What Donegal need to do to progress from the All-Ireland round robin

The first two rounds in the All-Ireland are done and this weekend will see the temperature rise with high stakes as all 16 teams competing for the Sam Maguire have everything to play for. 

In the four groups of four, there are no dead-rubbers as yet, as, at worst, teams who have lost both of their outings thus far, can, at worst, finish in third.

If two teams conclude with the same number of points, the head-to-head result will determine their ranking. In cases where three teams have the same number of points, the score difference will be the deciding factor. 

The group winner will qualify directly for the quarter-finals, with the second-placed sides getting home advantage against the third-placed teams in the preliminary quarter-finals, which will be played the following weekend, June 22/23.

With that, here is a brief run through the teams in Group 3 of the All-Ireland series which contains Donegal, Tyrone, Cork, and Clare, and how each team can potentially finish, and what they need to do this weekend. 

Tyrone's 3-14 to 0-10 win over Clare - who had Darragh Bohannon sent off - in the fourth of the six fixtures in the group laid things bare before Saturday’s climatic two contests.  It's neutral venues for Donegal's clash with Clare, which will take place at MacHale Park in Castlebar, and the meeting of Cork and Tyrone, at O’Connor Park in Tullamore. The matches will be played simultaneously, with both starting at 3pm. 

There is no television and streaming coverage of Donegal’s fixture, with the GAAGo live from the meeting of Cork and Tyrone.

Donegal defeated the side managed by Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan 0-21 to 0-14 in Ballybofey to open their campaign, before going down to Cork on a 3-9 to 0-16 scoreline on Saturday. Cork started with a 1-13 to 1-11 win over Clare in Ennis.

Donegal beat Clare and Cork win/draw with Tyrone

If Cork picks up anything from their clash with Tyrone they will win the group. So if Donegal win against Clare, they will be guaranteed second place. 

Donegal beat Clare and Tyrone win against Cork

If Tyrone beat Cork and Donegal get the better of Clare, it means Tyrone, Cork, and Donegal will be all on four points, and will be separated by score difference. At the minute Cork are on +4, Donegal in second are on +5 and Tyrone are on +7, with Clare on -16. Therefore, Donegal will have to beat Clare by three points more than Tyrone defeat Cork, to rubberstamp top-spot.

If Donegal lose to Clare 

If Clare beat Donegal, they will also possess the winning head-to-head, which will leave both teams on two points. Therefore, Clare will want Tyrone to pick up at least a draw against Cork to seal third place in the group and Donegal would be out. If Clare and Cork win their last fixtures, Donegal, Tyrone, and Clare will all end up on two points, so score difference will decide who finishes second, third, and fourth, with Cork winning the group.

If Donegal draw with Clare

A draw will mean the end for Clare, with a point taking Donegal onto three, which will be enough for a preliminary quarter-final at least. If this is coupled with a Cork win, it will mean a second-place finish for Donegal; a draw in both fixtures will also be enough for Donegal to edge Tyrone into second place with both teams ending up on three points and Donegal winning the head-to-head, with Cork winning the group.