Paddy Tally's big decision will frustrate some but help Derry's All-Ireland mission, says former captain
Former county captain Gerard O'Kane has offered an explanation as to why Derry didn't release players for their clubs this season, and why the team should really have improved over the last five weeks.
The Oak Leafers have endured a horrid start to 2025, suffering relegation from Division One without winning a single match and then losing the Ulster Preliminary Quarter-Final to Donegal.
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BreakingNews.ie
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- BreakingNews.ie
Chrissy McKaigue optimistic for future of Derry football
Chrissy McKaigue says he is optimistic for the future of Derry football despite a difficult season following relegation from Division One, which saw them without a win in the seven games. Defeat to Donegal in the Ulster championship was followed by another loss against Armagh in the All-Ireland group stages, before rescuing a draw against Galway last weekend. Advertisement In what has been a difficult 18 months for the county, McKaigue is confident they can get back on track, and praised the work clubs in the county have been doing over the years. "Derry has always had a spread of good underage teams across minor, Under-21s, U20s as it is now, and schools. "That's not a guarantee, don't get me wrong, but I've never seen as many clubs in Derry have their house in order. That rivalry and wanting to compete with each other has made each other better, a rising tide and all that. "Schools are doing phenomenal work and that should give Derry county teams a really good chance, you would imagine." Advertisement "Derry are working hard in the background to put structures in place for that because they've had a consistent spread of teams and players coming all at the one time. "It's exciting for Derry but be under no illusion the hardest thing is to try and get them players from being really good juvenile players to being really good servants at senior level for Derry." McKaigue also put into perspective the number of injuries to key players Derry have had this season, while also pointed out the age profile of the team. "Derry have to claim that they want to be in contention for Sam Maguire in the next ten years. Advertisement "They have to be. What's the point then in doing all the work they've done? There's no guarantee, I know that, but the bottom line is you've got to have your ambitions, you have to dream big. "Derry should have, theoretically, a chance in the next number of years to do big things. You have a very good senior side at the minute, albeit this year has not been great. "You look at the age profile of a lot of those Derry players. Conor McCluskey has been out, still a relatively young man; Ethan Doherty is a relatively young man, you have Lachlann Murray and Paul Cassidy. "A lot of players there with a lot more to give, and a lot more on the conveyor belt of talent coming through." Advertisement A two-time Ulster winner with Derry, McKaigue made the decision to step away from inter-county football after 15 seasons in the Derry jersey. The 35-year-old still has GAA as part of his life, but discussed the mental toll inter-county football can have. "It was fairly demanding. If I was playing against Dublin (Saturday week in Newry), I'd be starting to think about Dublin the minute the Galway game ended. You don't have that anymore and that is a welcome addition. "It wasn't a kneejerk reaction for me to retire. I'm happy to admit the transition has been relatively smooth. I know in my gut that I'm happy enough because I can imagine for a lot of people it is more difficult. "But for me I'm content and was ready to move on to the next chapter."
