Donegal's narrow one-point Division 2 league final victory over Armagh will probably mean very little by the time the meat and drink of the Ulster Championship rolls around, according to RTÉ analyst Ciarán Whelan.
Aaron Doherty’s 73rd-minute point for Jim McGuinness’ side swung a game that was a long time coming to life but, once it did, provided a frantic last quarter hour at Croke Park.
"It was a strange sort of game that burst into life in the last 15 minutes," Whelan said on Allianz League Sunday.
"Up until then, it had a king of a challenge match feel to it and you wonder if there was a bit of shadowboxing going on."
Armagh supposedly went into the game on the back of a quiet week’s training and struggled to raise their game to its usual high intensity, particularly when out of possession.
Donegal edged out Armagh in the Allianz League Division 2 decider. However, this may not prove a particularly informative form guide when the championship commences, according to Ciarán Whelan. pic.twitter.com/eTEgiwmO5M
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) March 31, 2024
"Armagh were very flat," Whelan claimed. "Both teams mirror each other in terms of how they played. Donegal played with a lot more width and created a lot more easy opportunities.
"Armagh were getting bodies back but getting very little contact. They were lacking intensity and lacking that drive that you associate with them.
"If there was a bug in the camp and they weren’t able to train for a week, maybe you give them a pass, but it wasn’t the Armagh we expected to land in Croke Park."
Armagh get their Ulster campaign up and running in two weeks’ time with a quarter-final tie in Brewster Park against Fermanagh while Donegal meet Division 1 kingpins Derry six days later at the same stage in Celtic Park.
"As Jim McGuinness said, it was good for him to get some young players on the pitch," Whelan summed up. "Other than that, what did we learn? Probably very, very little."
