Donegal captain Niamh McLaughlin was happy to get over the line in what was a tough battle against Waterford in their first group game.
Donegal won by 0-10 to 1-5 in St. Brendan’s Park in Birr to give them a massive chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland.
After two points in the opening 10 minutes for Waterford, they would then see Maxi Curran’s side score seven points without reply as Donegal eased into a comfortable lead.
A missed penalty from Kelly Ann Hogan looked crucial but an Aisling Mullaney goal meant Donegal had a battle on their hands as Waterford got to within a point of their opponents with just over five minutes to go.
But Yvonne Bonner’s point forced Waterford to go long in search of a goal and Donegal defended well.
Player of the match McLaughlin told TG4: “We knew Waterford would come out, they’re really pacy team, they’re really strong and we knew they’d come at us.
“It wasn’t pretty at times but we got there in the end, everyone just dug really deep in the last 10 minutes or so.
The low scoring nature of the game can be forgiven due to the terrible weather conditions in Offaly, and the Donegal captain said that impacted the style of the game.
McLaughlin added: “There was a bit of a wind in the first half but we knew we’d have to be strong defensively tracking back the runners
“We’re glad we got the win, as I said it wasn’t pretty but we got the two points and that’s the main thing.
“The conditions were tough for both teams, it was never going to be fast flowing football and we look forward to Cork next week.”
Donegal face Cork next Sunday in Clane, Kildare for a chance to win the group.
