Sligo captain Sinead Regan insists Sligo are capable of competing with anyone as they prepare for the start of the All-Ireland Junior Championship.
Sligo are part of the Irish national team after a successful season in the Fourth Division, which saw the team reach the semi-finals.
During the season the team won against Leitrim from Connacht, who were the All-Ireland mid-table champions last year.
After a tense defeat to Fermanagh, who also won the Irish Championship last season, Regan sees no reason why Sligo cannot compete with the best.
“There's not much difference between many of these teams. We've been losing by the smallest margins in the league on a regular basis over the last couple of years.
“The fact that we were able to beat Leitrim this year and draw with Fermanagh in the semi-final shows that we are very close to our goal.
“We are looking to learn from the successes of these teams this season. Look at Leitrim, a small county like us, our neighbours – they did a fantastic job winning the play-offs and getting promoted to the top flight.”
The Sligo team included Derry, Limerick, Kilkenny and Louth, and All Ireland's hopes were often dashed in tense matches and decisive moments.
Under the new management, the emphasis is on process management and control.
For Regan, it may not be a 'now or never' moment, but she is determined to make this a successful year for Sligo.
“We have been on the verge of success for the last couple of years, but we couldn’t take the final step.
“This year, we want it to be our year. We want to overcome this obstacle. Every year we say 'next time,' but we want this to be our year.”
“There are several girls on the team now who have gone a couple of years without winning, and their ‘next years’ are running out.
“We try to focus on the little things and the details. We've had problems with slow starts in the past, so we're looking to get off to a good start, be consistent in the games and see them through to the end.”
“This season, new management brought fresh ideas.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
