Danny Cullen is on the comeback trail as he chases a fourth Nickey Rackard Cup

Donegal have a target on their backs this Saturday when they face Armagh in the first of their five games in the Nickey Rackard Senior Hurling Championship. 

That is the belief of one of the county’s finest ever hurlers, Danny Cullen, as Mickey McCann’s men begin their quest for a fourth Nickey Rackard Cup success.

Beaten finalists last year, Donegal will play five games over the next six weeks in their bid for glory.  

The top two teams at the end of the league format will then play in the championship decider in Croke Park. 

Following this Saturday’s opening tie with the Orchard County in the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Donegal will then play host to both Mayo and Monaghan, on successive weekends, before facing Roscommon and Louth away. 

Setanta clubman Cullen has recently returned to training after missing out on Donegal’s entire Division 2B league campaign as he recovered from shoulder surgery. 

The good news on the 36-year-old is that while Saturday’s joust with Armagh comes a week or two too early, he does expect to be back in the frame in the next couple of weeks. 

“I’m back in training for the last few weeks and it is now a matter of sharpening up on my stick work and timing,” he told Donegal Live.

“I had the surgery on January 7 and it went well and then it was just a case of rehabbing for a couple of months before I could get back out running and striking a sliotar again.”

The veteran - who is in his 20th season having first donned the Donegal jersey as a 17-year-old back in 2004 - has been more or less ever-present since with the exception of 2011 when he spent the year in Australia. 

“The boys did very well in the league and it would have been great to be playing too," he said. 

“But it was still good to get a break too from the game after the hectic schedule we’ve had between the county and Setanta in the last few years. 

“Both Donegal and the club were going well and it was a matter of going from playing with one to the other and I ended up playing all year round.

“So, from that point of view, it was nice to get the break and a chance to recharge the batteries. 

“I’m feeling really good and I’m back enjoying the training and looking forward now to just getting back out playing.” 

Donegal are the highest-placed league team in the Nickey Rackard after finishing second to Derry in Division 2B.

Roscommon are the only other side in Donegal’s group that played in that same tier. 

Mayo, Armagh, Monaghan, and Louth all played in Division 3, so expectations should be high inside the Donegal dressing room. 

“They will all see us as the team to beat and will target taking us down, so that is something we are going to have to be prepared for. 

“There are going to be no easy matches so we are going to have to go out and be on top of our game.

“It is a matter of taking it one game at a time and that starts this weekend against Armagh. Armagh will not be easy, especially in the Athletic Grounds.”