DONEGAL hurlers have been hit by some high-profile departures ahead of the 2021 campaign.
Former Donegal captain Joe Boyle has retired from inter-county hurling, while Kevin Kealy and Davin Flynn have opted out for this year.
Donegal behind their 2021 season this Sunday with a Division 2B game against Roscommon in Letterkenny (1pm).
“We’ll be hard to beat again,” Donegal manager Mickey McCann told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub.
“We started most games very slowly last year, even in the Nicky Rackard final. If we can be more solid for 70 minutes, we will be hard to beat. Teams don’t take us for granted any more. They know we’re well capable on any day.”
Lee Henderson, McCann said, is ‘struggling’ to be fit for this weekend.
Donegal won the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2020 and will play in the competition again this year, with McCann’s side denied promotion into the Christy Ring Cup.
He said: “We were disappointed that we didn’t get into the Christy Ring after winning the Nicky Rackard.
“We’re relatively happy. Going into competitive matches, you just don’t know where you’re at. The real test will come on Sunday.
“We’ve only ever stayed there in Division 2B for one year over the years. It’ll be mostly Christy Ring teams there so it’ll be a test to see if we can compete at this level.”
Listen to the full interview below …
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