Naomh Conaill headed into Ulster with kitchen sink to hand 

At Naomh Conaill there are two ways to look at football, before 2005 and after 2005. 

For the likes of Anthony Thompson, the memories of those baron days are still fresh enough that when he does finally hang his boots up, and if an Ulster club medal isn’t on the mantelpiece, he shouldn’t dwell on the near misses. 

But the competitor in the blue veteran, the ruthless streak that’s seen the likes of him, Leo McLoone, Brendan McDyer, Eoin Waide and Marty Boyle help propel the club out of the doldrums and to heights they could only once have dreamed of, means it has to be a silent obsession. 

The cluster remains a very potent conduit inside the Naomh Conaill dressing room, bridging the past to the present. There are so many lads in that Noamh Conaill squad that know nothing else but winning. 

They’ve cheered from the terraces as kids, watching the Dr Maguire come to town and, now, they are there on board that same ship that’s ferried the Donegal SFC title back to Davy Brennan Memorial Park four out of the last five seasons. 

Sunday’s dominant 1-16 to 1-8 win over Gaoth Dobhair, their seventh triumph in 19 seasons, is second only to their 1-15 to 0-8 victory over Killybegs, back in 2010, in terms of how comfortably it was earned. 

But it was the manner in which they cut loose against Gaoth Dobhair that really stood out. Like a great white shark, they smelt blood and went for it. Thompson, in an unrelated line of questioning, describes Ulster as a “looser” type of football. 

So it’ll be interesting to see if there is any correlation in Sunday’s approach and how they will set up their stall against Gowna, in Kingspan Breffni Park in three weeks' time.  

On stringing back-to-back SFC titles, the 2012 All-Ireland winner said: “It’s been a brilliant time for the club and its supporters. We’ve made some real memories now. 

“They haven’t all been good, there have been some real disappointments along the way. But the really pleasing thing is that the lads have always found a response or bounced back. 

“Leaving this morning, the supporters lined the street and seen us off. It was only a small thing but you could see it gave the players another wee lift. So they are really playing their part. 

“The young kids standing out, wearing their blue and white. We need to inspire them because if this is to continue they need be be the next ones out in the back garden picking up a football. 

“And someday down the line, we’ll be the ones waving them off and even standing here cheering them on”. 

Thompson, now 37, is still the commanding presence at centre half-back for this Naomh Conaill team. But it’s not like he’s tailored his approach or is now playing any kind of holding role. 

Then again, Leo McLoone (34) has never looked fitter and Brendan McDyre (35), last year’s Player of the Championship, are also still delivering high-octane hours of football. 

Asked how they’ve managed to obtain that kind of longevity, escaping any real serious injury layoff in between, Thompson said: “Momentum is a real thing, and it works both ways. It’s a cliche but success breeds success. That’s part of the attraction for sticking around. 

“And in my time plating senior football, you see new lads coming in the door and you can see right away that they’re hungry. It’s hard to step away from that. It’s a great thing and it’s something you wouldn’t dare take for granted”.

Martin Regan, Shay Murrin and Gary Boyle no doubt already have a copy of Gowna’s 5-15 to 0-13 battering of Kingscourt in the Cavan decider. The Donegal champions go to Kingspan Breffni Park on Sunday, November 12 as their latest Ulster odyssey gets underway. 

Naomh Conaill fell to Antrim’s Cargin at the very first hurdle in 2022 so the initial motivation this time is to get off the mark in winning fashion. But it certainly won’t be easy. 

“Last year was a sore one,” admitted Thompson. “We always knew it was going to be tough going up there. We certainly didn’t take anyone for granted. Ulster is Ulster and up there was a difficult place to go. 

“But you’re always learning and we need to learn from that experience last year. We were four up twice in that game. And it’s so unlike us not to see that kind of game out.

“Ulster is a funny one, they are so hard to win. And it must be an amazing feeling to get over the line. We had two very near misses over the years and there is plenty of hurt and regret there. That Crossmaglen game (2010), we were leading and in a very good place. 

“But their experience eventually told. But it was a real opportunity at the time. We were still so young. Kilcoo (2019), we played well that day but they were so efficient, I don’t think they kicked many wides. 

“But I always say Donegal is your bread and butter. Once you achieve that, only then can you begin to look at Ulster. Donegal teams simply don’t have that luxury of starting out the season with their eggs all in that one basket. 

“But the pressure is kind of off once you step up to that plate. It’s a different type of game in Ulster as well, it’s a little bit looser.  So you get back on the horse. And that’ll be the first step for us later in the week”.