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Naomh Conaill 1-9 St Eunan’s 0-9 (Round 3 Group Stage 2018) - Too Little Too Late 

It was pinned as the ultimate group of death with Gaoth Dobhair, Naomh Conaill, and St Eunan’s all drawn in the one pot. 

But with Gaoth Dobhair safely through by the final round with wins over the two other top sides in the group, it all came down to the final day between the men from Glenties and the men from Letterkenny, with the 2018 campaign coming to an end for the losing side. 

On this occasion, the unfortunate honour fell to Maxi Curran’s side at Davy Brennan Memorial Park. 

It was a day that the Cathedral men granted, then teenager, Conor ‘Duck’ O’Donnell his first championship start in an attempt to add much-needed bite to the Eunan’s attack.  

But not for the first time that season, too much pressure was added to the shoulders of then 20-year-old Niall O’Donnell who finished as his side’s top scorer with four points – all from frees. 

But it was the Naomh Conaill goal that made the difference on the 14th minute when Ultan Doherty played the ball to Kieran Gallagher on the overlap who found Dermot Molloy inside to nail home. 

That goal was the difference with Eunan’s failure to bridge that three-point gap. And even though Naomh Conaill finished the game with 14 men following an Eoghan McGettigan black card, it was the Letterkenny men who failed to advance to the knockout stages.