GERALDINE McLaughlin has been confirmed as the Donegal senior ladies captain for the 2020 campaign.
The Termon ace, who has been one of the top performers in the country in recent years, will don the armband, Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub can confirm.
McLaughlin scored eight points in Saturday’s win over Waterford in Dungarvan and posted 1-6 in the previous weekend’s defeat to Mayo.
Donegal have won back-to-back Ulster Ladies SFC crowns and McLaughlin will be the skipper for the three-in-a-row bid.
“Geraldine will be our leader for this year and it was a rather simple decision,” Donegal manager Maxi Curran said.
“You watch other sports and other teams, captains come in all shapes, sizes and guises. Some are talkers and some are walkers.
“Geraldine is a girl who leads from the front. Her performances over the years have singled her out as a leader.”
Remarkably, McLaughlin was overlooked for an All-Star Award for the fifth time in 2019.
McLaughlin plundered seven goals and 33 points across Donegal’s five Championship games. McLaughlin’s 2019 haul included a stunning 14 points in Donegal’s 0-24 to 2-13 extra-time win over Cavan in the Ulster semi-final. McLaughlin caught fire that night in Killyclogher to inspire Donegal to an Ulster final berth.
In the final, when Donegal soared to a 5-12 to 1-9 success over Armagh, McLaughlin bagged 2-4 – the same total she scored in the opening win over Tyrone.
Curran said: “More often than not, Geraldine has pulled us out of the fire with scores. But, apart from that, Geraldine trains very hard and she takes her game seriously.
“That’s the most important thing. You want your leader to be a girl that the others look up to and aspire to be. She does that. Her investment and what she puts in is second to none. We’re very fortunate to have her.”
