By Shaun Casey WHEN Down welcomed Galway to Páirc Esler last summer in the play-off round of the All-Ireland series, Conor Laverty put his best man-marker onto Shane Walsh. That was Ceilum Doherty’s role for the day. A duty that Doherty has found himself taking on quite a lot during Laverty’s tenure in charge of the Mourne […]
JOE BROLLY: The giant pendulum
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December 21, 2025
I WAS talking to a barrister from Warrenpoint on Monday morning. He watched the Ulster final in his local. He said the whole place was cheering on Scotstown. “You weren’t supporting Kilcoo?” “F*** them.” It was a vast relief for Scotstown after nine previous failed Ulster campaigns. The standard of football was middling on an atrocious […]
KEVIN CASSIDY: Scotstown dug deep and got their reward
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December 18, 2025
SCOTSTOWN breathed a huge sigh of relief as Sean Hurson blew his final whistle on Saturday night in Armagh. Ulster title number five was there at last. The Monaghan champions had the game wrapped up but Kilcoo rallied the troops down the home straight to take the game into extra-time. At that point you felt […]
We ironed out a lot of creases from the group phase: Hughes
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December 16, 2025
By Michael McMullan THE window after their championship group stages’ defeat to Corduff were the best three weeks of training Scotstown had all year. That was Darren Hughes’ take in the aftermath of the Oriel giants’ win over Kilcoo to land a fifth Ulster title and a first in 36 years. Scotstown had drawn with […]
All-Ireland semi-final beckons as Scotstown relish emulating past heroes
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December 15, 2025
By Alan Rodgers A FIRST All-Ireland campaign since losing in the 1989 semi-final now beckons Scotstown’s latest generation of Ulster Club winners after they made history by defeating Kilcoo in a game of rare tension and quality at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds on Saturday night. It has been a long and winding road for An […]
Up for grabs: Kilcoo and Scotstown go head to head again
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December 12, 2025
Ulster Club SFC final Kilcoo v Scotstown Saturday, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 6.15pm By Michael McMullan BEFORE a ball was kicked, seven other county champions were handed the task of derailing the final most predicted. Newbridge pulled themselves from the jaws of defeat to come mighty close in a pulsating semi-final decided on a penalty shoot-out. […]
KEVIN CASSIDY: The final we expected
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December 11, 2025
FROM very early doors this season, once the draw was made, talk began to circulate about the possibility of a final showdown between Kilcoo and Scotstown. The history is there between them and when you add in the quality of both teams, then you understand why a lot of the neutrals could see this game […]
A mixing of the generations in Scotstown
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December 11, 2025
By Michael McMullan DAVID McCague knew what Scotstown were getting with the influx of new players who have energised the Monaghan giants on their way to Ulster’s biggest day with Kilcoo awaiting this weekend. Tommy Mallen and Max Maguire have added to their attack, the latter becoming a target for a kicking game that gets […]
Rooney happy for a shot at redemption
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December 10, 2025
By Michael McMullan PICTURE the scene. The dressing room tunnel is thronged. There are two extremes. Victory and defeat are a few metres apart but it’s an entire gulf. The pain on the Kilcoo faces tell one side. The music echoing from behind the Errigal Ciaran door across the hall is the other extreme. Peter […]
KEVIN CASSIDY: Ulster Club is the gift that keeps on giving
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December 4, 2025
I AM fully aware that at this time of year I am like a broken record banging on about how good the Ulster Club Championship is. Before I get accused of doing a Pat Spillane on things, I will just wrap up by congratulating both teams on the football they served up last weekend. We now […]