Naomh Conaill: The young pretenders who’ve become the dogs of war

Few gave them Naomh Conaill a chance in 2005 as they headed for the Donegal SFC final against St Eunan’s.

Fewer still would’ve backed them in the replay after the first encounter ended in stalemate.

Yet, by the end of a historic October Sunday 17 years ago, Dr Maguire was above the head of Paddy Campbell; Naomh Conaill, at last, were kings of Donegal.

A young side had made its mark at under-21 level. Backed by Campbell, Johnny Bonner, John Gildea and an injured Jim McGuinness, who trained the team for Hughie Molloy and made a late cameo in the replay, they made a stirring breakthrough in ’05.

Donegal Democrat/Donegal Live Team of the Championship

Naomh Conaill came in under the radar and left in full voice last Saturday, clinching the Donegal SFC title, with a 1-9 to 2-5 win over St Eunan's. Martin Regan's side therefore have a healthy sprinkling of eight in the team of the championship

On Saturday, Eoin Waide, Anthony Thompson, Brendan McDyer, Leo McLoone and Marty Boyle - survivors, all, from 2005 - won a sixth Donegal SFC.

The young pretenders have become the dogs of war.

“We have a real never-say-die attitude,” Thompson said. “If we’re going to get beat, you’ll have to come and beat us.”

Leo McLoone, Brendan McDyer, Marty Boyle, Eoin Waide and Anthony Thompson. Photo: Naomh Conaill GAA Club

St Eunan’s dethroned Naomh Conaill, who won the titles of 2019 and 2020 (both finals being held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic), in emphatic fashion in 2021.

For many, a 1-11 to 0-4 win brought the curtain down on Naomh Conaill’s time at the top.

The notion left Naomh Conaill indignant. The storm brewed within, culminating in Saturday’s 1-9 to 2-5 win.

“We didn’t become a bad team overnight,” McLoone said.

“In terms of the media and people throughout the county, you’d have thought that we were gone and finished.

“We were disrespected by a lot of people throughout the county. That all built up inside us and we knew what was in our group. We did the business.

“Last year and other stuff coming out - managers of other teams saying they were happy to get us and other managers saying we were finished after we played them - built up. I feel as if we are a disrespected club.”

Boyle made his SFC bow in 2004, when Naomh Conaill were handed their coats by Ardara, but the quarter-final win over Glenswily this year marked his 100th Championship outing.

Naomh Conaill were without the likes of Ultan Doherty and Eoghan McGettigan, not to mention the emigrated Ciaran Brennan or the likes of Kieran Gallagher and Nathan Byrne, who won Senior B titles last weekend. Boyle’s role might have seemed scant but, given those absentees, his presence was as vital as ever.

“The hunger was there for sure,” he said. “We’re lucky that we’re always bringing through a couple of players every year. The young boys are driving this now. This is their team now. I enjoy being a part of it and giving them a dig out when I can.”

Injury had curbed McDyer’s participation in the last two years. He rolled the clock back on Saturday with an inspirational display that yielded three superb points.

“We were very confident,” he said.

“We don’t pay much attention to so-called experts, to be honest. We just know what we’re about and we know if we play the way we can that we’ll be there or thereabouts. It’s no big shock to us.

“There was a lot of talk about how the team was getting older and ageing. That is probably a fair enough comment, but we knew we had plenty of legs and plenty of steel.”

Martin Regan took Naomh Conaill to a fourth Dr Maguire Cup at the weekend. The St Columba’s Comprehensive School teacher has guided Naomh Conaill to seven of the last eight finals.

“Martin is the glue that holds everything together,” Waide, who captained Donegal to an Ulster Minor Championship title in 2006, said.

Naomh Conaill manager Martin Regan. Photo: Sportsfile

“It really does mean so much. You can see everyone in tears there. It’s a great day for the parish, winning the double. Football is everything in our parish.

“The work-rate and drive in the panel, we really are like a band of brothers.”

Thompson was keen to note the impact of the newcomers in recent years. His brother, Ciaran, for instance, who was man of the match or Charles McGuinness, the Naomh Conaill goalscorer on Saturday.

“They get that bit more special,” Thompson said.

“It’s amazing to be in with this group of young lads.

“Teams write us off every year and it’s great. We came in as the total underdogs. We know what we have in our circle.

"When it comes to it, we grind it out and we work hard. People don’t see what we have in the circle. We have been building and we have such quality in our team.

“We came through minors and won a couple of under-21s, but had great boys before us, the likes of Jim (McGuinness), John (Gildea), Johnny ‘The Butcher’ (McLoone) and Paddy Campbell. They set the standard for us. We have to do that for the next groups coming through now.”

Waide referred to Saturday’s as being ‘sweet’, noting their insipid outing a year ago when they came to the final.

“We felt that we didn’t do ourselves justice last year at all,” he said.

“We didn’t show up. Four points was no good to anyone. We felt we needed a performance and thankfully we got over the line. We’re delighted to get it.”

McLoone pointed to ‘the group and the community’ when he spoke passionately after the game while swamped in a blue and white sea on the Sean MacCumhaill Park pitch.

Last year, McDyer said, ‘stuck in our throats’, as they chewed on the remnants of a ten-point hammering.

McDyer, like McLoone, was a raw teenager in 2005 when Naomh Conaill landed a seismic blow that altered history.

Seventeen years on, still they stand at the summit.

There was no doubting the significance of the latest triumph.

McDyer left no ambiguity: “This means more.”