The return of Michael Murphy to a Donegal side already on an upward trajectory makes Jim McGuinness' side All-Ireland favourites, according to Peter Canavan.
On a day when Donegal made it three wins from three to move to the top of Division 1 with a resounding victory over Armagh, the biggest cheer from the majority of the 13,109 attendance in attendance at Ballybofey was reserved for Murphy’s second-half introduction.
The 2012 All-Ireland winning captain kicked three points, was a target for restarts and his effect on the opposition was evident in Aidan Forker’s robust altercation on the Glenswilly man when he jogged onto the pitch. A headbutt to the chest of the 35-year-old saw the Armagh captain dismissed.
"He was just immense for the 26 minutes he was on the pitch," Cora Staunton said on Allianz League Sunday. "He had such a huge impact on a Donegal team that has a brilliant forward line."
Fellow analyst Peter Canavan says his addition could be Donegal's missing ingredient after the Ulster champions were edged out at the semi-final stage last year in the race for Sam Maguire.
"He is such a player to come back in," he said. "They were going rightly (against Armagh) without him. You have got to put them right up there now as favourites for the All-Ireland. That’s the stage they are at."
With wins over Kerry and Dublin already in the bag, Donegal have begun 2025 very brightly, with their efficient attacking play suggesting they have adapted better than anyone thus far to the new rules.
Patrick McBrearty, Conor O’Donnell, Jamie Brennan and Ciarán Thompson were among those to catch the eye at MacCumhaill Park in an attacking sense, with McGuinness’ renowned defensive structure to the fore at the other end.
"It was as good a performance as I have seen from Donegal in a long time," Canavan said.
"There were many that predicted that these rules wouldn’t suit Donegal, they would have to change the way they do things, but today it was back to the good old Donegal, defending in numbers and the hunger to turn over possession.
Michael Murphy's impact was immediate and immense for Donegal say the League Sunday panel. "You have to put them right up there as favourites for the All-Ireland," said Peter Canavan.
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"Whenever the build-up was slow and they couldn’t counter-attack with Armagh defending zonally, around the 40-metre arc, it didn’t faze Donegal. Take the bodies to one side, leave space on the other.
"They can play it either way. If teams get the bodies back and the build-up is slow, they are very comfortable with fast hands, giving it to the right man in the right position, runners coming off the shoulder.
"They were a delight to watch and won the game at their ease."
