DONEGAL ladies manager Maxi Curran believes his squad has the capability to win an All-Ireland.
Curran is in his third year as Tir Chonaill manager.
This year, Donegal – who were beaten All-Ireland semi-finalists in 2018 – will go for a third successive Ulster title, but Curran says they have more in them.
Sharp-shooter Geraldine McLaughlin has been confirmed as the captain for 2020 and Curran will have a number of key performers to welcome back by the time the Ulster campaign comes around.
“I have made no secret of fact that I believe there is an All-Ireland in this group,” Curran told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub this week.
“We have been a bit unfortunate that we haven’t had a full crack at it with everyone on board at the one time. People are dipping in and out, you have a player and you’ll lose the next year or you’ll lose someone this year and gain them next.
“That’s the way it has been and I would hate that to be the epitaph for this team: That they had the talent and didn’t get over the line.”
Yvonne Bonner and Katy Herron will play in the 2020 Women’s AFL season, while Karen Guthrie is on a break, while there are others, too, who will be back in the fold for the summer tilt.
Curran said: “They haven’t had all of the best players at the same time. This is the golden generation for Donegal. Some of the key senior players are coming near the end of their careers.
‘We have lost Treasa Doherty, who was an All-Star a couple of years ago and Anna Marie McGlynn has also retired.
“I do believe in these players. I do believe that an All-Ireland is in them. That is the overall goal and the overall objective. If we invest and get resources in place, we feel that we can be as prepared as we can be. We feel then that we would have a chance.”
Donegal eked out a dramatic win over Waterford last weekend having been pipped by Mayo on match day one of the 2020 League. This Sunday, Galway visit Letterkenny as O’Donnell Park hosts a double-header with the ladies game acting as a curtain-raiser to the men’s fixture.
Curran said: “Short-term, we want to stay in Division 1 as we want the next generation to cut their teeth in Division 1. As a unit, we want to see if we can find a couple of players now going forward.”
