Nicole McLaughlin hoping for a St Patrick's Day to remember against the Dubs

Nicole McLaughlin isn’t getting too down about Donegal’s current NFL woes despite the team suffering five losses on the bounce. 

Maxi Curran’s outfit currently sit bottom of the pile in the LGFA’s top tier but no one close to the set up is panicking. Indeed, anyone that has remotely followed Donegal’s fortunes in recent times will understand that there are other variables at play here.

Curran seems to have placed most of his eggs in the one basket in 2023 - the championship one. So many of last term’s All-Ireland semi-final starting XV have yet to kick a ball for Donegal this term. 

Karen Guthrie, Yvonne Bonner, Geraldine McLaughlin, Deirdre Foley ,Niamh McLaughlin and Niamh Hegarty, all star winners and past nominees, are still underwraps as we pass the midpoint in March. Katy Herron only appeared off the bench last time out in Cork. 

It remains to be seen just how many of the above will be back in tow, with Curran keeping those cards close to his chest. Regardless,  Donegal will still be a much different proposition come summer. 

For the time being, the likes of McLaughlin, Emer Gallagher and Evelyn McGinley have probably had to carry even more responsibility in regards to mentoring such a new and fresh crop along.  

Despite the results, that process was moving along in encouraging enough fashion until their recent trip to Cork where Donegal were ruthlessly put to the sword on a scoreline of 5-11 to 0-1. 

“We definitely have approached the league in a certain way but the intention is to still go out there and do our best to win games,” McLaughlin said. “There are a few of us older girls in that mix and… I don’t know if it’s like you say, a mentoring kinda effort but, ultimately, that’s the sort of role it probably does become. 

“You encourage and you try to coax it all along. I mean, I might well be five, six, seven or even ten years older than some of the new girls! Take the last day out of it and there has been so much to be positive and optimistic about. 

“Those other losses, you’re looking at them at the time and putting those late tail offs down to inexperience and perhaps conditioning at that level. Girls at 16, 17 and 18 are doing absolutely brilliant in that kind of environment. 

“Cork was a hard knock for everyone - even us older girls. Whatever it is about going down there, we’ve had a few days like that at the hands of them over the years. The journey back up, the distance, that all probably makes it that little bit worse because it’s hours of reflection”.

She added: “There is a bigger picture but that doesn’t make losing games of football any easier. It’s a learning curve. And I know everyone is taking so much from it. It’s all part of integrating at that level, senior intercounty football”.

Taking all of that into account, and knowing that the personnel landscape will slowly begin to change over the next number of weeks, you believe McLaughlin when she says Donegal won’t find it too difficult to close the door completely on this NFL campaign when it is eventually time to move on. 

“Regardless of what happens now in these last two games, we’ll draw a line under things and quickly look to move on. What goes on in the league never has any real bearing on championship or summer. It’s night and day really, the contrast.

“And no disrespect to the league but so many things change once you turn your attention in that direction.  Maxi, from the very off before a ball was even kicked, explained in detail what the aim was for the league and what we want to get out of it. And the truth is we’re ticking many of those boxes as we go”.

Donegal can still rescue their Division 1 status, if they can win their final two games. They welcome Dublin to Letterkenny tomorrow, St Patrick’s Day before finishing off with another home clash against Mayo. 

McLaughlin says Friday’s clash against the Dubs - a game live on TG4 - should see plenty of colour and noise brought to O’Donnell Park. 

“Yeah - it’s exciting and we’re all looking forward to it. It’s St Patrick’s Day, there should be some atmosphere to the occasion. It’s live on TV but hopefully people will use the free day as an opportunity to get out there and get behind the team”.