THE 2022 SEASON came to a disappointing end for Donegal in yesterday’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Maxi Curran’s side were defeated on a scoreline of 0-12 to 1-7 by reigning champions Meath, their bid to reach a first-ever All-Ireland senior final falling just short.

Neck-and-neck down the home straight, Emma Duggan stood up and dragged the Royals over the line. The Donegal players’ reaction at the full-time whistle said it all as they fell to the Croke Park turf in tears.

There is a feeling that this is the end of the road for a cohort of players — and perhaps Curran himself — with seven of the panel 30 or over with no shortage of miles on the clock at this stage.

Asked whether it is or if it’s too soon to say post-match, Curran admitted:

“You would have to feel it is. It’s probably the end of an era, alright. Nobody will probably be making decisions in the next day or two, but it’s probably getting close to it.”

“There are a lot of positives for the year gone as well,” he later added.

“A lot of younger girls have really stepped up. The likes of Amy Boyle Carr has blossomed into a fabulous footballer and is as good as what’s in the country for her age. A lot of other young players have got a lot of football this year. Hopefully they’ll be able to carry the can moving forward.”

Donegal led 1-3 to 0-3 at half time in just their second senior championship semi-final after 2018, Niamh McLaughlin’s penalty the difference at the break yesterday. The Royals had been poor up to that point, but kicked into gear at the start of the second period.

Eamonn Murray’s side lost Máire O’Shaughnessy and Vikki Wall to yellow cards, but managed to dig out the win. It was a repeat of this year’s Division 1 league final, and Donegal went home from Croke Park empty-handed once again.

Maxi Curran during yesterday's game. Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE

“Whether it’s Meath or whoever, it’s just very disappointing,” Curran reflected as his fifth year as manager came to a close.

“We know this team has a lot of miles on the clock and [is] very close to the end. We were very aware of that. Whether it be Meath or anybody else as the opposition, we just felt our chances are getting fewer and fewer. Today was a massive opportunity for us. We felt we were in with a real shout coming into the game and unfortunately we just fell short.”

Delving deeper into where he thinks the game was won and lost, Curran added:

“We had a period of dominance in the first half, where we had the lion’s share of possession. We kicked some wides and some short, and maybe ran into some blocks.

“Compare that to the Meath period of dominance at the start of the second half, where they scored six or seven points in that period. That was crucial for them and I think that’s probably the biggest difference in the two teams.

“They got their scores when they were on top and we didn’t. We had our periods, no doubt about it. Then when they got their noses in front, they’re always going to be hard to reel in at that point.”

Meath face Kerry in the decider on 31 July.