Donegal have been dealt a significant setback for their 2027 prospects following news that defender Finnbarr Roarty has signed a two-year rookie contract with the Australian Rules football club Collingwood.
The twenty-year-old will make his first appearance representing his new club, Naomh Conaill, in this Sunday's Donegal Senior Football Championship final against St Eunan's at Ballybofey.
Roarty's departure follows a similar trajectory taken by Kobe McDonald earlier this year, who joined St Kilda after assisting Mayo in securing the Sam Maguire trophy in July.
McGuinness provided Roarty with his senior inter-country debut during the 2012 All-Ireland-winning manager's inaugural match back at the helm in January 2024.
A central figure in Donegal's Ulster championship triumph and subsequent run to the All-Ireland final that season, his exit will be keenly felt by the county.
The Gaelic Athletic Association previously ruled that a seventeen-year-old should not have featured and would have had to wait until the 2025 season for his breakthrough.
Roarty was named Young Footballer of the Year in 2025 before heading down under at the end of this month.
The move represents the latest chapter in a series of international departures that have impacted Donegal's future squad depth.