MAXI Curran hailed his new-look Donegal ladies side after a useful win over Westmeath.
Without the likes of Yvonne Bonner, Ciara Hegarty, Eilish Ward and Deirdre Foley from their ranks, Donegal blooded some new faces.
“It went a bit unnoticed, but seven of the 18 players who played against Dublin are no longer with us,” Curran pointed out.
“That’s a huge chunk of a team and we want to make that transition as seamless as possible.
“It will be a real sprint of a season for everyone and you have to start fast. Staying in this League is a big priority for us and we have a lot of young girls who’ll need the experience of playing in Division 1.”
It took some time for Donegal to get to grips with the game, although McLaughlin’s goal in the first minute gave them an edge.
Donegal reeled off 1-6 in a row to put the issue to bed in the second half.
Curran said: “People were off-script in so many areas in the first half. We rushed things and tried to force it inside when it wasn’t on. That settled as the game went on and we got a bit more composed. We made better use of the possession we had.
“We just did silly things that are unbecoming of girls of that experience. We added a bit more pep to the performance in the second half.”