We need to play in Division 1 - Rodgers delighted at promotion

Donegal ladies captain Róisín Rodgers was delighted to make a return to Division 1 after three campaigns away.

Donegal endured a real rebuild since the departure of Maxi Curran in 2023, and they were aiming to push towards a return to the top ever since, but had fallen short in their past two campaigns.

A strong start this year gave them a good chance of a return, and they did so in O’Donnell Park on Sunday against Wexford.

Promotion had been the aim from the beginning of the season for the side, and while they have a league final to look forward to, the celebrations of a return to the top level were what mattered the most at the weekend.

“It was good to make it to the final and to win promotion, and we’re looking forward to playing in Division 1 again next year,” Rodgers said after the game.

“We have worked hard for the last two years to get back to Division 1, and now that we have achieved that, it is a good feeling and a reward for the girls and management for all the hard work put in.

“If you want to improve and move on as a team, we need to play in Division 1 against all the top teams. 

"We feel from the experience gained over the last two years that we are good enough to compete in Division 1.”

Donegal lost just two games in their seven outings in the league. After wins over Westmeath, Tyrone, Monaghan, and Mayo, they lost narrowly to Cavan in Fr Tierney Park and away to Tipperary the weekend before last.

That set up a nervy last matchday, as they knew that Tyrone, Mayo, and Tipperary were all less than a win behind and capable of overtaking them.

And while it was a winless Wexford side that came to Letterkenny, conditions were always going to make it tricky as they only led by 0-3 to 0-1 against a stiff breeze.

But James Daly’s side kicked on with the elements behind them in the second half to win by 0-11 to 0-3.

“We went down to Tipperary last weekend hoping to clinch promotion, and we were very disappointed to be beaten by a point. But we made no mistake there in difficult conditions.  

“It was really tough out there. It was really hard playing into the wind in the first half.

“But the girls did well, and we led by two points at half-time, which normally is not a great lead, but in the conditions and given the strength of the wind, we felt it was a big score.

READ NEXT: The resurgence of senior-level Camogie in Donegal

“So it was a matter of going out in the second half and using the wind, and in fairness to the girls, we did that and kicked a number of early scores in the second to pull away from Wexford.”

Donegal now face Cavan, in the Lidl Ladies Division Two final on Saturday week in St Tiernach’s Park, in Clones. 

“It is good to get to play Cavan again. They beat us in the earlier round by two points in Ballyshannon. We feel we did not play well that day, and now we are getting another chance to play them.”

But the most important thing for Rodgers and Donegal is that they are already looking forward to playing Lidl Ladies Division 1 football next season.