He was the first Derry man to get his hands on the Anglo Celt Cup in 24 years and Chrissy McKaigue's desire to win the Ulster Championship remains undiminished.
Others have argued that the provincial championships have been diluted by the new All-Ireland structure while former Mayo star Lee Keegan feels the draws for the forthcoming group stages should have taken place after the provincial finals.
Derry’s ‘one game at a time’ philosophy has served them well this season as they annexed the pre-season Dr McKenna Cup before securing a return to Division One for the first time since 2015.