Derry's conundrum, Jim's return and Rossies graveyard

Perched in the crow's nest in Croke Park last Sunday, there wasn't much to excite you about the provincial championships.

I'd expect the atmosphere will be a world away from that this weekend, where a sold out Celtic Park will witness the biggest game of the championship so far.

Derry, league champions and newly minted member of 2024's 'Big Three', against a rejuvenated Donegal in their first championship game in the second coming of Jim.

We've heard enough from Derry that they're intent on winning every trophy going. Brendan Rogers said as much before the league final and couldn't understand why everyone didn't think the same. Mickey Harte's hunger for silverware extends to the McKenna Cup every year. Derry are going for this.

Whether they should or not... that's another question entirely. You'd definitely wonder whether a team in their position and with their ambitions, needs another arduous run through an Ulster championship, when they've already done back-to-back in the province.

Add to that, they're on the rough side of the draw in Ulster yet again. They're looking at three competitive games in Ulster, three group games and then they're into the All-Ireland series. They're looking at eight games to get to an All-Ireland final, most of them probably against top tier opposition. Harte has added to their squad depth but they still wouldn't be on par with Dublin and Kerry in that regard.

The Ulster title still carries a massive aura for teams up there but, given their ultimate ambition this year, I'd be worried about the energy they're going to expend in the provincial run and whether that'll prove sustainable come the business end of the championship.

Watching Donegal's league performance last year, I half thought they could