Croker experience will help us, says McLoone

Donegal’s Leo McLoone insists the Ulster champions will be better prepared for the task at hand when they return to Croke Park for a second successive shot at the All-Ireland series.

Jim McGuinness’ side didn’t exactly do badly this time 12 months ago: edging Kildare in a quarter-final that morphed from rubbish to revelatory by the time extra-time ended and then falling two points short of Dublin in the last four.

“Our time out in Croke Park last year will definitely have helped,” said the Donegal forward. “We are used to the surroundings and so on. Going forward we would hope to go a step further and you’d never know what will happen.”