But it may well be a blessing in disguise for the county, giving this group of players a chance to re-group and grow again.
The team travelled to Kerry on Sunday to face a side heading for the semi-finals of the Tesco Homegrown Championship.
And once again Donegal showed they can hold their own against the top teams in the country.
The Kingdom rounded off their group campaign with a 3-12 to 3-6 victory against already-relegated Donegal.
Patrice Dennehy, Louise Galvin and Sarah Jane Joy netted for Kerry, who led by 1-8 to 1-1 at half-time, as Aisling Cunningham scored a hat-trick of goals for Donegal.
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