Kevin Cassidy questions Donegal's approach to Ulster championship

Former Donegal footballer Kevin Cassidy has questioned if the county could have approached the Ulster championship differently ahead of the All-Ireland semi-final this weekend.

Sunday's game against Meath will be Donegal's 10th in the championship, which included a highly competitive Ulster championship, which they won after extra time against Armagh.

Combined with a schedule that Jim McGuinness has not held back to criticise, it has been a long season for the Ulster champions.

Looing back on the season so far, Cassidy says Monaghan will have regrets of how the quarter-final eneded against Donegal, and how the toll of Ulster could now be showing.

"Donegal played very well in the second half, but Monaghan will look probably look back on that video, and there is definitely some chances they left behind.

"If they were to take one or two of those, then it is a different story. I think of the Beggan free-kick in particular, if that goes in it is a different story.

"We can't take away from the taxing Ulster campaign that we have had. Jim makes no bones about it, he really goes after the Ulster championship.

"It is a double-edged sword. It is great to win the Ulster championship, but there is another competition that starts directly after it.

"To get the boys up to such a level that they reach in Ulster, and then to keep doing that is difficult. That is where you see the drop off.

"In the Tyrone game, Tyrone were very good, but I don't think we were as good as we can be. The Monaghan game, the first half was disappointing, the first half against Louth is disappointing."

Having won the Ulster championship last season in McGuinness' first season back in charge of the county, Donegal were defeated in the All-Ireland semi-finals to