Downings ladies have the chance to become the first Donegal side to reach an All-Ireland Junior final today (Sunday) when they welcome Kildare and Leinster champions Kilcock to Pairc na nDúnaibh (throw-in 1pm).
After becoming the first side from the county to win the Ulster championship, they will now aim to be the first Ulster team to make the All-Ireland since 2017 when Monaghan side Corduff were beaten finalists.
The buzz is once again growing in the Gaeltacht area but team manager Barney Curran, pictured right, has his side fully focused on the game.
“It would be huge to get there but once you get there you’ll do anything to win it. But there are all them facts going about of the first team to do this and that but the main focus for us is to try and keep it under the radar.
“It’s hard to do that because every time you go into a shop you’re chatting about it. There are flags being put up, bunting being put up and the club has a big draw going on the same weekend, there is a lot of hullaballoo going about but we’re trying to enjoy it and also do a job which is to get to this All-Ireland final one way or the other.”
The Downings side met up for the season in February and while the Junior ‘A’ title was a priority, they didn’t speak about it until the championship began.
And there certainly wasn’t much talk about any sort of Ulster push or All-Ireland semi-finals, which is now a reality.
Curran said: “The first eight to ten weeks was about getting everyone to the one fitness, we got a core base of fitness then worked on football since.
“They had underperformed the last couple of years and people said they should have been out of Junior before this but they really put their shoulder to the wheel this year and worked hard and every game it was no such thing as a Junior title, it was all about the next game.
“You keep having to refocus and you’re saying ‘there’s one more game, there’s one more game’ and you don’t even want to mention an All-Ireland final.”
That Ulster final triumph was always going to mean more with a home semi-final up for grabs, and Leinster champions Kilcock are the opponents in the final.
Downings had a slow start in their Ulster semi-final win over Eoghan Rua of Coleraine when at home, with a big crowd in attendance and Curran will be hoping that the home advantage spurs the side on rather than adds any nervousness.
“It’s hard to get your head around the fact that you have an All-Ireland semi-final in your own pitch. You don’t have to travel, you’ll get a good night’s sleep and breakfast in your own house the next morning.
“They’re playing on the pitch they’ve played on all their lives and they’re playing with the girls they have played with all their lives, it’s just about getting over that bit of nerves and turning it into nervous energy and excitement.
“There will be players that the nerves will overwhelm them, it happens in women’s football and in men’s, you hear stories of the 1992 team and different players filled with nerves and it’s no different to them, it’s just about how we manage it.
“The first ball comes in and it’ll be all about the next one after that, we’ll have a system of play and then it’s focus on outworking the opposition and where to be when you don’t have the ball.
“But I know if it was me going into someone else’s backyard for an All-Ireland semi-final I would have my outfit really dialled in for it so we’re expecting one hell of a battle when they come to Downings at the weekend.
“There’s a video from their Leinster final and I’ve watched it about 15 times and I don’t know what I’ll do with them!
“But sometimes you’re better not seeing who you’re up against and focus on yourself as much as possible and nail down what we do best, then if we get the match-ups right that will hopefully get us over the line.”
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