DONEGAL star hurler Danny Cullen says that he feels under more pressure than ever before to deliver in the championship.

The Tir Chonaill hurlers play Mayo this weekend in their Nickey Rackard opener. The Donegal men are the current Nickey Rackard champions having beaten Mayo in last year’s decider, so this weekend’s meeting with the Westerners will be an interesting affair.

The frustration for Donegal was that winning the title did not earn them a place in the Christy Ring competition, which they had originally felt was the case.

For Cullen, widely regarded as one of the best hurlers in Ulster, never mind in Donegal, winning the title this year is important.

“It is not like you are a young player any more. You know that your career is closer to the end so you may not have many years left. It feels like the thing is narrowing down, so the pressure to win is greater.”

The preparation for this year’s Nickey Rackard cup was good for Donegal as they maintained their status in Division 2B.

Cullen said: “We got a couple of good results. The main thing was to stay up. We blooded a few younger players on the team, we had good performances against Mayo and Derry.”

Donegal lost by just a point against Derry, a team who would have been expected to win comfortably.

“We kept plugging away in that game. Derry would be one of the teams that we would be at the level we want to get to. The standard (in Donegal) has risen a lot. It is very positive.”

Last year, Donegal won the Nickey Rackard and beat Mayo in the final.

Cullen said it is hard to know what they can learn from that campaign.

“Every championship is different. You don’t know what is going to happen on the day. It can come down to who gets the rub of the green. It is going to be tough for all the teams.”

The difference from last year is that Donegal do not have Joe Boyle or Davin Flynn, two hugely influential players.

“Joe has been one of the mainstays on the team and Davin has been one of the top hurlers in the country. They are hard players to replace but players have come in and stepped up to the plate.”

Mayo are a team that Donegal have enjoyed success against. They beat them in the league and last year’s Rackard final. Yet Cullen says that it would be a mistake to read too much into those results.

“They are a solid team. They are one of the teams that we are aspiring to be like. Last year was the first time we had beaten them in 15 or 20 years, certainly ever since I had started playing.

“As well as that they didn’t have Keith Higgins. He is a big player for them and he will bring a lot to their team.”

Nickey Rackard Cup Group A round one

Donegal v Mayo

Saturday, Letterkenny, 2.30pm

By Niall McCoy

IT’S going to be pretty hard for Donegal not to qualify for the semi-finals of this year’s Nickey Rackard Cup, but they will still want to lay down an early marker when they host Mayo on Saturday.

Leitrim are the other team in the group and the top two will make it through to the last four. Even if they finish bottom, they will have a play-off with either Tyrone or Armagh to reach that stage too.

Donegal had a massive 17 points to spare when these sides met in Division 2B a couple of weeks ago. That came on the back of a hammering against Kildare, so Mickey McCann wanted a reaction. Likewise, Mayo will want to show their true worth this weekend.

The Connacht side should also be able to call on a certain Keith Higgins who missed that league match.

Last year Donegal surprised Mayo in the Nickey Rackard final. A win here would barely raise eyebrows. Their attack is outstanding with Declan Coulter, Richie Ryan and Ronan McDermott all capable of posting big tallies. They have the firepower to all but secure top spot, even at this early stage.

Verdict: Donegal

PRESSURE… Danny Cullen is eager to win another Nickey Rackard title