DONEGAL’s Katy Herron says she is embracing every day she gets to don her county jersey and take to the field for a championship clash.
The Ulster champions will host Dublin in Ballybofey on Sunday (2pm) in the last of the four TG4 All-Ireland senior quarter-finals down for decision this weekend.
Herron, who is one Maxi Curran’s most senior and experienced players, herself admits that after a tough league campaign that saw them relegated from Division One, how they have turned their season around in the championship has been incredible, almost unbelievable.
“Obviously, nobody saw this coming if you look back at how the league played out,” said the 33-year-old.
“I know playing in Division One is where every player wants to be, but that transition period is coming at some point and we will have to start again.
“There are a number of us keeping the average age pretty high at the moment and that 'one more year' can't go on forever. I'm really enjoying taking every moment as it comes this year and not having huge expectations.
“We've been guilty of putting too much pressure on ourselves to deliver in previous years and we have failed. Now we are embracing every extra day we take to the field and it's pretty refreshing,” she added.
As the league results each week continued to read loss after loss after loss, Curran and his players stuck at the job in hand and entered the summer hopeful of turning a corner.
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They did record their first win of the season with victory over Cavan in the first round-robin game of the Ulster championship, but they then fell short against Armagh in the second game, although their place in the final was booked.
The Ulster final, well no-one except maybe the Donegal camp and those close to them, expected anything other than an Armagh win, but spurred on by few returning familiar faces, Donegal raided the Orchard and claimed their first Ulster title since 2019.
The All-Ireland series began with a win over Waterford, who had defeated them in the league and that was followed up by a superb victory over defending All-Ireland champions Meath to claim top spot in the group and guarantee a home quarter-final.
Then Dublin were pulled from the bowl, a repeat of their quarter-final draw of the last two years, and neither county will forget how last year’s panned out, Donegal with a smash and grab right at the death to knock-out Mick Bohan’s team.
Herron is sure what happened last year, despite changes in the personnel on both teams, will not have gone unmentioned in the Dublin camp.
“No draw was going to be easy at this stage and Dublin are a team we've had our fair share of battles with so it will be an interesting tussle.
“Both teams have had a bit of player movement over the winter and there is a lot of fresh faces in both sides that haven't been involved in the previous two quarter finals, whereas for some of us we have been well acquainted over the years. It's nice to have home venue in such a big game and hoping for a big crowd to add to the atmosphere.
“I'd be sure last year's game has been spoken about in the build-up. We’ve always respected Dublin as a team and I'd like to think we've earned that respect back but there is always that bit of vengeance towards the team that ended your dreams. Mick [Bohan] is a proud man, and he has taken Dublin to great heights, we are aware of what's coming. This will be a challenge we haven't yet faced but we are in a good place.”
With any of the eight remaining teams capable of going all the way in a very open All-Ireland championship this year, it will be interesting to see who comes through as the eight are whittled down to four. Will Donegal be there?
“Very honestly, only time will tell. If the right version on Donegal show up, anything is possible,” added Herron.
