Boss Brendan Doherty’s high praise for Naomh Columba buy-in

Brendan Doherty admits that Termon are big favourites ahead of the Donegal IFC final but the Naomh Columba boss sees a real stir in his own group of players.

The Pairc na nGael outfit are, in many people’s memories, a real SFC powerhouse and Doherty himself doesn’t have to look too far for reminders of yesteryear.

At certain stages back in the 90s, a starting Naomh Columba XV might often contain four Doherty brothers with Brendan, Eugene and George taking their place alongside 1992 All-Ireland winner John Joe.

Doherty though rightly points out that those days are well in the rearview mirror. But not in a negative way.

He doesn’t mind the reminiscing but just says many of the current line-up wouldn’t even have been born when Naomh Columba last contested a SFC decider back in 1998, never mind won it in 1990.

Hanging on by their fingertips - Naomh Columba finally made the drop down to Intermediate ranks in 2009 as immigration and natural departures impacted hard.

But shoots of green have sprouted in recent times. Despite an immediate return to Division 2 in the All-County League this season, Doherty says exposure to top-tier football meant every single weekend had an edge.

“The most benefit we’ve got in quite a while, I feel, has been playing Division 1 football this year,” he explained. “It was a real learning curve and it just tuned us all in.

“Again, it was 2005 when we last played top-tier league football so every single weekend was a battle for us. Even though we were relegated, we held our own most days.

“And in a sense, we have to hope maybe that experience stands to us on Sunday or acts as some kind of equaliser. Because there is no doubt Termon have some serious players in their ranks”.

Doherty says Dungloe’s rise from the ashes towards a SFC final meeting with St Eunan’s has certainly buoyed belief around the county.

Some might feel there is still an insurmountable gap between the chasing pack and the county’s elite sides but the Naomh Columba boss believes that deficit is now narrowing.

“You don’t have to look far for an example of how quickly the thing can swing. And listen, it’s not by chance but very much by design with hard work at the centre of it all.

“But Dungloe are a breath of fresh air this season with what they’ve achieved. Dungloe have come up out of Intermediate and what they’ve done, getting to a senior final, is a serious achievement.

“And listen, they suffered an Intermediate defeat before bouncing back right away and winning the thing in 2022.

“There will be plenty of sides at this grade and even in senior that will now be thinking, ‘why can’t we do that?’.

“There is organisation and, just as importantly, buy-in from those Dungloe lads and they’ve got their reward. And it’s very similar for us.

“Our squad has been brilliant with how they’ve put so much else on hold to make sure they’re giving it everything for the club.

“It’s probably never been harder for club players to give the type of commitment that’s now needed”.

Doherty - with the likes of Michael Maguire, Danny Cunningham and Kieran McBrearty in his management team - says that the Naomh Columba players are putting in an effort the likes of which neither he nor any of the rest of the Glen backroom team were ever asked to.

“We’ve lads at college, lads working all over the country so it takes a special type of commitment to decide to make the thing work. Like many rural clubs, keeping lads at home is a real challenge.

“I have to credit our boys because they are making it work. We’ve lads in Dublin and they are sticking at it.

“And I’m from a certain vintage where we trained twice a week and played a game at the weekend. With S&C now as well as the travelling that we talked about involved, it’s a massive commitment”.

In the lead-up to the weekend, the hot topic of conversation in Glencolmcille naturally centres in on Sunday’s IFC decider.

But the manager says it’s great to see the flags and bunting finally out once more around the parish.

“I wouldn’t be asking anyone to keep the head down or not to enjoy the build-up. This is a nice week for us and it’s lovely, at this stage of the season, to still be going out the door for training.

“These lads have stood on their own two feet, took ownership of so much that they’re entitled to soak all that up.

“It has everyone talking and everyone is looking forward to the weekend. There is a great buzz. Like I explained, we’re underdogs and I’m not saying that for the sake of it.

“But if our lads live up to their potential, give the kind of account of themselves I know they can, they won’t be far away”.

The one negative for Doherty prior to the weekend has been the loss of Phillip Doherty to a torn cruciate.

“The player had been part of the extended Donegal senior squad this season and was a real presence on the field, both during the league and this IFC run.

“On a personal level, it’s just such a blow for Phillip who did his ACL against Bundoran in the quarter-final.

“He’s one of our real go-to men and would have been assigned one of the big jobs at the weekend.

“It’s just a a shame as he was on the periphery of the Donegal squad and that was a bonus for us.

“To be fair to Jim McGuinness, there weren’t many days we didn’t have Phillip but just that sort of exposure was great for him.

“The days we got results in Division 1 and picked up points, Phillip was central to that. But he’ll be back. And I know he’ll leave no stone unturned in his rehab and so on”

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In regards to Termon, Doherty lists off a string of quality players but signals out inside duo Daire McDaid and Enda McCormick high praise.

“We played them in the group stages and they hammered us by ten points down there. That’s the gap we have to bridge.

“The two men up front, McCormick and McDaid, are shooting the lights out and would walk on any senior team in the county. Their stats are so impressive.

“Knowing we have to stop them and actually stopping them are two very different things. And Phillip - one of our best man-markers - would have got one of those jobs.

“And fair play to Caolan McDaid. He’s a young manager but he has them stirring and pointed very much in the right direction.

“Looking around the Burn Road that day we were over there, there is a lot of good work going on. And just like us, they’ll be desperate to get over the line on Sunday.”