First things first. Who are the hungriest? Donegal, who have never won the National Football League title, or Derry, a side defending their crown in tomorrow's showdown at Croke Park?

Really, training has to be geared towards peaking for the championship. Still, a national title is at stake tomorrow and, while victory will not guarantee championship success to either side, it is a valuable competition and the game is there to be won. Having said that, losing will not be a disaster.

I'm sure the two managers - PJ McGowan and Brian Mullins - consider themselves fortunate to have had so many extra, competitive games to blood the younger players and this match is another highly pressurised one.

Also, a quite exceptional number of newcomers have managed to break through this season. Donegal's James Ruane and Brian Roper appear to be here to stay, while Derry have also unearthed David O'Neill and Gary McGill (ironically, both missing through illness and injury respectively tomorrow) and Sean Lockhart. A good winter's work by any standards.

But when you consider the impact which the injury to Joe Brolly, sustained in last year's League final, had on Derry's subsequent championship campaign, the respective managers will also be keeping their fingers crossed that nobody picks up any serious injury tomorrow.

During his playing days, Mullins was fiercely competitive; a born winner. I'm sure he has instilled the same competitive streak into his players but, at the end of the day, he also knows that the All Ireland title is the one that really counts and that surely will be his priority.

It is difficult to predict a winner. Derry would love to breeze through this one but, I feel, Donegal will possibly have the greater hunger. This is a title which has always eluded them and, certainly, over the last three years they must have felt their time had come But flosses to Dublin in 1993 (after a replay) and Derry last year will have taught them that nothing comes easily, especially when there is silverware at stake.

Donegal must also wonder if they will ever shake off the Derry monkey from their backs, having lost to them in the 1993 Ulster final and then in last year's League decider.

I was impressed with Donegal's performance against Cork, though. The Donegal players demonstrated a high level of fitness and, while their short passing game may not be particularly pretty, it is most effective. It is extremely difficult for an opposing team to counteract this style of play, to close down players and pressurise them into mistakes; especially when Donegal possess such athletes as Barry McGowan, Mark Crossan and the Heggarty brothers, Noel and Paddy.

Tony Boyle could be the key to a possible Donegal success. If there was an open transfer market, he would top the list of most managers. It doesn't matter, however, how good a forward is ultimately it depends on the service he gets from his outfield plays and, in this case, Donegal's tactic of delaying the ball in to Boyle and company is very good. This ploy gives the inside forwards the chance to lose their marker and make themselves available.

Nobody is fooled by Derry naming Tony Scullion in the corner back position; the only possible place he can line out is at full back on Tony Boyle, with Gary Coleman switching to the corner. Marking Boyle is not a task anyone will envy Scullion, but he has proven himself to be a consistently good defender.

As ever, the midfield battle will be crucial. Can any pairing hope to match the exploits of Brian McGilligan and Anthony Tohill? Not at their best, anyway. But I wonder if McGilligan and Tohill are at their best just yet. Both players have been troubled by injuries and perhaps we won't see them peak until the championship in another few weeks.

Brian Murray and Ruane impressed me greatly in the League semi final win over Cork, particularly the manner in which they outmanoeuvred Liam Honohan and Danny Culloty, a pair I hold in the highest regard. It would not surprise me if Donegal again congest this area tomorrow to impair Tohill's and McGilligan's influence.

If Derry have a possible weakness, it is in their half forward line. They possess plenty of ball winners, but very few genuine scoring half forwards and this art has remained very much the preserve of the full forward line, the likes of Joe Brolly, Seamus Downey and Enda Gormley.

The lack of scoring half forwards could well prove to be Derry's achilles heel and, into the bargain, they go into tomorrow's match without Dermot McNicholl and Gary McGill, absent through injuries. Derry are probably able to cope better than most other teams with enforced absentees, but it is still not an ideal situation.

Donegal have endured a long, long wait to be crowned National Football League champions. I believe they will do well around midfield tomorrow and, also, will manufacture the necessary supply in to Tony Boyle and, these reasons, combined with their undoubted hunger, could well ensure Donegal success.