1: Sleacht Néill doing what they do best

At the start of the year, the club competed in the All-Ireland hurling and camogie championships but came up short in both. They were all set to begin their new season in the three codes, and try to get back to the top level until coronavirus hit. When action resumed they duly won the treble. To do so in a shortened season, with a quick turnaround between games was commendable. In all three codes they had battles on their hands. They had to overcome Swatragh, their neighbours in the camogie final. In hurling, Kevin Lynch’s were their opponents in the finals, and gave the Emmett’s a real test. But it was the football win that earned them the plaudits as Sleacht Neill had not won the John McLaughlin since 2017. The question was, had they lost their mojo? They had not, and manager Paul Bradley proved that Mickey Moran wasn’t the only man that could get trophies out of the group.

2: A return from the AFL

Conor Glass’s return to Irish shores because of Coronavirus was a reason for plenty of Derry fans to get excited. The Aussie scouts seem to have a real notion about lads from the Oak Leaf county. Chrissy McKaigue, Glass, Callum Brown and Anton Tohill are the most recent exports. McKaigue returned in 2012 after a two year rookie contract expired. Brown was noticed in 2017 and headed over in 2018. Tohill went out at the same time. Glass returned home this year because of the coronavirus, having spent four years in Melbourne. His return to Derry colours was a great boost for Oak Leaf fans who know that Glass would bring athleticism and great skill to the midfield sector.

3: City girls on song

Steelstown ladies won the senior championship this year with a 1-11 to 0-3 win over Ballymaguigan. It has been three years since the Brian Og’s girls won the title, but they did so thanks to a team that was bolstered with some young stars. Among their best performers were Ella Rose Sainsbury, Katy Holly, Orlagh McGeough, and Aoife McGough. But the reason why this win was important is that it further strengthens the GAA name in the Maiden city. Derry is a focal point for the county board. They want to see more athletes coming out of the city, and championship successes like this one will only serve to encourage more girls to play the game. It’s also worth pointing out that the mens team reached the Intermediate final.

4: Greenlough show character to win

There was dramatically less football action than usual this season, but Greenlough enjoyed a great success when they captured the Intermediate championship. Under the stewardship of Joe Cassidy, Greenlough battled their way to the final where they faced off against Steelstown. Thanks to the influence of Niall Loughlin, Enda Lynn and Brian McCallion they were able to win outright by 1-12 to 1-8. What made it so sweet for Greenlough was that they were able to battle back from a difficult position. Steelstown scored 1-2 at the start of the second half and led by 1-7 to 0-6. But Greenlough’s experience saw them through.

5: Money matters in the Oak Leaf county

The county board were delighted to announce this year that they have over £201k surplus in their accounts. Earlier in the year, there was a suggestion in the media that the county board had some financial troubles. Yet the release of their accounts at the end of the year suggests that the opposite is the case. They announced that they have paid off debts, and while their income was down, they still had a healthy financial situation. They also indicated that they have secured a facility of up to 300k of a loan using the favourable interest rates that are in place because of the coronavirus outbreak. They have not drawn down on said loan.