By Michael McMullan THE message coming from the Sleacht Néill camp is crystal clear ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final showdown with Loughrea. Winning a game at national level is all that matters. Pats on the back for creditable performances hold no value. None whatsoever. A sixth Ulster title was brilliant and cemented the […]
By Michael McMullan SLEACHT Néill had just nine Derry titles to their name when Conor McAllister lined out against Lavey for his senior debut in 2016. Fast-forward to Saturday night’s triumph against St John’s in Armagh and he added a sixth Ulster medal to his 10 county titles. He acknowledges the perfect timing of a breakthrough. […]
By Michael McMullan NOTHING is impossible until it’s done. It’s a simple observation but it sums up Mark McGuigan’s take on Sleacht Néill’s growth as they prepare for an 11th Ulster final on Saturday evening. The Emmet’s captain was in primary school when the club first inhaled the Ulster final experience. It was 2000. Sleacht […]
By Michael McMullan FRESHNESS is the key word this week for Sleacht Néill football manager Mark Doran. The Emmet’s face reigning champions Newbridge in Sunday’s Derry Senior Championship semi-final as they chase a first title since 2020. It will be a ninth weekend of championship in 10 weekends, their only weekend off coming as a result […]
By Michael McMullan SLEACHT Néill are fully aware of the Kevin Lynch’s challenge as they continue their defence of the Fr Collins Cup in Derry this weekend. It’s a cup they’ve held since 2013 and they go into this weekend’s game as Ulster champions but the focus is always the same. Next team, next challenge. […]
Derry captain Cormac O’Doherty has played in three Christy Ring Cup final defeats but persistence takes him back to Croke Park on Saturday. Michael McMullan went to meet him… BETWEEN club, school and county, Cormac O’Doherty has stood in the firing line enough times to know the difference between winning and losing a crunch game […]
By Niall Gartland CORMAC O’Doherty would dearly love to pocket a Christy Ring Cup medal this year– but the free-scoring Derry forward senses that won’t be happening unless they overcome Wicklow down in Celtic Park this Saturday afternoon. It’s their fifth and final group stage match and they sit second in the table, but O’Doherty expects that […]
By Michael McMullan SLEACHT Néill have re-appointed Mark Doran as their senior football manager. Doran had initially stepped away after two seasons in charge but is back on board ahead of the 2025 campaign. The former Down player is currently coaching Roscommon who are pressing for promotion back to Division One. Advertisement He managed Ballybay […]
By Niall Gartland NEW Derry camogie manager Eamonn Melaugh tentatively his sights on reaching another Division 2A final even though there’s been a massive turnover in personnel during the off-season. Last September, PJ O’Mullan stepped down after two seasons at the helm of the Oakleafers, the highlight of which was their 2023 All-Ireland Intermediate triumph. […]
By Niall Gartland ST PATRICK’S, Maghera skipper Cahal McKaigue comes from good stock and his famous cousin Chrissy is part of the management team who have engineered their run to Sunday’s MacRory Cup final against Abbey VS. He’s very much the Sleacht Néill prototype – a talented footballer and hurler and already he has graduated to […]
