5 August 2018; Donegal manager Declan Bonner talking to his players before the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Quarter-Final Group 2 Phase 3 match between Tyrone and Donegal at MacCumhaill Park in Ballybofey, Co Donegal. Photo by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile
DONEGAL manager Declan Bonner says his team have to take their performances to ‘another’ level if they are to compete with the top counties in Gaelic Footbll.
Bonner feels that there were positives from his first year in charge, as he lead the team to the Ulster Championship title, and the Super 8s.
However, they came unstuck against Tyrone last Sunday, and missed out on the All-Ireland semi-finals.
He believes his men can improve next year, and has urged the county to continue raising their standards.
“Last week’s defeat was disappointing, but I feel we did improve this year, and now it’s about taking it up to another level.
“We had a lot of young lads that got valuable experience this season, and that will help them, and there’s still a couple of other lads to come in.
“We have to keep working and striving to improve. We can’t rest on our laurels.
“If you look at the teams in the All-Ireland semi-finals this weekend, they have all been on the go for a couple of years with a settled squad.
“We definitely have got closer to the top four or five, but we need to drive it on now.
“I’m not just talking about the senior team. It’s our development squads, Under 17s, Under 20s, and the County Board as well.
“We’re doing well, but there’s still plenty of scope to push it on, and we need a conveyor belt of talent coming through year in, year out if we are to compete at the highest level.
“Those counties at the top aren’t going to go away, and we have got to put in the work to catch them.”
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