BY DÁIRE BONNAR DONEGAL star Oisin Gallen believes the shortened season makes it physically challenging to stay at 100 per cent week-on-week. With the split season now, the Ulster Championship typically starts a month earlier and is usually wrapped up before it would have even started previously. It puts an extra strain on players with games […]
Rampant Donegal sink champions to net semi-final spot
Ulster SFC quarter-final Donegal 4-11 Derry 0-17 By Michael McMullan DONEGAL bagged four goals to dump champions Derry out of the race to win a third successive Ulster title on Saturday night at Celtic Park. Advertisement On a night when the home side were wasteful and unable to engineer a clear goal chance, Donegal’s four […]
Preview: Cavan have more than a puncher’s chance
Ulster SFC Cavan v Tyrone Sunday, Breffni Park, 4pm By Niall Gartland IN recent years Tyrone have been akin to a box of chocolates, so there’s an exciting sense of unpredictability about Sunday’s Ulster Senior Championship quarter-final clash against Cavan. The Red Hands were nothing if not unpredictable during the league; swashbuckling one weekend, dead […]
Galligan harnessing Cavan’s potential
By Barry O’Donnell RAYMOND Galligan believes that Tyrone’s loss is very definitely Cavan’s gain with Stephen O’Neill now a vital cog in his backroom team. In recent times there has been clear evidence that the Breffni County have a few rough diamonds in attack who maybe required some pearls of wisdom from a footballing sage to brush […]
JOE BROLLY: The litmus test
FR Liam McClarey, our team chaplain when we won the All-Ireland in 1993, had an audience with his Holiness the Pope in Rome last Thursday. Liam played on the Glack team that won the Derry Junior Championship in 1981. The competition is called the Joe Brolly Cup (after my late grandfather) and as my father […]
STEVEN POACHER: Down need variety for Orchard test
THE Ulster Championship last weekend felt like an extension of the National League – poor crowds, soft pitches and windy, wintery conditions. It was a far cry from the summer sod, when the sun is shining, the straw hats are out and the football is fast and intense. Down’s game with Antrim on Saturday was […]
Both teams will say it’s a tough draw: McFlynn
Paul McFlynn played in Derry’s 1998 winning team against Donegal and is part of the current management team. He spoke to Michael McMullan WHEN Paul McFlynn hoovered up a late Derry kick-out in the 1998 Ulster final, Donegal had one hand on the Anglo Celt Cup. Within seconds, Joe Brolly was blowing kisses, basking in […]
Diarmuid Baker: The ultimate underdog
Diarmuid Baker hurdled over every obstacle to fulfil his lifeline ambition of pulling on a Derry shirt. Shaun Casey writes… DIARMUID Baker didn’t get one minute of action last year as Derry captured the McKenna Cup, secured promotion to Division One, retained their Ulster title and were a kick of the ball away from the […]
McGuinness: Derry game is much more than mere ‘free-hit’
By Shaun Casey MICKEY Harte was always the Everest that Jim McGuinness needed to scale. Go back to 2011 before the Ulster and All-Ireland titles, before the All-Stars and Player of the Year awards, before one of the greatest turnarounds in GAA history. McGuinness’ first objective when he assumed the reins of his native county […]
MATCH PREVIEW: Derry’s impact men may tip the scales
ULSTER SFC Derry v Donegal Saturday, Celtic Park, 6.15pm By Michael McMullan WHEN the teams emerge from the Celtic Park dressing rooms on Saturday, a whole 182 days will have passed since Derry and Donegal were pulled out of the hat together. Advertisement There was plenty of time for the Mickey Harte and Jim McGuinness story […]