Donegal confident on Guthrie fitness ahead of Ulster final

Karen Guthrie is expected to be fit for Donegal’s Ulster Ladies TG4 Senior Championship final meeting with Armagh in Clones on Sunday, throw-in 3:45pm.

The versatile Guthrie missed Donegal’s 3-19 to 1-11 win over Cavan, the weekend before last through injury.
“Karen is back training and we will know better how she is going after training,” the Donegal manager, Maxi Curran, said yesterday afternoon, Wednesday.

“If we had been playing the All-Ireland the last day we would have probably played her so it was a more precautionary decision than anything else. We are fairly confident she will have benefited from extra two weeks recovery and I expect she will play a part on Sunday. If she does not start she will be introduced at some stage.”

Susanne White from Killybegs deputised and scored 2-3 in five-star performance in the front line of the attack alongside current All-Star and scoring hot-shot Geraldine McLaughlin, who kicked nine points, with Yvonne Bonner adding the third goal.
“It is not everyday you go out that a replacement ends up your top scorer,” Curran said. “Susanne took her goals well and had an overall good game and she put her hand up for a place in the starting team for Sunday.”

Sunday’s final is a rematch of last year’s final won by Armagh by the slimmest of margins, 3-12 to 3-11. Donegal’s bid for a fifth Ulster LGFA title in seven seasons ended in heartbreak as they got back level from nine points down only to lose out to Armagh by a single point in today's final at Healy Park.

The Orchard County were also provincial champions in 2020, when Donegal opted not to enter the competition having won in three years in succession beforehand. The Donegal manager is expecting another close encounter this Sunday.

“This a 50/50 game and let nobody tell you anything else,” Curran added. “We may be the Division One team and Armagh are in Division Two. But they are much better than a second division team."

Donegal may have chalked up a big score against Cavan. But Armagh were none the less impressive in the 5-21 demolition of Monaghan, in the other semi-final. Full-forward Aimee Macken scored 2-5 of that total and Kelly Mallon alongside her in the left corner of the attack chipped in with 2-2.

“There is a lot of chat about Aimee Macken and her scoring," Curran added. "But Armagh are far from a one trick points,” insisted the Donegal boss who was at the semi-final win over Monaghan. They have quality all over the field and we are going to have to play to well to beat them.

Curran has reported a clean bill of health and a fully fit squad eager to chalk up a fifth Ulster title and first since 2019.