Karl Lacey is thinking about the moment Donegal went back to the future. Without hesitation he finds it suitably positioned halfway between where they are now and where they were in 2012 – or the exact point when their All-Ireland went spinning off its axis.

Because for all the warnings and telltale signs it wasn’t until Mayo hit them with 4-17 in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final that Donegal realised they had no future, unless they got back to where they were in 2012: it was there, in the lonely dressing room of Croke Park on that Sunday afternoon, that team captain Michael Murphy told them as much.

“I think there were a few lads that had made decisions, in their own head, that they were gone,” says Lacey – although he wasn’t actually one of them. “But Michael, as captain, called all the players in, and it was just an honest talk between every single player, about where they were at. A few players felt they just couldn’t give it anymore, and we tried to get them to change their mind.

“We definitely thought there was another Ulster title in this squad, and it would be maybe something players would regret in years to come, if they weren’t part of it. Then Jim McGuinness met us and he told us what his plans were, and if anybody didn’t want to be part of that, to let him know within a week. That’s the way it was. In fairness, the same day he met us, every man stayed in the room and wanted to give it that push again.”

Along the way

However, Donegal had firstly to understand exactly what went wrong in 2013, and secondly, they had to be willing to address it. There have been some bumps along the way, too, such as former All Star forward Mark McHugh opting out.

“The problem, last year, was definitely more physical than mental. I believe that. Every player believes that. With all of the distractions that went on last year, we missed our whole pre-season. The hunger was there last year. Everybody meant good last year, but it just wasn’t in the legs and we just weren’t up to the physical battle.

“This year we’d two months of hard pre-season training under our belts. We’ve had a training camp as well, in Portugal, and got serious work done compared to last year.”

It’s certainly shown – not least in the way they won back their Ulster crown from Monaghan, a third title in four years. Armagh stand in their way of an All-Ireland semi-final, and a possible crack at All-Ireland champions Dublin, although another lesson Donegal are carrying from the past is the importance of living in the present – or in this case taking each game as it comes.

McGuinness has always preached that, and Donegal aren’t going to let that motto slip now, although Lacey does suggests there is an underlying sense that everyone is making an extra push this year, because not everyone might be back again for 2015.

‘No holding back’

“I think you’re going to say that most years, anyway. You’re not going to be looking at next year, by that I mean there’s no holding back anyway. I suppose there’s a few lads that are just at that age now, that after this year, decisions will have to be made between family and other commitments, and Jim, yes, he’ll have four years done. Maybe in his own head he’s made up his mind, but it’s something that he hasn’t spoken about. The only thing we’re focusing now is the quarter-final.

“I’m 29 now, going on 30, in September. Again, I don’t want to have any regrets, or look back when my career is over and wish I should have given it more.”

Meanwhile Cork football Ciarán Sheehan is poised to make his AFL debut with Carlton against Gold Coast.