Maureen O’Donnell: ‘Donegal will learn so much from Sunday’

If dejection at one that got away was the prime feeling for Donegal Ladies after running All-Ireland champions Meath to two points-there is still much to look forward to, according to an experienced and very astute analyst.

Maureen O’Donnell is a legend in Gaelic and soccer and, an All-Ireland club winner with Termon in 2014, played for Donegal for many years and there are few who know the Ladies game better.

And she is very optimistic that Donegal clearly showed by their display last Sunday in the Ladies NFL Division 1 final that they can go all the way this year. They recovered brilliantly from a bad start where they trailed by seven points and but for some wayward shooting at crucial times, would have come away with a national title. Meath ended up winning on a 2-8 to 1-9 scoreline.

“The girls themselves and maybe quite a lot of people from a Donegal perspective would be disappointed that they did not come away with a win especially when they were playing the All-Ireland champions,” O’Donnell said.

“But the thing is that Donegal have improved so much even from the start of this year’s league. They started off with a very weakened panel as Yvonne McMonagle, Niamh Hegarty and Tanya Kennedy were not there and Emer Gallagher is still out injured.

“So, they were relatively light going in at the start and Niamh came on in the second half and Emer will be back to add more strength to the back-line”.

“This was the NFL and I don’t think at the beginning of the year that they would have been in the final. They had qualified for the semi-final against Dublin, and they got the monkey off their back as they turned that game around completely. It made up for the freak goal Dublin got that beat them in 2020”.

Last season, Donegal lost out to Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final and then, in a separate competition, saw Armagh pip them to Ulster.

“They had won three in a row from 2018-2020 which is some achievement and Armagh had shipped some heavy defeats to Donegal, so they were out to make a statement,” O’Donnell added.

“Donegal will be hoping to get back that Ulster title. But there is nobody walking away from Croke Park on Sunday that would say that Donegal would not be in the running for the All-Ireland title. They showed that Meath could be toppled.

“Niamh McLaughlin is the playmaker and Nicole McLaughlin tries to find Niamh, but Donegal need to get the ball in a bit quicker to Geraldine McLaughlin and Yvonne Bonner because you could see that is where the damage can be done.

“When Donegal turned over the ball, Meath were on the back foot, but they just did not get the ball in quick enough. Meath play 15 behind the ball and it takes a lot of patience and Geraldine McLaughlin and Karen Guthrie got two incredible points, but they were shooting from very tight angles. It shows you the calibre of shooters.

“The level of fitness is very high at present and the girls are all working very hard and are so professional and are very dedicated. Meath and Donegal were up and down the field the whole time and that shows you the level of fitness of both teams.

“Everybody wants to play in Croke Park, and it is great that those League finals are in Croke Park as well.”
Overall, there is a real sense of optimism according to O’Donnell, and that’s something that can serve the team in good stead over the coming months.

“I spoke to Maxi Curran and Niamh McLaughlin after the match on Sunday and they were very deflated and disappointed,” O’Donnell added.

“But the thing about Donegal is that they are used to defeat but they will learn so much from Sunday. I would be very positive coming from that match on Sunday. It was a super effort, it’s a big stage to play on in a big final and against a big team like Meath. Donegal were just two points off, and that is very significant”.