All-Ireland final: Donegal captain McBrearty dream of lifting Sam Maguire

One of the young guns in 2012 and ’14, McBrearty is now one of the experienced figures in the Donegal dressing room alongside Michael Murphy who was captain when they lifted Sam in the first of those finals.

“I’m very lucky with the time I came into the panel with the management involved and some of the team-mates I got to play with,” said the current captain.

“You’re only as good as the lads around you, so I’m very fortunate to be the young lad coming in and at 31, still at it.”

As the years pass, so too does the window for success and while the 2014 loss to Kerry still stings in Tir Chonaill, this weekend they have the opportunity to make up for it.

However, toppling the Kingdom is no easy task and with a star-studded cast in the Cliffords – David and Paudie – and Sean O’Shea to name a few.

McBrearty knows it will take Donegal’s best performance of the season to secure a third title in their history.

“These boys have contested lots of finals and they will have a hunger.

“They have a couple of exceptional players in their ranks there. They got a bit of criticism down in their own county, but they are there on merit and a top team, so we’re going to have our work cut out.”

Watch the All-Ireland final on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website from 15:00 BST on Sunday