Michael McMullan: Mixing all the key ingredients

I was chatting to Glenswilly man Gary McDaid last weekend who was coaching Sleacht Néill in the Derry Championship.

As he walked down the Owenbeg tunnel, I told him Glenswilly were five up on Naomh Conaill with five minutes to play.

His eyes lit up.

Like many others, I tipped the champions for a return to another final.

In a weekend of surprises, it looked like the Glenties men were on the wrong end of the latest shock. Except they weren’t.

By the time I had my tae poured and scanned X again on my phone, Naomh Conaill had forced extra-time.

Shea Malone and Odhrán Doherty kicked a two pointer apiece before Ciarán Thompson scored an equalizer.

It was like the time Gowna nearly had them away in Ulster one year only for Thompson to force a sideline ball that led to Kevin McGettigan’s winning goal.

They are one of the ‘Fergie time’ examples withing the GAA. That night in the Camp Nou in ’99 when they sunk Bayern Munich.

For a team that didn’t win a championship until 21 years ago, their progress since, to fourth on the roll of honour, has been nothing short of exceptional.

That’s why I gave them a puncher’s chance of beating Scotstown in Clones last year in Ulster.

I am always intrigued by teams who keep on regenerating. While Kilcoo footballers and Loughgiel camogs face into a longer winter than usual, they’ll still be the codes to crack next year.

What also jumps out about Naomh Conaill over is how they’ve reinvented themselves.

When St Eunan’s edged them out in the 2024 quarter-final, many across Donegal were writing their obituary.

Much of it was based on questions about how they’d operate under the new rules combined with their aging profile.

That’s why their 2025 success must have been sweeter than any of the previous seven.

When I think of last year, their doggedness came back. And with it came the silky skills they don’t always get the credit for.

I was listening on the radio to last year’s semi-final. When I left a game in Dungiven, Termon appeared to have Naomh Conaill number.

As I drove down the Glenshane Pass, the tone of Diarmuid Doherty and John Gildea’s voices were changing on the Highland Radio commentary. It was happening again.

A goal from Max Campbell was the boost they needed. By the time I was pulling into driveway at home, Finnbarr Roarty had notched the winning point.

In the final, Gaoth Dobhair looked to have the job done until Shea Malone pulled the trigger on a two pointer, an outside of the boot spinner. The Glenties men were on their way to lifting Dr Maguire once again.

As I sipped my brew on Sunday, I pondered how Martin Regan has the greatest gift of all, a group that just keep on playing.

If it happens once, it can be luck. This isn’t luck. Like Fergie’s 1999 Man United group, they simply refuse to throw in the towel. With that, they’ve always a chance.

Fresh faces

It’s much more than that. Regan has kept a freshness by bringing in new talent every year.

Roarty and Campbell were the young players they graduated from underage in 2025. Malone is older but was a latecomer after his spell playing soccer. That’s three new players in one season. The fifth of a team.

Few people outside Donegal have heard of Daithi Molloy but the teenager is the latest addition, coming in this year. Age is irrelevant. Regan felt he was ready, so in he went.

Then you have Shean Roarty, brother of Finnbarr, who was playing for the club’s third team last season. He was the man entrusted with marking Michael Murphy. That’s one serious vote of confidence.

Speaking at the Ulster Club launch last autumn, Regan spoke of the value in having the reserves and seniors winning county medals on the same county final day.

He has the same opinion as Mickey Moran had in both Kilcoo and Sleacht Néill. The reserve player is every bit as important as the player getting the plaudits at senior level.

In Naomh Conaill, the fact they use their third time to give players games to bed in is invaluable. It ensures there is a wider base to build a taller pyramid.

Clubs all too often hang on to players too long, at the expense of losing some of their promising young talent who don’t want to sit around and wait.

In my opinion, a club needs to introduce two or three players every year, whether they are needed or not.

Perhaps this is the difference in Martin Regan and some managers coming in from outside a club. Regan is thinking what the Naomh Conaill age profile will be like in five years’ time.

Even the style of their play demands energy. It’s about width leaving gaps to hit teams on the break; with the pace a Finnbarr Roarty offers.

They also have the footballers to kick scores from the fringes too.

There is still room for players like John O’Malley, Brendan McDyre and Anthony Thompson. Getting the age profile is so important.

Look at the three players who dug Naomh Conaill out of their tight spot last weekend. Shea Malone was plucked from soccer because they knew he had something to offer. Odhran Doherty is from the mid-20s group. Ciarán Thompson is in his prime, heading towards 30.

If this is a snippet of the balance Naomh Conaill are bringing to every battle, then they are going to have the longevity that will ensure they are regenerating every year.

When we add in their absolute refusal to accept defeat, you soon get a picture why the Glenties men are the team to beat every year.