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Donegal captain Niamh McLauglin says they are ready to take on the Rebelettes

Donegal's Niamh McLaughlin is relishing their clash with defending champions Cork in Saturday's Division One semi-final in Tuam
Donegal's Niamh McLaughlin is relishing their clash with defending champions Cork in Saturday's Division One semi-final in Tuam Donegal's Niamh McLaughlin is relishing their clash with defending champions Cork in Saturday's Division One semi-final in Tuam

Lidl National Football League Division 1 semi-final: Cork v Donegal (today, Tuam Stadium, 3pm live on TG4)

DONEGAL captain Niamh McLaughlin says they are ready to go toe-to-toe with defending league champions Cork in this afternoon’s Division One semi-final in Tuam.

The Tir Chonaill girls are relishing the opportunity against the holders, who are aiming to reach their 12th final in 13 years (excluding last year) in their bid to reach a first final since 2017.

Maxi Curran’s side have shown impressive form in their three games with victories over Westmeath, Mayo and Galway and he has named an unchanged team from the one that started last day out against Galway.

Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald has made two changes with Roisin Phelan and Libby Coppinger coming in in place of Meabh Cahalane and Katie Quirke, the players who started against Waterford last weekend.

McLaughlin says they are trying not to think of this game as a league semi-final but as just another game, an approach they seem to have adopted well to so far.

“We are delighted to be in the semis. The format of the league this year meant that you had only two or three chances to get it right, there wasn’t the usual seven games so you really had to go for it right from the start. It’s mad to think that after just a few weeks here we are ready for a league semi-final,” said the Moville player.

“We are taking each game as it comes. There has been some transition in the team this year with a few players leaving, some former players coming back and younger girls coming on board for the first time too. But there are girls there who are now in the second and third years on the senior squad and they are coming through with those couple of years of experience.

“You have Dublin and Cork, and Galway and Mayo and we are not far away from those teams. We beat Cork in the league last year, got close to Dublin in the championship, we know we can put it up to those big teams and we are not afraid to, and we are looking forward to going toe-to-toe against Cork on Saturday.”

Dublin and Mayo will battle it out for a place in the final in the other side of the draw later this evening in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick (5.15pm)