FROM a dour game on a heavy pitch both teams took away a lot to ponder. League semi-finals are like that. Donegal, who won by a point scored with the last kick of the game, find themselves at a distinctly familiar crossroads. Cork, who surrendered the momentum, find themselves in a quandary of self doubt.

Who wanted victory the most? Who wanted it the least? we had a right, judging from their prematch talk to assume that Cork were the hungrier. The league, we were told, was a serious business, this was one last lash for Billy Morgan. Donegal, having been to league finals aplenty in recent times including last year) and never having won one or taken too much benefit on into the summer, had a right to be doubtful about the bounty.

Yet when the afternoon took on a momentum of its own and those questions of motivation were set aside, it was Donegal who looked the hungrier and the more proficient. If PJ McGowan has doubts this morning about the value of another league final against Derry he can certainly reflect that his team's performance yesterday erased a few other more troubling worries.

Yes, it's true that Donegal had six successive wides at a key stage of the second half and that quite often they needlessly embroidered their attacking movements with superfluous passes and nervous solo-runs. Look at the credits, though.

In the absence of a few big names, Donegal learned a lot about themselves yesterday. On a wet, greasy day and a churning pitch they could have been forgiven for deciding that the gods had conspired against their style of play. Five years ago they would have done that. Certainly when Cork popped over an equalising free in the last minute of the game Donegal would once have thrown their hands in the air in open-mouthed surprise. Yesterday they adapted to the elements and scrapped as best they could. In the closing seconds of each half they doggedly snatched a point to restore a lead which they felt they deserved.

There were performances of note also. Tony Boyle, John Joe Doherty. Martin Shovlin and others all worked as hard as we have seen them work. More encouraging, however, was the energy and adventure which radiated from corner forward Brian Roper. One brilliant lobbed pass into the hands of the unattended Tony Boyle late in the first half hinted at a perception which Donegal forwards have long lacked.

In midfield, where Anthony Molloy's presence is still yearned for, young James Ruane did many small good things which ensured that Donegal broke even. Come the summer there will be better opportunities for him to display his languid athleticism and useful ball-carrying abilities.

And come the summer what will there be for Cork? Nothing less than an All-Ireland win will satisfy them this year. Something less than that seems like the limit of their potential at present.

Donegal didn't so much raise new questions about Cork as reiterate old ones.

There are times, usually when there is a quick and bright full-forward on the prowl, when you don't want Mark O'Connor to be minding your house. Occasions too when Brian Corcoran looks very uneasy. Midfield will always break even but won't scrap two or three points out of a close game.

Up front there is plenty of sizzle and not too much steak, except in the case of Colin Corkery where perhaps the opposite is the case. A forward line including Paul McGrath, John O'Driscoll and Mark O'Sullivan should be capable of more than five points from play on a big day in Croke Park. Suffice to say that the guts and dash of Steven O'Brien were badly missed.

Indeed when both teams reflect on their hour in Croke Park yesterday they will appreciate that Donegal should never have left it to the last kick of the game to secure their win.

They missed a good goal chance on 16 minutes when a long dropping ball squeezed through the grasping fingers of O'Connor and Brian Murphy in the full back line. Manus Boyle wound up with a point from the incident, but Cork knew they had been let off the hook.

Late in the hall, with the sides tied on four points apiece, Doneagal swept the length of the pitch with three quick passes. Finally the effervescent Roper took possession ahead of two Cork players about 40 yards out. Without a second thought he lobbed a fine ball towards Tony Boyle who was "smothered" by the Cork keeper before he got the chance to turn. Cork cleared carelessly.

Boyle was located once more and popped the ball over to give Donegal the half-time lead.

Critically, Donegal came out and scored the first two points of the second half. Roper caught and turned early on for a great score. Paddy Hegarty was fed by Manus Boyle for what might have been a goal minutes later. A three-point lead was as much as anyone could hope for in a sticky game like this. Donegal took a few.minutes out to enjoy it.

By the 15th minute of the second half Cork were on level terms, McGrath and O'Driscoll acting decisively from play and Corkery scoring from a free.

Donegal came to their senses, however. Tony Boyle had two good points following an extravaganza of wastefulness from some of his colleagues.

Two late frees almost undid them, however. Corkery, kicking impeccably from the ground, narrowed the gap with four minutes left. Then as the game was passing into injury-time, an embryonic Cork attack was disrupted by some interference on John O'Driscoll by John Cunningham and Cork gained 30 yards and a close-in free which yielded an equaliser.

Still beaming, Cork effectively watched as Donegal scooted downfield with furious decisiveness and found John Ban Gallagher who put a full stop on the end of the action.