Ulster exactly where you want to be: Kernan

By Michael McMullan

MAGHERAFELT coach Stephen Kernan has experience of the Ulster Club scene from his days with Crossmaglen.

He will take that into Sunday’s clash with reigning champions Scotstown in Clones.

Kernan joined manager Enda Muldoon and former manager Gavin Devlin in the Rossa management this season.

“The Ulster Club Championship is one of the best competitions in GAA,” Kernan said.

“We couldn’t look beyond Newbridge and it’s only since the county final that we have been focusing on Scotstown.

“Myself and Enda (Muldoon) had great battles between Crossmaglen and Ballinderry throughout the years.

“We place great emphasis on the Ulster Club and we want to give it our best shot.”

It’s Magherafelt’s first taste of the competition since they lost to Kilcoo in 2019 but Kernan insists this is the stage that clubs crave.

“Scotstown are Ulster Champions and are a team that’s got so many star-studded players,” he said. “it’s exactly what you want and where you want to be playing.”

As a multiple winner of the competition and having captained Crossmaglen to their last title in 2012, Kernan knows better than most what this time of the year is all about.

“We would have viewed it as the pressure was off,” he said of his playing days.

“We’d won the county title, then we were playing football for fun and I think that came across in the Ulster Club.

“Every single team in here (at the Ulster launch) right now, no matter what, on Christmas Day they’re sitting there as county champions,” Kernan added.

“All the teams are going to go out and give it a shot with freedom, with less pressure and that adds to a more attractive game.”

Bounced back

Kernan was full of praise for the Magherafelt players as they bounced back from losing the 2025 final. It was a third final defeat since they won the title seven years earlier.

“The boys showed great resilience to get over the line,” he said. “They played really well at times and made mistakes.

“Ultimately from where they were 12 months ago, to where they are right now, the entire community is very proud.

“They won an epic county final,” Kernan added. “Whenever you’re looking at all 32 county finals, you’re looking for the best two teams to put on a show.

“There were some mistakes and errors in the game, but they were honest and genuine. There was massive physicality in the game and a huge number of turnovers.

“Unlike a lot of football that there’s been this past decade, there was a huge emphasis on man-to-man tackling.

“We were dispossessed more than once, particularly in that second half. They (Newbridge) were wiping us out in man-to-man tackling.

“In terms of where we’re at, we’re so happy because we still performed well enough to win a game where we were under massive pressure.”