We were out to prove Setanta still the best team in the county - Mark Marley

Mark Marley says Setanta were spurred on by the fact that so many others were writing their SHC obituary at the start of this term. 

For some reason, the top dogs in Donegal for so long, had slipped in many pundits’ pecking order as Burt, last year’s winners, came back to the fore. 

READ NEXT: Josh McGee Cronolly steps up as Setanta blitz St Eunan's late on to land SHC crown 

But it was St Eunan’s that were put on top of that predictions pedestal this season as they blitzed their way towards Saturday’s decider in Letterkenny. 

And when the Black and Amber jumped 10-6 clear in the second period, in what had been, up until that point at least, a cagey enough affair, it looked curtains for the Cross men. 

But Josh McGee Cronolly decided to take the game by the scruff of the neck down the stretch and his two goals helped fire Setanta to what Marely describes as a “sweet” 2-12 to 0-13 championship victory. 

“We weren’t getting the ball into the two lads inside for so long, Merely said. “But when we did hit them, it broke for them and, fair play to Josh, he did what he does best there right at the end.

“At 10-6 we thought we were slipping. But Gerard Gilmore really stood up at that stage and kept us in it. When we did get back into it, 11 all, we just kicked on.

“They’re all about winning. It wasn’t the contest it might have been before sort of exploding into life there near the end”.

Marley admits that some of the commentary about Setanta’s standards slipping, or ‘Father Time’ perhaps catching up with some of their more experienced campaigners, was a real motivation in 2025. 

“Yeah - when Setanta don’t get over the line like last year it’s sore. We came in as big underdogs this year for some reason. So this is extra sweet for so many reasons. 

“We told the lads at the start of the season they are still the best side in the county so they just needed to go out and prove us right.  

“And you can see there right at the end, just what it meant to achieve all of that. Coming here, beating St Euann’s on their home patch, that was all motivation for us”.