IT’S almost two decades since Conor Gormley first soared to Sam Maguire Cup triumph, but he’s still chasing All-Ireland medals with Tyrone.
Now captain of the county’s Over 40s side, he has led the Red Hands to the Masters final and a repeat of last year’s decider against Dublin.
In pursuit of back-to-back titles, champions Tyrone marched on with a comfortable semi-final win over Clare at the weekend, stretching an unbeaten run to seven games.
“It’s a great target now to get back-to-back titles, but we’ll just take it as another game. They’ll be tough opponents, but we just take it one game at a time,” he said.
The Masters game offers an outlet for Gaelic footballers who wish to remain active and extend their playing careers while enjoying the friendship and camaraderie of a like-minded group of individuals.
But Gormley dismissed the notion that it’s a relaxed and light-hearted environment.
“There’s a myth out there that the Over 40s is just a bit of a kickaround, a bit of craic
“There’s a great group of boys there, the training has been excellent, it’s well set up, it’s sharp and fast.
“The boys train really hard, we’re in Garvaghey once a week and then maybe Killyclogher on a Saturday.
“There’s serious commitment, with the likes of Mickey Anderson coming from Aghyaran up to Garvaghey, which is a long spin, and Marty McGrath from Ederney coming up as well.
“It’s serious commitment, but they’re getting their rewards by playing in an All-Ireland final, and it’s great to be back there.
“It’s really like a family type atmosphere, a club atmosphere and boys are enjoying it. and that’s what it’s all about, boys coming together from different clubs.
“We all get on very well, and it showed in the teamwork, and it helped us come away with a victory.”
Gormley’s team-mates from the All-Ireland winning teams of the Noughties, Stephen O’Neill and Ciaran Gourley, have also embraced Masters football, while Fermanagh’s Allstar Marty McGrath has joined the Tyrone team as a guest member.
“You can see Ciaran Gourley there playing at corner back just as steady as he always has been.
“It’s brilliant to play along with him, and then you look up front and you have the likes of Stevie, just brilliant. He’s carrying a few injuries, but it’s good to play along with him. but it’s all about the group, and every man is pushing hard.”
Gormley may be in his second season as an Over 40s player, but a remarkable career continues at club level, and he’s set to extend it even further by lining out for Carrickmore in this year’s Tyrone SFC.
“Personally I would like to push on myself and train a bit more and get into that Championship panel and see how it goes.
“We’re looking forward to Coalisland in the first round of the Championship, which is a massive, massive game for us.
“They’re an exceptional team and they have a few boys home from America.
“But we’ll look forward to that challenge, it’s something to get the appetite going, and a Championship season is great to be involved in, and no better time to be playing ball.”
