DUNGLOE minor ladies manager Joe Boyle is anticipating a stern test this Sunday when they face Carrickmore in the Ulster Club Championship quarter-final.
The Dungloe minor side secured the Division 1 Championship crown at the end of September where they recorded a convincing victory over Aodh Ruadh in the decider.
The win marked Dungloe’s fifth successive minor title, reflecting the steady flow of talent coming through the club.
Joe Boyle is in charge of the group, with his backroom team consisting of Mark Clerkin, Jamie Sweeney and Benny McGee.
Speaking to the Donegal News, the Dungloe minor boss praised the work being carried out in the ladies game at the club.
“There’s a lot of work going on, a lot of ex players have gotten involved in the girls side of things and there’s a good interest.
“Years ago, the girls didn’t get much of a go at it, but now they’re getting an equal amount of training as the boys and it’s paying off.”
It’s been just shy of six weeks since the Rosses Park outfit last took to the field for that Championship triumph over Aodh Ruadh at the Donegal GAA Centre.
It’s been a lengthy break without any competitive encounters, which has been a challenge according to Boyle. But he’s operating with a committed and dedicated squad of players, who are hungry for success, and he commended the attitude that they’ve displayed.
“We’ve been training away, they’re a very committed bunch. We’re training but games are what we need and it’s very hard to get friendlies at this time of year.
“We feel that training is going well but we won’t really know until Sunday. They’re very committed girls. In the lead-up to our county final, they had their school prom on the Thursday before and every single one trained on Friday night.
“They’re very dedicated and it’s very easy to train them. If we’re training two nights a week, they’ll want a third night.”
Having claimed the silverware in Donegal, Dungloe will now represent the county at provincial level as they prepare for the start of the Ulster Minor Club Football Championship.
The Rosses Park side are no strangers to this competition, having competed in the previous four editions of the tournament.
They reached the Ulster decider in 2024, but they suffered an early exit last term where they lost out to Monaghan outfit Magheracloone.
There will have been disappointment amongst the group following that defeat, but Boyle is hoping that they can show what they are capable of this weekend.
“We played the Monaghan champions, Magheracloone, away last year and they beat us well. We only lost three players that are over age from last year’s panel.
“The girls got experience and they got a taste of it. They know themselves that they didn’t do themselves justice last year so hopefully we’ll perform a bit better on Sunday.”
Having competed in the competition every year since 2022, the Rosses club will be well aware of the challenges that lie ahead, with each contest set to provide a stern test.
Every side in the competition has earned its place on merit, having come through their respective county championships and will arrive with ambitions of going all the way. Dungloe know a number of the teams from previous meetings, and Boyle is aware the strength of the sides involved.
“There’s no easy games at this stage, we’ve come across a few of these teams in the Féile and things. We were up in Drumatee, the Armagh champions, at a seven-a-side tournament in May.
“They beat us in the final of that competition so they’re an excellent team. There’s definitely no easy games at this time of the year.”
Dungloe will commence their provincial campaign this Sunday afternoon when they face Tyrone outfit Carrickmore at the quarter-final stage.
The pair have met previously in this competition, with the Red Hand county club defeating Dungloe in the preliminary round back in 2022.
Dungloe will have home advantage for this year’s meeting, with the game set to take place at Rosses Park, where throw-in is scheduled for 2pm. Speaking ahead of the clash, Boyle viewed having the match on home soil as a boost, but recognises the quality within the opposition ranks.
“It’s definitely an advantage, we had close to a three hour bus journey last year. Home advantage means a lot but we’re taking nothing for granted.
“From reading about Carrickmore, they’re league and championship winners and they’ve been unbeaten all year so it definitely won’t be easy.”
