AFLW headache adds extra difficulty for Donegal LGFA in boss hunt - O'Donnell

Maureen O’Donnell says time is of the essence as the Donegal senior ladies squad look to install a new manager after the shock resignation of John McNulty. 

However, any potential replacement might well have to plan without the side's AFLW contingent of Niamh McLaughlin and Amy Boyle Carr with the AFLW season shift bringing it in direct line of the latter stages of the All-Ireland championships. 

The Donegal squad has officially regrouped for collective training and are scheduled to begin their league campaign away to Clare on January 26.

O’Donnell says McNulty’s departure has come at the worst possible juncture and it means the Donegal LGFA board has a real Christmas headache on its hands. 

“It’s a massive blow - the timing of it especially makes it a really difficult one,” said O’Donnell. It’s the mouth of Christmas, the girls are going back into training and it’s a really tough scenario. 

“You’re getting ready to throw yourself back into it, you think you have a management structure and the next thing you know, you don’t. 

“A lot of the squad is made up of young girls, and it’s a transitional period so it hasn’t just got to be a quick appointment it needs to be a good one. 

“And at this moment, club or county, management is a very difficult sell. And it has to be a snap decision which makes it even more difficult. 

Usually, someone steps away or these positions come up at the end of a season and people have time to mull it over or think about stepping up to take on that responsibility. 

“But the Donegal board are in the tricky spot now where they’re going to have to seek applications or even go looking themselves, set interviews and all the rest of the bases that need to be covered. 

“Like I said, it’s just a really difficult spot that they’ve found themselves in. 

The other thing is that some of the more experienced girls that might have been mulling over their own futures, this bolt from the blue might be the thing that makes them lean away from it completely. 

“It leaves the set-up in disarray”. 

O’Donnell also makes an interesting point in relation to the AFLW and its rescheduled August 12 start date for the 2025 season which, for the first time ever, puts it on a collision with the championship season back home.

And that could potentially have huge ramifications for Irish players like McLaughlin who has so far managed to juggle both AFLW and LGFA commitments. 

Another influential cog for the Donegal ladies side is Boyle Carr who has just completed her first season Down Under with the Adelaide Crows. 

And it looks like whoever replaces John McNulty at the Donegal helm could well be faced with an early headache over the availability of two of the team’s most experienced players. 

Moville’s McLaughlin has just re-signed for a third season with the Gold Coast Suns while Naomh Conaill’s Boyle Carr is also expected to continue her Aussie Rules journey in 2025. 

“It’s a clash that might well mean girls do have to make big decisions because the Australian clubs are also looking to get the Irish girls in even earlier for pre-season going forward.

"We'll just have to wait and see how that plays out. The two girls love playing for Donegal and I'm sure they'll explore all possibilities.  

“Niamh is our captain, a former Player of the Year, while Amy is still a very young girl but one with real experience and quality. 

“Up until now championship start dates suited and it allowed girls to step right off the plane and into the Australian season. But that’s not going to happen going forward. 

“And this isn’t going to just affect Donegal - the amount of Irish girls now in Australia is huge and it’s continuing to grow. 

“There were 35 last year alone and new faces are already starting to be announced by the clubs. 

“So the LGFA now has a real issue on their hands. The lifestyle and the chance to sample a professional environment, it’s a real head-turner. 

“I don’t think you could begrudge anyone that decides to opt for that. There is growing finance behind the whole thing all the time. It’s structured and detailed. 

“It creates a tricky situation for the LGFA going forward and it’ll be interesting to see how it approaches that. 

“But from a Donegal perspective, they’ll have to look to continue to move forward. It’s a very young group that I think has potential and can be worked with. 

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“Whatever the likes of Niamh McLaughlin and Amy Boyle Carr decided to do, good luck to them they are brilliant girls and brilliant ambassadors for Donegal. 

“The show goes on. The work here is to look long-term, and develop a team that can compete in the near future. That’s very attainable and reachable. 

“But the crucial hinge to all of that is getting a good manager in place now and as soon as possible.”