Bláthnáid McLaughlin suffers season-ending cruciate injury

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.”

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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.