Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1490162
16 | WINTER 2022 / JANUARY 2023 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie "Emma as well being so young, unfortunately I don't think we've seen the best of her yet! She was on the winning team against us twice this year. Two very, very good players and I'm sure they'll be back at their best again next year and in the years to come." What makes this award extra special for McLaughlin (and the same is undoubtedly true for all the previous winners) is the fact that it is the players themselves who decided that she was the stand-out performer of the year. "That's definitely the nicest thing about it. Even just chatting about it to different people, it just makes it all a wee bit more surreal. You want to be playing against the best players and the teams that we played against every year, you always have your great battles with them. To get the players' vote definitely makes it a lot more special." By being named the Players' Player of the Year, McLaughlin - a community physiotherapist based in Letterkenny - has broken new ground. While Armagh duo Caroline O'Hanlon and Aimee Mackin have represented Ulster in this category before, McLaughlin is the first Donegal player to secure this accolade. It is a similar case in the GAA/GPA All Stars, with Karl Lacey (2012) being the sole winner of Footballer of the Year from the county. Given how rare it is for someone from Donegal - whether they be men or women - to "BY BEING NAMED THE PLAYERS' PLAYER OF THE YEAR, MCLAUGHLIN HAS BROKEN NEW GROUND... MCLAUGHLIN IS THE FIRST DONEGAL PLAYER TO SECURE THIS ACCOLADE.." be honoured for their on-field exploits, McLaughlin recognised how much it means in an overall context. "Those boys in 2012, they're still superstars. You see the guys walking about and what not or even the girls that won intermediate in 2010. In Donegal as well, the reaction has been so nice. All those PLAYER FOCUS