By Michael McMullan

ULSTER champions Donegal kick their new season into gear on Sunday with a trip to Kerry.

It’s the second season of the second stint for manager Jim McGuinness and there are solid foundations to build on. More than solid.

They will look with regret at how close they came to making last year’s All-Ireland final and were in the handful of teams capable of lifting Sam.

There has been the high-profile return of Michael Murphy but they’ve added more to the pack.

Odhrán McFadden-Ferry and Finbar Roarty are excellent defensive options which will be a help.

In their defeat to Galway, Shane O’Donnell had to move to wing-back when Eoghan Bán Gallagher was forced off. Eoghan McGettigan and Eoin McHugh are others added to the Donegal squad.

The new rules will dominate this weekend more than the actual football. It leaves an air of uncertainty around it.

The fact Michael Murphy was part of the FRC will leave him well placed to spread his knowledge within the Donegal camp – another plus. He will have been digging deeper than most.

Michael Langan, Ciarán Thompson, Peadar Mogan, Murphy and Patrick McBrearty are noted long-range kickers that may give them an advantage with the new two-point arc.

Sunday will tell a lot more. Kerry’s exit to Armagh will have given them more time to think and they’ve Cian O’Neill in their camp who helped with Donegal’s demise with his time in Galway last year.

Gavin White has been named as the new Kingdom captain, they’ve lost promising youngster Cillian Burke to the AFL and there is chat the Clifford brothers – Paudie and David – will be handed a break.

There is more uncertainty in Kerry than usual but they’ll still lick their lips at the prospect of Donegal coming to town. It will be a game many neutrals will be keeping an eye on.