Shooting Star - Derry's Conleth Gilligan
June 14, 2007
Could Derry make an impression in this year's All-Ireland football championship? Paddy Crozier's side produced indifferent performances during the league but these displays were laced with hints of excellence. Up front, the new-look Oak Leaf County have more than their fair share of potential match winners. One of these is 2006 Ballinderry captain Conleth Gilligan, who very decently agreed to answer Gerry Robinson's questions in the latest of Hogan Stand's championship specials…
He's back in the Derry senior football fold and centre half forward Conleth Gilligan is determined to mark the '07 championship season with some long-overdue silverware. Gilligan's name may not roll off the tongue as easily as that of Paddy Bradley or Enda Muldoon in households nationwide, but Derry people will tell you that the gifted No.11 is as key a component in their team. Gilligan captained Ballinderry all the way to the Ulster club final last year, wherein they were pipped by eventual All-Ireland winners Crossmaglen Rangers. He was an integral part of Ballinderry's 2002 All-Ireland breakthrough, picking up five Man of the Match awards along the way as the Derry standard bearers beat the best of the rest in the land. This year, more than ever, Conleth Gilligan has a point to prove, which could make the Foylesiders a dangerous proposition in the race for the Anglo-Celt Cup. After being left off the county panel last year, the Ballinderry captain is chomping at the bit in his desire to lead the Oak Leafers to the top of the pile in the most difficult province of all. Amazingly, Derry have failed to reach an Ulster SFC final since 1999 - Gilligan's debut season - but their unsung '40 yards' man believes they have what it takes to come good this summer.
As usual, this year's Ulster SFC has landmine written all over it. What would Derry be happy with? What would represent an acceptable return for the Oak Leaf County?
Well, it's always tough in Ulster and it's going to be no different this time. There are so many pitfalls, so many teams who can turn you over on any given day, so you have to be careful. We have to make sure we take absolutely nothing for granted because we had an indifferent league run and we have it all to prove.
So, what would you settle for? A provincial championship or a run in the All-Ireland series? If you could strike a deal with the devil right now, which would you take?
An Ulster title. We've been to a few All-Ireland semi-finals and you get nothing for it. The minimum we want is an Ulster championship. It's pointless aiming for anything less. Okay, it might be easier to get to an All-Ireland semi-final via the back door than the conventional route, but Derry really want an Ulster. It's more difficult than ever to reach an All-Ireland semi-final the traditional way because you have to beat three good teams in Ulster and then another provincial finalist, but that's what we'll be going for.
Is this team good enough to reclaim the provincial crown?
Yes. We showed in the league that we are good enough to beat any team on our day. But inconsistency cost us and that's something we have to iron out. We beat Galway comfortably in the first game and had some other good results, but we were unlucky in the game against Laois and there were a few poor performances. We need to cut that out. Our lack of consistency is really letting us down. You have to be able to do it back to back. You need to put four or five big performances together."
In the '90s, Derry's supporters were spoiled, with a landslide of major silverware. Is there a sense that those same followers are growing increasingly frustrated by the current side's comparative famine?
There will always be expectations after the All-Ireland in '93, two or three national leagues, and the two Ulster championships. But we lost the likes of Anthony Tohill and Henry Downey and a new team came along. We could have won another All-Ireland in 1999, with a bit more luck. Things didn't go for us in the semi-final against Galway.
But I don't think there's any danger of the support turning against us. We still have a very big support and they are fully behind the team. It's always slow starting off but then it builds up as you get a game or two behind you…
Having sat out the 2006 campaign, are you more determined this year? Did the rest sharpen your focus? Do you feel hungrier than you might have been otherwise?
It didn't make much difference to my hunger anyway because it was a really busy year with the club. But the time away does change your priorities. I had plenty of time for reflection and I want to give it another crack. Things have been going well - but you're always waiting for something to go wrong!
How long have you been on the senior intercounty circuit?
I joined in '99 and we won Ulster and the (2000) national football league in my first year. When you're a young lad of 18/19, you think it's going to happen every year but it hasn't been like that at all. We haven't been back in an Ulster final since '99. You realise that your career can go by very quickly and that you have to make the most of limited opportunities.
Recent years have seen the balance of power in Ulster shift in favour of Armagh and Tyrone. Both counties are shortlisted as annual Sam Maguire contenders and they have accounted for three of the last six All-Irelands. How difficult is it to close the gap on these two?
Armagh came along and added a new level of professionalism that hadn't been seen in Ulster before. Tyrone followed suit and actually surpassed them. It's not easy to match them because they have a very thorough approach and both squads are packed with exceptional talent. But the rest of us are trying to catch up and I think the gap is definitely narrowing. But it remains to be seen if their dominance in Ulster will be broken.
How proud were you to captain Ballinderry to an Ulster club final last season?
It was my first time as club captain and it worked out fairly well as I was free to concentrate fully on it. To win a championship in Derry is always special, but to do it as captain is even more so. Especially here in Derry, where every single game is so hard to win. There are seven or eight clubs that can win the championship each year and no team is able to get any sort of stranglehold. So every single one you win is great. Of course, losing the Ulster club final was very disappointing. We knew that whoever came through that game would be odds-on to win another All-Ireland, and that's how it worked out.
What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
Winning the All-Ireland club. Even winning Derry that season was brilliant. We had lost two finals in a row to Bellaghy and to beat them in the final was special. To go on and win Ulster and then to take it on and win an All-Ireland club championship was a great feeling.
Low point?
Any of the All-Ireland semi-final defeats. We led Galway by something like five points with twelve minutes to go in 1998 but conceded 1-4 without reply. In 2003 against Kerry, we were still in it at half time and looked to be in with a shout but they put us away in the second half. Also, losing any final with Ballinderry is always very disappointing. The Ulster club final last year was a difficult one to swallow. The game was played in terrible conditions and, when you're captain, you have one eye on the cup. It took a few weeks to get over that one…
Most Read Stories