Bláthnáid McLaughlin suffers season-ending cruciate injury
Donegal manager Maxi Curran says the absence of the Moville woman will leave a 'massive void' ahead of Saturday-week's All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin
Donegal senior ladies player Bláthnáid McLaughlin has suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The Moville woman was forced off in the early minutes of the TG4 All-Ireland SFC game against Waterford in Birr.
McLaughlin was carried off after only six minutes and it has been confirmed that she ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
“It’s a big blow, a killer for us,” Donegal manager Maxi Curran told Donegal Live.
“That’s her season done, unfortunately. Without a shadow of doubt, she is a massive loss to us.”
McLaughlin’s sister and Donegal captain Niamh sustained three ACL injuries and is now working as a physiotherapist.
Curran admits that McLaughlin’s absence leaves a ‘massive void’ in his side ahead of Saturday-week’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Curran said: “She had taken on the wing-forward role in recent times and is a real bundle of energy. It isn’t an easy role to play, but she got to grips with it and got her head around it. It leaves a massive void for sure.”
With regard to the rest of his squad, the Donegal boss says ‘everyone else is heading in the right direction’.
“There is a lot of ground to cover between now and the game,” he noted.
Donegal will play Dublin, who defeated Mayo 2-14 to 1-7 to win Group A, in the last eight. The victors from that will play either Galway or All-Ireland champions Meath
In the group stage, Donegal were 1-10 to 1-5 victors over Waterford before losing to Cork 2-12 to 1-10.
Last season, Donegal's All-Ireland campaign ended with defeat to Dublin in the quarter-finals, going down 2-12 to 2-17 in Carrick-on-Shannon and in 2020, Dublin effectively ended Donegal's chances with a 2-13 to 2-10 win in Cavan.
The most recent meeting of the sides came in March in the Lidl National Football League Division 1 semi-final, where Donegal struck late goals through Emma McCrory and Yvonne Bonner to win out 2-8 to 1-10.