Newbridge are as hungry as ever says Hetherington

By Michael McMullan

REIGNING champions Newbridge are ‘itching to get going’ in the Derry Senior Football Championship, which kicks into gear this weekend.

That’s the view of joint-manager Gary Hetherington ahead of Friday’s clash with Kilrea.

The holders retained the John McLaughlin Cup last year having come through the backdoor after being shocked by Dungiven in the first round.

Their season came to an end in Ulster with a pulsating semi-final defeat at the hands of eventual winners Scotstown.

“We are keen and eager to get going again and see where it takes us. We’re just itching to get going again” said Hetherington, who manages the team alongside Kevin Brady.

They clinched a 12th senior title in the club’s 100th year in 2026. Despite their success over the past two seasons, Hetherington insists the mentality in the squad hasn’t changed.

Since day one, he stressed the eagerness of the panel to work and to learn. Whatever the management was selling, they took it on board with a thirst for more.

“Things like that haven’t changed at all,” he added. “People might say your hunger maybe diminishes a bit because of repeated success but we haven’t seen any evidence of that at all.”

Newbridge won the league and championship double last season but it was Austin O’Malley’s Sleacht Néill team who secured league honours this year.

Newbridge finished in fourth place but blooding more players was the main focus.

“We were conscious that we needed to start introducing them so that come championship time to know whether we could use them or not,” he said.

“Young Dylan McGreevy and Daniel Walls, I’d say each of them started 12 or 13 league games.

“Ronan Doherty has been in the panel the two years we were there but just wasn’t at the correct physical level.

“He has pushed on and really, really impressed. For those three players, the league was really beneficial for them.

“If we had the county men, they probably wouldn’t have got as much football.”

Newbridge joint-manager Gary Hetherington

Hetherington is a fan of the Derry league structure where games are played week after week, contrasting it to his native Tyrone.

“Everybody raves about the Tyrone league but it has been diminished this year because they’ve thrown in so many double weekends.

“Teams are just prioritising one game, so then the second one becomes meaningless.”

On the flip side, Newbridge have benefitted from being able to build their squad as they take aim at a third successive Derry title. The new players can see what level they are at, and they’re able to fit into the overall picture when the county players return.

Hetherington also insists last year’s opening-round defeat to Dungiven isn’t a particular point of focus.

“We haven’t mentioned it, all we’ve talked about is that we’re treating it as a knockout,” he said.

“We have to win on Friday night, and that’s the way we’re approaching it. If you lose on Friday night, then you’re going into a knockout game.

“No disrespect to the other teams but you could pick up the likes of Sleacht Néill or Magherafelt the following week, or a Bellaghy or Dungiven and then you are really under pressure.

“That’s where we’re focused this year, since the draw has been made – that coming under pressure early on is a possibility and we don’t want to go down that road.”