Ulster’s NFL roll of honour

Another Division One title headed to Ulster at the weekend. Niall McCoy examines the province’s record in the competition

DERRY – SEVEN TITLES

THE Oakleaf County are Ulster’s most successful side in the competition with seven Division One titles and six more final appearances.

Their first win came in the 194647 season when they defeated Clare in the final – but this was no ordinary competition.

With weather conditions making games near impossible, only four teams ended up competing with the sides starting out in the semi-finals.

Derry beat Longford 2-11 to 2-3 on home soil before getting the better of the Banner at Croke Park under the guidance of Tyrone native and Lavey-based John L Fay.

The county’s last title came in 2024 following a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Dublin. It looked set to spark new heights for Derry, but their fortunes fell off dramatically from there under Mickey Harte.

DOWN – FOUR TITLES

DOWN’S Division One tally matches closely to their All-Ireland haul of five and just like their Sam Maguire successes, three of those came in the 1960s.

The first was 195960 and was notable as the first-ever all-Ulster final, the Mourne County destroying Derry 2-10 to 0-3 in Belfast.

It would help that team aim for higher, and they would reach those aims in the following years.

Down’s last success came in 198283 in what is probably their most famous league result, a 1-8 to 0-8 final win over Armagh at Croke Park.

Not that Down had any fear facing their neighbours, but it’s a match that lives long in the memory for their fans even though it wasn’t a high quality encounter.

The match was played in wet conditions with Ambrose Rogers starring with a decisive 1-2.

Legendary GAA commentator, the late Weeshie Fogarty, was the referee on the day.

DONEGAL – TWO TITLES

DONEGAL may only have two titles to their name, but it’s good enough for joint second position on Ulster’s roll of honour.

The first success came as recently as 2007. A tight semi-final against Kildare at Croke Park was decided by a six-point haul from Colm McFadden with Mayo getting the better of Galway in the other semi-final.

In the final, Donegal prevailed 0-13 to 0-10 with the Connacht side throwing away a host of goal chances – Paddy Durcan making a brilliant save in the first half.

The second half was notable for the collector’s item of a brilliant Eamon McGee score – although there are suspicions that it was a pass gone astray.

Donegal’s second title arrived in much more emphatic style as they destroyed Kerry on Sunday. At one stage, it looked like the Kingdom would suffer their worst-ever Croke Park loss, but a late rally brought the gap back to 13 points.

TYRONE – TWO TITLES

A COUNTY surprisingly low on the roll of honour with their back-to-back wins in 2002 and ’03 their only successes in the competition.

Their first final appearance had come in the 199192 season, but their hopes were ended by neighbours Derry who won 1-10 to 1-8 at Croke Park.

They did get their hands on the title 10 years later though as they destroyed Mayo in the semi-final in Enniskillen before doing likewise to Cavan in the final at Clones. Peter Canavan and Stevie O’Neill combined for 10 points in a 0-16 to 0-9 win.

The following season, Tyrone were back to defend – and defend they did in similar fashion.

Fermanagh conceded four goals in the semi-final before Tyrone beat Laois 0-21 to 1-8 with Owen Mulligan starring.

Tyrone reached the 2013 decider but lost out to Dublin by a point in a thriller.

CAVAN – ONE TITLE

CAVAN’S record in league finals is pretty abysmal – six appearances have resulted in just one crown, in 194748.

As was the case back then, there were quirks aplenty. Mayo drew with Kerry down in Tralee despite having to draft in their county secretary and a car drive to sit on the bench.

Cavan racked up 11 goals against Meath and Westmeath to qualify for the knockout stages of the eastern section. Another three goals followed in the divisional final win over Dublin.

They would be back at Croke Park to beat Kerry in the semi-final and they got the better of Cork in the final, winning a replayed decider by 10 points. The Rebels had edged Antrim in the other semi-final.

ARMAGH – ONE TITLE

ARMAGH are another county with a pretty poor final return, winning one from four.

There was the loss to bitter rivals Down in 198283 and they were back two years later but again fell to more Ulster opposition in the form of Monaghan.

Much fanfare surrounded their run to the 199394 final, but Colm O’Rourke and Bernard Flynn’s Meath proved much too strong.

But in 2005 they did get over the line, and comfortably too.

Everyone was convinced that they were going to get another chapter in the GAA’s greatest rivalry at the time and Armagh kept up their end of the bargain with a win over Mayo.

However, Wexford stunned Tyrone in the other semi-final.

Pat Roe’s side couldn’t repeat those heroics in the final though as Armagh cruised to a 1-21 to 1-14 win with Stevie McDonnell helping himself to a whopping 10 points.

MONAGHAN – ONE TITLE

THE great Monaghan team of the ‘80s secured one of the Oriel County’s most famous days as they won the 198485 Division One crown.

Emerging from Division Two, the Eugene Sherry-captained side eased past Kildare in the quarter-final but needed a replay and extra-time to get the better of a stubborn Tyrone in the semi-final.

Ulster opposition again awaited in the final, but there was no second day needed here as Monaghan won 1-11 to 0-9 with Eamonn McEnaney’s penalty the only goal of the game against Armagh.

For the first time, all four semi-finalists were from Ulster with Down falling to Armagh.

Monaghan nearly went back-to-back but lost to Laois by a point in the following year’s final.

FERMANAGH & ANTRIM –

NO TITLES

TWO Ulster counties, Fermanagh and Antrim, still await their first title.

Antrim came closest to a final appearance in 194748 when Cork edged them out in the semi-final.

The Erne County have managed to get to the final hurdle, winning the northern section in 193435 but losing heavily to Mayo in the final.

ALL-ULSTER AFFAIR…Action from Monaghan’s 198485 Division One final win over Armagh

FIRST UP…Tyrone won the 2002 title against Cavan, sparking a run of top honours