Newbridge eye historic hat-trick of John McLaughlin Cups

Champions Newbridge will face a repeat of the 2025 O’Neills Derry Senior Football Championship final when they renew their rivalry with near neighbours Magherafelt at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon.

Last year, just two points separated the South Derry rivals, with Sean O’Leary’s men edging to a 1-17 to 1-15 victory over O’Donovan Rossa to secure a historic back-to-back Derry title for only the second time in the club’s history in a titanic battle on Foyleside. Now, they will look to enter uncharted territory as they bid to win three consecutive John McLaughlin Cups for the first time.

Just eight miles separate the two clubs, and Sunday’s contest promises to be another blockbuster, with both sides undoubtedly the most impressive teams throughout the campaign. Now with a county final to look forward to, both camps and communities will certainly be whetting their appetite, as they prepare for the big occasion.

For Newbridge manager Gary Hetherington, there is plenty of satisfaction in reaching another county final, with the champions now aiming to secure their thirteenth Oakleaf crown. They flexed their muscles in the semi-final, producing an impressive 2-16 to 1-10 victory over 2024 All-Ireland champions Watty Graham’s Glen.

“The mood is great with the lads. The aim at the start of the year was to get back and try to defend our title as best as we can. We’re delighted now to be there, having got the win over Glen last time out. But we know what’s coming. We know how good Magherafelt are. They put us to the absolute pin of our collar last year, and we know it’s going to be another very tough game.”

“I think they’ll be an even bigger challenge than they were last year. I think they are a better team this year and have a few big additions who I think make them even stronger. We’re under no illusions. We know that we’ll have to be at our very, very best to compete and try to get a win over them.”

While the champions arrive at the county final with four wins from four, they have not always been at their brilliant best. Their semi-final display against Glen offered a glimpse of the level they can reach, but there remains a sense that there is more to come from O’Leary’s side, who could be finding their rhythm at just the right time.

Nevertheless, Newbridge survived a serious scare in their quarter-final encounter with Bellaghy, as the 21-time Derry champions threatened a major upset before the holders held on for a bruising 2-12 to 0-16 victory.

Asked whether his side were approaching their peak at the right time, Hetherington was cautious.

“It’s very hard to say that we’re hitting our peak because, to be honest, we’ve had a very mixed bag over the course of the championship. It just so happened that our last performance was decent compared to what came before it, but that guarantees you nothing in a week’s time at Celtic Park.”

“There’s been good and bad to our championship. We’ve had young players who have gained massive experience, which is a big positive for the club, and it’s been great so far because we’re still in it and we’ve won every game. We didn’t have to go through the back door, so to have four victories out of four is a major plus.”

“There are always things to work on. I wouldn’t say we’ve blown anyone away. I think the scoreline really flattered us against Glen, but I don’t think we’ve played overly badly in any of them either.”

“We got over the line against Bellaghy, and they really put it up to us, but we still led for fifty-five minutes of that game, even though we weren’t at our best. We’re just happy with where we’re at, and hopefully we’ll get one last big performance next weekend.”