To attain the levels of consistency required to win the Tyrone Division One title takes dedication and commitment, and Dungannon boss James Slater couldn’t have asked for more from his players.
At the end of a 17-game campaign which saw them lose just twice, the Clarke’s were crowned league champions for the first time in the club’s history.
A series bedevilled by delays began back in May, and wasn’t wrapped until four days before Christmas, when they scored a 1-13 to 0-8 win over Carrickmore in the final.
“You try to just keep consistency. Consistency was probably our strongest suit this year. We lost two games all season in the league,” said Slater.
“It’s highly competitive, and to get that job done, having only lost two matches, I think is testament to the boys.
“We’d worked hard all year. We felt that we’d got into the top four on merit and we wanted to finish the job off if possible. It has been a long wait and it’s been difficult at times to keep boys at it and motivated.
“But you see the group, they’re a really strong group of players, strong personalities and they really went out and got it. We wanted them to do that.”
Dungannon had to wait nine weeks to face Carmen in the league decider, the competition held up by Errigal Ciaran’s involvement in the Ulster Club Championship.
But despite the lay-off, they retained remarkable levels of fluency and sharpness which came together in a polished display at Augher.
“The nine-week break allowed us to refresh a wee bit, get players back training and stuff like that, maybe, in a way, use it as a mini-season in that sense. Thankfully, it’s worked out for us.”
Dungannon got to the pace from the game right from the throw-win, taking an early lead that they never lost, forcing their opponents to chase, before killing it off with a Ryan Jones goal at the start of the final quarter.
“We actually concentrated that during the week, saying let’s not try and manage ourselves through the game because it’s been a long lay-off.
“We wanted them to express themselves. I thought, as you say, in the first couple of minutes, they didn’t hang back. They really got at the game and took it by the scruff of the neck.
“I thought in the second half, Carrickmore coming back into it as they were going to do.
“We felt that at half-time, that Carrickmore was going to have a patch where they’ll come at us. They had the wind a wee bit in their backs in the second half too. But a great reaction from our boys, who saw us over the line.”
Now the Clarke’s manager feels his players need an extended break before preparations for the 2025 season begin.
“That is something we’ll have to consider. We’re now at the end of December, we started probably December 2023 with a meeting.
“We’re finishing almost into 2025, the boys need a break, they need to get a rest, they need to refresh. We’ll work that out as we go along.”
With Tyrone football’s top two titles achieved in the past four years, Dungannon, who won the championship in 2020, have gone from strength to strength following a slump which saw them drop all the way to Division Three in the not so distant past.
“We’ve got a nice blend of players, we’ve got real senior experience now over the last 10-12 years, we’ve got inter-county footballers now, we’ve got under-20 county footballers now.
“We’ve got young lads coming through, trying to make their mark. The club’s in a good place.
“I’m sure you’ve seen the facilities and stuff like that as well. We’re in a very good place.
“Season 2024 is over now, so it’s all about 2025 in a few weeks’ time.
“We’ll certainly enjoy our Christmas, then after that, we’ll start looking at 2025.”
