DONEGAL’S transformation under Jim McGuinness has come as no surprise to former Tir Chonaill ace Damian Diver.
During his previous stint in the hotseat, which ran from 2011 to 2014, McGuinness brought an All-Ireland SFC title and three Ulster Championships to Donegal.
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And in the first season of his second coming, the Glenties man is now just one win away from overseeing another provincial triumph.
Victories over Tyrone and back-to-back champions Derry sent Donegal into Sunday’s Anglo-Celt Cup decider against Armagh in Clones.
It is a repeat of the National League Division 2 final, which saw Donegal emerge victorious at Croke Park on Easter Sunday.
Diver said: “It’s hard to beat a couple of wins in the Championship when it comes to generating a bit of positivity.
“After the league went so well, the hope was that the form would carry into the Championship. In that sense, playing Derry in the first game was probably a good thing.
“There’s great excitement now building up to the Ulster final. It was something the county badly needed on the back of last year.”
Having served as one of his selectors when Donegal were edged out by Kerry in the 2014 All-Ireland final.
FITNESS
Diver advocated for the return of McGuinness when the managerial post became vacant following a dreadful 2023.
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Just days before a National League defeat to Roscommon confirmed their relegation from Division 1 last season, Paddy Carr quit as gaffer after five months in charge.
Under interim manager Aidan O’Rourke, Donegal then suffered an UIster quarter-final exit at the hands of Down.
O’Rourke steered the team to All-Ireland group-stage wins over Clare and Monaghan. But an eight-point loss to Tyrone in the preliminary quarter-finals left the county at a low ebb.
Nevertheless, with McGuinness behind the wheel, Donegal have been travelling the road to redemption at breakneck speed.
After putting four goals past newly-minted Division 1 champions Derry, their credentials as a coming force were reaffirmed with an extra-time triumph over Tyrone.
Diver said: “It’s important to remember that Donegal were missing a lot of players last year through injuries and everything else.
“With that in mind, it’s probably unfair to compare it to this year because there’s a lot more strength in depth now.
“But the way they’re playing as a unit, playing positive football and going forward, it’s just exciting to watch.
“Jim would have studied the game a lot during the years when he wasn’t about and he’s hit the ground running. It hasn’t been surprising at all really.
“Jim is a big man for the fitness so the team are in really good shape. You could see it against Tyrone that they were really going strong near the end.
“The defence was still tight too because they weren’t leggy. They definitely seem to have made a lot of gains there.”
ORCHARD WIN
Victory over Armagh will send Donegal into an All-Ireland group with Clare, Tyrone and Cork.
Should they fail to overcome the Orchard County, the path to Sam Maguire success will be obstructed by Galway, Derry and Westmeath.
But Diver insisted: “The Ulster Championship is placed fairly high up the order in Donegal. I know for a fact that Jim won’t be looking past that.
“He would like to get a medal in the pockets of the boys who don’t have one. You can build on that then, whether it happens this year or next year.
“At the moment, winning an Ulster Championship is what matters and everything after that is a bonus.”
