Naomh Muire the team to beat as Intermediate Championship throws up another wide-open race

Who better to assess this year's Donegal Intermediate Football Championship than the manager who won it last year?

Brendan Doherty guided Naomh Columba to the Cathal McLaughlin Memorial Cup in 2025, completing a journey that had seen the Glen men contest three finals in four seasons. Promotion to the senior championship ensued, ending an 18 year absence from the top flight and ensuring, like every Intermediate champion before them, they won't be back to defend their title.

That, Doherty believes, is one of the defining characteristics of the competition.

Naomh Columba's breakthrough came 12 months after the disappointment of losing the 2024 final to Termon, an experience Doherty says ultimately helped shape their championship-winning campaign.

“The Intermediate is different to the senior in that the winners can't retain it. The best team is gone, so the team that's been to the final is in with a good shout the following year - provided they can keep things together with players and management.”

It's a fair point.

With Naomh Columba promoted and Junior champions Carndonagh entering the competition alongside St Naul's who were relegated from senior, the Intermediate Championship constantly refreshes itself. Unlike the Senior and Junior championships, where only one new team enters each year, the Intermediate grade has two new arrivals every season, ensuring the landscape is always changing.

Doherty expects the Junior champions to make an impact.

“The team that comes up from Junior has a good chance, and I wouldn't rule out Carndonagh this year,” he said. “They fell away in the league a bit, but they'll have a really good shout come the Intermediate championship.

“They should have us in Glen at the start of the league, only that we got a goal with the last kick of the game.”

League form lies

With ten of the 12 Intermediate teams competing in Division 2 this season, Doherty saw them all from the sideline as his Naomh Columba team romped to the league title.

However, league form can often be a misleading guide he cautions. Naomh Columba collected just 11 league points before embarking on last year's championship-winning run. Ironically, that same tally consigned Carndonagh to a relegation play-off this season.

“Teams try to gather up enough points early in the league to stay clear of relegation trap door,” he says. “The first half of the league is more competitive, but once teams know they'll not be in the relegation battle, they're saving players or trying out different things all with an eye on the championship.

“There’s only one show in town for the club player, and that's the championship.”

The split season also distorts the league table, with several clubs missing key county players for long periods. “There's a lot of players in America too, so the league doesn't paint the full picture.”

So who does the 2025 championship-winning manager fancy?

“Everyone will tell you it's very competitive,” Doherty says. “There are six or seven teams with a right good chance of winning it. We knocked on the door for a few years, but that doesn't give any guarantees.”

His instinct is that the trophy could head to Inishowen for the first time in ten years.

“It's very hard to call, but I have an inkling that it might go to Inishowen. It's getting very competitive up there.

“Malin lost the final last year, and if they can stick together and work out the puzzle on how to improve, I could see them being in the mix towards the end.

“Carndonagh started the league very, very well. When Conor O'Donnell comes back to them, they'll be hard beat.

“Muff are coming good, and I wouldn't rule out Burt. Burt beat us in the league, and were excellent that day.”

Yet if pushed to name one outright favourite, Doherty settles on the only team who were exposed to Division 1 football this season.

“I know results didn't go their way, but they were getting very competitive games and I think it's Naomh Muire's to lose.”

The Lower Rosses men have reached the semi-finals in each of the last two seasons and now arrive battle-hardened after a difficult campaign against senior opposition.

“If you put the gun to my head, I'd say Naomh Muire.

“We got to the final in 2024 after playing in Division 1, and even though we didn't win it, I felt the really competitive games weeks after week stood to us.”

Round one previews

The opening weekend throws up several intriguing ties, and Doherty has cast his eye over each one.

Carndonagh entertain Buncrana on Saturday evening in one of the standout ties of the opening round.

“Home advantage will be a factor here, and Carn are hard to beat at home. Buncrana will be strengthened with Caolan McGonagle and a few others back, but I have a wee hint for Carndonagh.”

Naomh Muire begin their campaign at home to Milford on Saturday, with a 5pm throw-in at the Banks.

“Milford will be sticky enough, Kane Barrett is firing some big scores and they improved towards end of league. Naomh Muire getting all those tough, tough games through the league, get the nod. Only just though.”

Burt travel to Portsalon to face Fanad on Saturday evening.

“Burt are a strange team. They beat us this year, and deservedly so, and I thought they'd push up through Division 2. It must be hard to manage with the hurling being so popular, but I was impressed with them and I think they can win in Portsalon.”

On Sunday, Bundoran host Muff in a contest between two clubs who endured contrasting league campaigns: Muff reaching the promotion play-off, Bundoran suffering relegation.

“You'd like to think there'd be some kind of kick in Bundoran come championship, especially when Jamie Brennan is back. Bundoran have had a really tough league, but I think Muff are coming good and I'd tip them.

Last year's beaten finalists Malin welcome a rejuvenated Cloughaneely side to Connolly Park.

“Cloughaneely have been rejuvenated this year, they seem to have got some players back. I'm going to tip them to win their first game, and I think they could be in the mix towards the business end.”

And finally, St Naul's face Red Hugh's in Mountcharles. Gavin Mulreanny, Peadar Mogan and Brendan McCole were all away with Donegal and St Naul's struggled in Divisin 3 finishing well outside the promotion spots. But they'll be a different animal in championship with the return of their county men and 2012 All-Ireland winner Stephen Griffin also back in frame.

“St Naul's have been probably hardest hit by the split season,” Doherty says. “They were in the quarter-finals of the senior championship a couple of years back but were relegated to Division 3 last year without having their county players. But with the county players back, and Stephen Griffin maybe in there too, I'd take them to beat Red Hugh's.”

As ever, the Intermediate Championship promises unpredictability. Recent history suggests there is rarely much between the leading contenders, and with last year's champions promoted, the race to win the Intermediate championship, and earn a golden ticket to 2027 senior championship, is wide open.

If Doherty's reading is correct, however, Naomh Muire are the team everyone else has to catch.