back Ulster titles.
There will be more difficult assignments ahead but Donegal were nine-point winners in Breffni Park in 2011 and another comfortable success looks to be on the cards.
Verdict: Donegal
