Donegal's qualification for the semi-finals of the National League was a curiosity.
Yesterday's defeat at the hands of Dublin extends their losing streak in the competition to five games. The last time they won a match was on February 28th against Mayo. Despite losing their final four games of the regular league season, they still finished fourth - enough for an appearance at Croke Park.
The final whistle on Sunday brought to an end a facile win for Dublin. Ten points really belied the gap between the two sides.
Speaking on League Sunday's highlights of the game, Joe Brolly was gloomy regarding the short-term future of Donegal football. Brolly stated the manner in which Dublin's goal was conceded would have sent Jim McGuinness into hiding. He also sounded the death knell for this iteration of the Donegal panel.
It was a sobering day for everyone else. It reminded us all of the realities of championship football now.
Donegal famously ambushed the Dubs in 2014. It was a Jim McGuinness job, everything was perfect. They're so far away from that now.
They were just a mess. The primary defenders weren't marking. They look so one-dimensional coming forward. Solo-running out of defence endlessly.
The Bernard Brogan goal - which would have sent Jim McGuinness to a darkened room for a month - he had five, six metres inside the blanket defence to take the pass and stick it in the net. After the Bernard Brogan goal, the game was over.
Dublin can't play an expansive game of football. They're very defensive and once they went eight points behind... They were in the game for 30 minutes but why not have the go to keep them in it?"
They were humiliated. They looked disconsolate going off the pitch and you don't associate that with Donegal teams. It looked like the end of something.
