By Alan Rodgers

WHAT a difference a year has made for star Tyrone attacker Niamh O’Neill whose player of the match display in the All-Ireland Intermediate final on Sunday was in such stark contrast to her experience of the 2024 equivalent for the county.

A year ago, the Greencastle Sperrin Óg player was watching the action unfold on a TV set in Australia as Leitrim broke Red Hand hearts. But twelve months on, she was right in the heart of the action, scoring six important points as Tyrone defeated Laois on a 2-16 to 1-13 scoreline.

Those scores did much to clinch a famous victory for the Tyrone side, and they once again highlighted O’Neill’s resilience. For it could well have been easy for her to throw in the towel after three gilt-edged goal chances went a-begging in the opening half.

But all that was immediately forgotten. The next play came, O’Neill found her shooting boots in magnificent fashion and her forward contribution proved absolutely crucial to the success – Tyrone’s second at All-Ireland Intermediate level.

O’Neill was also involved in the 2018 win, and is now once more relishing senior action in 2026.

As one of the more experienced players on the team, she is also well aware of the future strategic challenges for the county as they aim to consolidate their top-flight status and ensure a steady stream of young players aiming to reach their potential in a growing game at club and county level.

“This was my second All-Ireland and it’s hard to know how it feels,” she said. “Like this time last year, I was thousands of miles away watching the final in Australia. To be back now, seven years on from 2018 and still playing and contributing to the team is amazing.

“The group is great and really deserves success. I’m delighted for all the players and the managers who have put in such great work. Hopefully, we will now be better equipped for senior football, although it’s not something that we’re going to be too worried about today (Sunday).

“Our long-term goal is definitely to be an established senior side and challenge for the main prize. There is a good group there now, they are talented and hard-working and if they can get a few years together then I’ve no doubt that they can push on.”

O’Neill was featured on TG4’s build-up to the game in a special programme on Saturday night and used her experience to devastating effect when it mattered most against Laois on Sunday. But she is also well aware of what will be demanded from the squad in 2026 and beyond as they reflect on this important victory.

“I’ve hopefully got a few years to play as well. There are a lot of younger players coming into the ranks and this challenges the likes of me to keep on top of things. It challenges you to get fitter and find new ways to stay in the team,” she added.

“Competition within a squad is very important, it keeps players on their toes and it’s a privilege for me to play with such talented players as Sorcha Gormley and Aoife Horisk at this stage. They will go on and do amazing things and hopefully I will be part of it.

“Hopefully, I have helped them on their way.”

Of course, O’Neill’s experience counted for a lot on Sunday, and she was understandably and admirably pragmatic about that first-half situation, which so easily could have seen her score a hat-trick of goals.

She could afford to laugh at the missed opportunities, but on a serious note wasn’t going to dwell on them.

“We dominated the first half, only just not on the scoreboard. It was looking like we were going to go in at the interval a point or two down. But even at that, we never looked like panicking, or that the game was going away from us.

“The team just stuck at things. My aim for the second half was just to take the easy score, tap the ball over the bar. It would have been great to score 3-4 in Croke Park, but the only stat that matters is the final scoreline and Tyrone were ahead. That’s all we wanted was to win.

“Darren McCann came in this year and has been brilliant alongside Barry (McManus) and Liam Og (McAuley), Ciaran (Nash), Gareth (Fox) and the whole crew. It has probably gave us a new lease of life. The previous management did brilliant in reaching the Division Two and intermediate finals last year, so it was maybe just about bringing something different.

“The fruits of that are here to see and hopefully this is only the start for us.”