By Diarmaid Doherty
DONEGAL manager Maxi Curran says his players are ready for a serious battle as they begin their Ulster Senior Championship campaign on Sunday.
Donegal ladies are in a three-team group along with Cavan and Division Two league winners Armagh.
Playing in a round-robin format, each team will play two matches with the top two meeting in the Ulster Final at the end of this month.
Donegal start off with an away match against Cavan on Sunday in Breffni Park and the following weekend, they host the defending champions Armagh.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Curran said this week.
“We’ve two games over two weekends and then it’s three weeks until the Ulster Final on May 28. Our aim obviously is to reach an Ulster Final, but it’s going to be a serious battle.
“Cavan are a good side. They’re a Division Two team and we’re now a Division Two team. We’ve played them a lot over the past three or four years and we’re very familiar with each other.
“But they’ll have watched us drop into Division Two so they will be definitely sensing that they can beat us.”
It’s five weeks since Donegal’s final league outing against Mayo at O’Donnell Park where a disappointing defeat confirmed relegation from the Lidl Ladies National Football League Division One.
MAIN PIC: Susanne White of Donegal with Cavan’s Neasa Byrd at the media event ahead of this year’s Ulster Senior Championship
Since then, Curran says his squad has trained well and the full focus has been on the Ulster Championship and All-Ireland series.
He doesn’t dwell on the fact that Donegal remain without a host of experienced players who didn’t feature in the league campaign. Instead, he’s keen to talk about those players who have been with him, training hard and putting in such a big effort.
“The league’s over now. It was very disappointing, but we have to just accept that this is where we are,” he said.
“There were things that worked against us, but every team is the same. We had to make-do without Niamh McLaughlin because of injury and only got her back towards the end of the league.
“Then Amy Boyle Carr suffered a concussion injury which ruled her out for some games too.
“But the players have been working hard. They are looking forward to Sunday because whatever about the league, this is championship. This is the business end of the season.”
A win on Sunday would leave Donegal with one foot in an Ulster Final.
Last year, these sides met in an Ulster semi-final in Clones on a day when Donegal were way too good for their opponents. Susanne White, in for the injured Karen Guthrie, scored two goals and Yvonne Bonner scored a third in a 3-19 to 1-11 victory.
Donegal also won their semi-final meeting in 2021 and 2019 – although that year it took extra-time before Donegal advanced.
CAVAN v DONEGAL
Sunday, April 30, 2pm
Kingspan Breffni Park
VERDICT: DONEGAL
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