Donegal Ladies manager believes the harsh final defeats his side have suffered this year can only help as a learning curve for the team.
The Ulster finalists travel to Birr to face Waterford in their opening game of the All-Ireland group stage and will be looking to bounce back after their second of two tough final losses so far in 2022.
Donegal reached the final of the division 1 league campaign but were defeated by a two point margin to All-Ireland Champions Meath in Croke Park.
They then reached the Ulster final where they faced Armagh, but lost a four point lead in normal time, forcing the game to extra time. A late Kelly Mallon goal then gave Armagh a one point victory in extra-time.
But the Donegal manager has had to look at the positives and believes his side will be for the better with the tough losses they’ve suffered.
“Having gone so close it’s very disappointing to lose both, especially the Armagh game having been in the good position we were in.
“But you either win or you learn and I think that’s the big thing for us is the learning to take out of it, had we got over the line I don’t think we would’ve learned as much as what we have having been beat.
“Saturday it’ll be interesting to see if we can take that learning into the game.”
Looking ahead to the Waterford game, Maxi believes that winning the group has to be the aim.
Donegal are in one of three groups of three, with one group of four, and have been drawn with Waterford and Cork, with the four group winners facing the four group runners-up in the quarter-final of the All-Ireland competition.
Curran added: “The big thing is being in the quarter-final, that’s the first thing we’ve got to try and achieve.
“If we get over the line against Waterford tomorrow you’ve got a really good chance of making the quarter-final regardless of how the Cork game goes and then you’re looking at maybe beating Cork and topping the group.
“But it’s all about Waterford for this one. It’s a really big one, Waterford have caused us plenty of bother over the last couple of years.
“They’re the only division 1 team to end up in the third tier of the draw so they’re probably the toughest team we could have got.”
Maxi Curran spoke to Charlie Collins about the game:
Throw-in in Birr is at 5pm tomorrow (Saturday 11th June) and is live on TG4 with coverage beginning at 4.45pm.
