WE get back to action this weekend after the break and given the weather we had, it’s a good job we had no fixtures scheduled for last Saturday and Sunday as it was a complete washout.

This weekend’s games are massive, as after this round of games things will begin to look a lot clearer in terms of who will be competing for league honours and who will be battling it out to avoid the drop.

Heading to Croke Park in desperate need of points wouldn’t be ideal for any team but that’s exactly what’s in front of Donegal this Saturday evening.

After letting a couple of games slip, Donegal now find themselves with their backs to the wall. A result in Dublin would be a massive boost but with Dublin now beginning to move through the gears those two points will be hard got.

With each passing week Dublin are welcoming back more and more of their five in-a-row legends so the later you get them in this competition the harder they will be to beat.

We should see a return to action for Paddy McBrearty this weekend and that will be a massive boost for Donegal, but it’s at the other end of the park that we need to shore things up.

A talented Galway attack caused us all sorts of problems so it’s important that we turn that around against Dublin and try and snatch the two points.

Galway are riding on the crest of a wave at the minute under the guidance of Padraic Joyce following some impressive displays.

I was at their last game against Donegal and I have to say I was extremely impressed with them from midfield up. A little like Donegal, they have issues in defence and heading into this week’s clash with Tyrone they are sure to be tested. Both of these teams had great wins the last day out so this should make for a cracker with confidence high in both camps.

Tyrone are building nicely and with big McShane now having another two weeks’ training under his belt we should see and even stronger Red Hand performance this weekend.

Monaghan will be still kicking themselves that they didn’t manage to put the final nail in the Dublin coffin two weeks ago and they have a great chance to put that right this weekend when they host Mayo.

Monaghan under ‘Banty’ have been extremely impressive to date and you would have to say that they are heading in the right direction.

Against Dublin they were dogged and extremely well organised, they completely snuffed Dublin out for most of the game and their transition from defence to attack was highly impressive.

To date they seem to be the only team in the county that are deliberately using the offensive mark to their advantage. They have some excellent ball winners so this could be a useful tactic as the season rolls on.

I fancy them to take the points this weekend and if they do so that will set them up nicely. It will be extremely tight this year with things going right down to the wire but there are a few teams that need the points more than others this weekend and that hunger and desire might just come into play. I’m going for Donegal.