Ulster GAA – Senior Football Club Championship
Dunloy v Newbridge at Owenbeg. Throw-in 6pm
Sunday 12 October 2025. A day where a ‘hurling’ club took the big ball crown. I say that with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Dunloy took the McNamee Cup back to the Village, the Creagh lorry was struck up and the celebrations started. The scenes were epic, some compared them to that historic day in 1990 when the Volunteer Cup first made its way back to Dunloy, some say it was surpassed.
Those celebrations and the Monday Club are put down to history as Dunloy set their sights on new territory. On Saturday evening, they’ll travel to north Derry to face Sean O’Leary’s, Newbridge. A side who claimed back to back Derry titles after taking the John McLaughlin Cup in 2024 for the first time in 30 years. They are a seriously talented side but a side who will feel like they still have something to prove to themselves and the province.
12 months ago, they came up against the then Armagh champions Clann Eireann but left Celtic Park with a two point defeat. A same Clann Eireann team who went close to defeating Errigal Ciaran in the ulster semi-final and we all know how they went last year.
Despite an opening day defeat in the first round of the Derry championship to Dungiven, Newbridge have steadily improved. They dismantled Loup before putting in strong performances against Sleacht Néill in the semi final and defeating O’Donovan Rossa Magherafelt in the final, despite their underdogs tag. Callum McGrogan got the crucial goal in Celtic Park that day while Conor McAteer top scored with 0-5 and Oisin Doherty with 0-4. Their main strength has come around the middle of the park, as showcased in the Derry final. They dominated the middle third and had the lion’s share of the kickout stats by the final whistle. Expect Conor Doherty, Paudie McGrogan and Mark Doherty to be in the thick of things while Paudie’s brother Conor was the driving force behind their win against Magherfelt with a mighty performance at six. Eamon Young is a player who has shown huge potential at underage with the Derry County set up and is finding his feet at senior level, he’ll take some looking after if Dunloy are to get anything out of this game.
For Dunloy, it could well be a case of ‘let’s go again.’ They took the Antrim championship by storm with a string of mighty performances and if you are to believe the bookies, they had underdog victories from the quarter final. Being underdogs on Saturday won’t faze this group of players, if anything you get the feeling that they relish it. They want to continue to prove people wrong and that a dual club like themselves can be successful with both codes at the senior grade. The pace and power that they play with is well reported on, but it’s their agility and vision that has taken them a step further this year. Their ability to create major chances against the one of the toughest defences Antrim could put their way, taking chances and on occasions missing them but that’s the Dunloy way.
I said earlier this year that it’s like Anthony McQuillan sat down with the FRC and said: ‘Lads, football should be played this way.’ If there is a team in Ireland who are more suited to be playing with the new rules, I haven’t seen them yet. The space there is now in the game allows talented players to ‘breathe’ with the likes of Keelan Molloy, Seaan Elliott and Deaglan Smith flourishing. The speed of thought and speed of play is borne from their hurling side, to combine that and use it as a strength is down to McQuillan and his backroom team.
Regarding their starting 15, it can’t imagine that it’ll change too much. Deaglan Smith has a clean bill of health and that’s a huge bonus for the Cuchullains. He’s pivotal for McQuillan’s team and they will need him at his best on Saturday. The big decision comes down to whether Conal Cunning will start. He got game time and played like he hadn’t been out with injury in the hurling semi final against Loughgiel. Those 10 or so minutes were the pathway for him coming off the bench against Cargin. Having come through that Loughgiel test, he got longer the following week and he’ll be itching to get a place in the starting 15. It’s a massive call and will certainly be giving the Dunloy management team a headache as they finalise their plans.
All year, Dunloy have lived by the sword with their style of play and they might well die by the sword but they’ll play football with a sense of organised abandonment and freedom. Like a team who play without fear, something that’s been the darkest of shadows over the game for too long, but that has been the Dunloy way for a long time now. A fear of losing? Dunloy don’t have that, they don’t know what it is. They’ll need that same mentality on Saturday.
