Last Sunday's game in Ballybofey offered further evidence that the Ulster champions are a team on a mission for 2025.
Donegal have an air of momentum and purpose about them that is reminiscent of the second year of Jim McGuinness' first term as manager.
The Derry game still had the potential to be a tricky one to navigate but they won in cruise control, almost, just pushing the accelerator whenever things got a small bit tight.
They're still adhering to a hand-pass heavy, running game, which is in keeping with the county's tradition. But their efficiency on converting turnover ball into scores is hugely impressive. They had 33 attacks the last day, from which they wound up with 32 shots at goal, and they posted a score of 1-25.
We're getting to the point where someone is going to need to track Daire Ó Baoill in these games. His impact is on a par with Sean Bugler's during the league. He scored 1-04 on Sunday and it seemed like no one laid a finger on him throughout the game. Their runners from deep like Ryan McHugh and Peadar Mogan are as devastating as ever.
It says something about the depth in their ranks that they can afford to leave an All-Star forward like Oisín Gallen on the bench.
Ulster is still a nest of vipers as per usual. They're taking on a buoyant Monaghan team who were supposed to be in transition but have adapted to the new rules better than anyone. The FRC's rule tweaks towards the end of the league haven't kept Rory Beggan shackled to his goalmouth. Monaghan are simply taking care to communicate when Beggan is advancing forward and an outfield player drops back.
Though that game will be one between a side who spent the spring in Division 2 and a team who - let's face it - would have been in a league final had they wanted it. Donegal have too many weapons in too many areas of the pitch. I'd expect them to remain on course for yet another Ulster title under Jim McGuinness' management.
While the end result was similar, the narrative surrounding last weekend's game was a far cry from the corresponding fixture 12 months ago. The Celtic Park goal blitz was the mother and father of all ambushes at the time, with Derry having just won the league and gunning for a three-in-a-row in the province.
Sunday's game went entirely as the form-book suggested and the prognosis looks gloomy for Derry. They finished the league in a bit of a shambles and the queue for the treatment table was lengthening.
One does wonder whether the long-running saga over the management position has sucked the morale out of the set-up. Their ill-discipline at key moments in the game was a tell-tale sign that all was not well. Their decision-making around shot selection was also very poor on occasion, with too many desperate attempts at two-pointers when they were chasing the game. It was in stark contrast to Donegal's efficiency and conviction in attack.
Last year, we wrote off the Donegal loss as a blip and assumed they'd explode into life come the group phase but things only got worse from there. But there's no basis for similar optimism in 2025. They've fallen back into the pack and a reset is needed. I can't see them mustering a challenge this year.
Victory in Newbridge or (going) nowhere
The Leinster championship is being run off at breakneck speed these days. Wicklow's reward for surviving extra-time against Longford is a home game against Dublin.
We needn't spend too much time previewing that game, though I know Oisín McConville said on Second Captains before Christmas that 13 or 14 retirements was all it would take for the Dubs to become vulnerable in Aughrim. Unfortunately for Wicklow, all that's happened since then is that John Small has returned to the set-up.
The other three quarter-finals are naturally harder to call. Kildare are heading up to Division 2, Westmeath are going the other way. But does that mean you'd trust Kildare to get the job in Newbridge this Saturday evening? As always with Kildare, there are severe doubts.
Early on in the league, we assumed Kildare were going to trample everyone underfoot in Division 3. In the end, they wound up losing three matches, to Clare and then twice to Offaly.
To just scrape promotion from Division 3? It's not good enough for a county with Kildare's resources and the talent in their ranks.
The league final flagged a perennial issue for Kildare, their wastefulness in front of the posts, a long-standing weakness of the Lilywhites which was even prevalent in their glory days under the late Micko.
But they have a big opportunity in this championship. They're not on Dublin's side of the draw meaning the path to a Leinster final is well within their capability.
Westmeath were brutally unlucky in their league campaign - Dermot McCabe must have been wondering what he'd done in a past life - and were far more competitive than many previews suggested following the departures of John Heslin and others.
It's as evenly poised an encounter as you'll find this early in the championship. Forced to call it? I still don't trust Kildare but my gut is telling me they will squeeze through on their home patch, if only because their need is so great.
Louth are the only Sam Maguire team - based on league position - on that side of the draw but they'll be displaced if they don't make a Leinster final themselves.
Worse again, they'll likely have to cope without Sam Mulroy and Ciaran Lennon is in a race for fitness. As well and all as they've done under Ger Brennan, they can't afford to be down too many bodies.
They're a division above Laois so are still favourites this Sunday, but Justin McNulty's side were very businesslike in the way they killed the Wexford challenge last weekend so it's a dangerous game.
In Navan, Meath and Offaly are two well-matched sides, even if neither of them are likely making a Leinster final this year.
Midway through the league, Meath were looking capable of rattling the Dubs and giving Leinster a real crack. But the clouds have darkened since then, with the bad beatings at the hands of Monaghan and Louth, the abrupt departures of their coaches, and the loss of Jordan Morris to injury.
Offaly are on the crest of a wave in both codes at the minute though I think, with home advantage, Meath should squeeze through.
Problems with the arc
Sunday in Castlebar flagged up one issue which was likely to plague us at some stage. Confusion over the arc. Niall Murphy was awarded two points for a score when he was standing a good 3ft inside the arc, prompting bemusement everywhere and making it a one-score game with a minute remaining.
Aidan O'Shea - who was excellent again - saved the officials' bacon by winning the kickout and running down the clock. In the end, any controversy was limited. If they make a similar error in a tight game later on this summer, they might not be so lucky.
Watch Tyrone v Cavan in the Ulster Football Championship on Sunday from 3.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to updates from around the country on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
