​Down Ladies committed to promotion with full focus on Limerick

​Donnelly is hoping to continue the good work achieved by former joint managers Peter Lynch and Caoibhe Sloan who stepped down at the end of last season.

Colm was involved in a coaching capacity last year so he decided to take the job on when asked.

“I knew the girls from my time there and I knew the potential was there and I knew the girls were committed,” he said.

Down suffered some devastating disappointments and some glorious victories last season – winning the Ulster Intermediate Championship on the first time of asking following promotion from Junior football the obvious highlight, but losing out on promotion to Division 2 despite winning five of their seven league fixtures was a low.

“We had a really good championship campaign but the Down Ladies team have been in Division 3 football for 10 years now so our main goal this year as a management team and as players is getting out of Division 3.

“Once we can do that the next plan is the championship. What happened last year was they lost the first two league games and that's happened two seasons in a row. We're fully aware of that as a new management team that the first league game is very important. We're putting all of our focus on the first league game and not thinking any further.”

That first league game is away to newly promoted Limerick on Sunday January 26, a repeat of the 2023 All-Ireland Junior Football Final when Down claimed the All-Ireland title.

“It's a very tough start to the league. Limerick have plenty of good footballers and the University is doing very well in ladies football. It's a very tricky first game away and we're taking nothing for granted.”

At the moment management are putting the panel together and with 40 girls at training for the last six weeks the job will be to whittle that number down ahead of that first league game.

Orla Duffy has left the panel to travel to Australia as has Ciara Byrne and Amy McGivern isn't available for this season and although they are big losses, luckily there are others to fill those places.

“There is any amount of talent in Down,” feels the manager. “There will be maybe five new girls for the panel this year. To be a county footballer at any level is a lifestyle choice. You train three nights a week and you can't go out at the weekends – you're getting ready to go training or playing a match – so it's a unique person that gets involved with county football and we have found a number of girls who are committed to that kind of lifestyle.”

The good news in terms of continuity is that Donnelly's backroom team is the same as it was under Peter and Caoibhe including Mark Poland as coach Conor McKeown goalkeeping coach and Amy Davis strength and conditioning.

“That continuity is important for the girls for the simple reason that we know what the girls expect and the girls know what we expect, which keeps the standards very high and keeps pushing on with the good work that's been done for the past few years.”

DOWN FIXTURES

Sunday January 26: Limerick v Down

Sunday February 2: Down v Cavan

Sunday February 9: Down v Laois

Sunday February 23: Louth v Down

Sunday March 2: Wexford v Down

Sunday March 23: Down v Offaly

Sunday March 30: Down v Carlow