Belfast Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Fermanagh boss Kieran Donnelly reveals what his side must do to overcome Sligo in Tailteann Cup showdown
He may have been without a couple of key players lately but for Saturday's meeting with Sligo at Brewster Park, Enniskillen (5.00pm), Donnelly is aware that he has additional firepower in his attack. This is provided by the very much in form Conor Love who has been turning on the style recently as the Erne County have charted an encouraging course. Up until recently, Garvan Jones was Fermanagh's scorer-in-chief, a player who can be depended upon to unsettle opposing defences and make the most of scoring opportunities that come his way. But right now Jones is being given some vital assistance from Love who has been very much on song lately. He landed five points against Down and then pocketed seven against Wexford with six of these scores coming in one half of the game. Right now, it can be taken for granted that Sligo manager Tony McEntee, a 2002 All-Ireland winner with Armagh, will have Love very much in his sights as he bids to ensure that his defence is in an unyielding mood. 'Obviously Sligo are in good form at the moment and we certainly cannot take anything for granted. We have to get off the mark in this one and make sure that we take our chances,' said Donnelly. His opposite number McEntee is in his fifth year in charge of Sligo and is strongly focused on capturing silverware given the effort that he and his players have put in of late. Meanwhile, triple Tyrone All-Ireland winning manager Mickey Harte will undoubtedly have a big say in Offaly's bid to overcome Kildare in the Tailteann Cup at Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge (6.30pm). Harte has watched the Lilywhites slip into a consistent vein of form and the fact that the county's hurlers won the Joe McDonagh Cup last Sunday by overcoming fancied Laois in the Final will provide their footballing brethren with another boost in their bid for glory. They could face a huge threat, though, from the accurate Dylan Hyland who scored 1-12 when Offaly overcame New York by 2-25 to 1-12. Home advantage will certainly favour Kildare in what should prove a lively affair given the manner in which both teams performed in the league. There is no doubt either that Wicklow manager Oisin McConville will have his squad fired up for the Tailteann Cup clash with Westmeath at Aughrim on Sunday (1.15pm). Wicklow have progressed quietly of late and McConville will certainly have them at concert pitch for their mission against a Westmeath side that are playing with confidence just now. It was Westmeath, indeed, who were the inaugural winners of the Tailteann Cup three years ago and by all accounts they are strongly focused on getting their hands on the trophy again. Should Wicklow hit the ground running they may well get the upper hand although this could still prove a feisty affair. In Dean Healy, Oisin McGraynor, Eoin Darcy, Mark Jackson and Joe Prendergast, Wicklow possess accomplished finishers who played a big part when the side overcame Waterford by 3-29 to 0-21 in some style in their most recent high-scoring outing.
Belfast Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Former Ulster star on why ‘desperation' for trophy success will have major say as he plots to lead Bulls to URC Grand Final joy
And while the odds may seem somewhat weighted against the South Africans ahead of running out at Croke Park, all those involved will readily recall the Bulls having won in Dublin before when it's been sudden death. Indeed, the record isn't great as Leinster have bowed out to this opposition in the League's Semi-Final stages in 2022 (at home) and two years later in 2024 over in Pretoria. The visitors have something else going for them, too, through the presences of the hugely experienced Marcell Coetzee and Willie le Roux, who both missed out on the 2023/24 season's Final when Jake White's squad rather surprisingly lost in Pretoria to Glasgow Warriors. Coetzee, of course, was at Ulster for five years, starting in 2016, and though this was heavily punctuated by injury and didn't exactly end well with his earlier-than-anticipated departure back to Pretoria, he is a key part of what the Bulls will bring on Saturday. At 34, the still dynamic back-rower will probably not get too many more opportunities at claiming silverware and, as such, is ready to go all-out to derail Leinster, who come to this showdown with some extra baggage having already crashed out of the Champions Cup at the Semi-Final stages at home to Northampton Saints and are desperate to end their four-year trophy drought. 'It all builds up to desperation from both sides this weekend,' Coetzee admitted, with the Bulls also aiming to lift the URC title for the first time. 'So, you can expect a massive clash with a lot of energy and a lot of intensity.' He continued: 'Look, it's going to come down to moments and how we manage them and how calm, collected and controlled we are. 'And that comes with experience,' added the 31-times-capped Springbok. 'Take our captain, Ruan (Nortje). When I first arrived (at the Bulls) he was 22, now he's close to 27 and has played for the Boks. 'With guys like Willie le Roux and Johan Goosen, we have that good balance between experience and youth. 'And our leadership group has really grown by being involved in high-pressure games. 'I think you saw by our performances on the previous tour (when the Bulls beat Munster and Glasgow away in the URC) how we have matured.' Leinster have shown certain frailties in the 2024/25 season when the going has ramped up, and the Bulls are intending to bring their extra physicality to this contest as one means of getting an edge on the hosts. 'We've identified a lot of areas that we might exploit this weekend,' admitted Coetzee. 'But it's going to come down to work-rate, to being composed, and then to making the right decisions at the right time.' The Bulls also know that they must keep their heads as, though they finished runners-up to Leinster in the final table from the regular season, they are bottom of the pile in terms of discipline. Coetzee added: 'Playing against a quality side like Leinster, you can't afford to have one or two guys in the bin. You need everyone on the pitch to stop their onslaught. 'We've played each other a couple of times in the seasons prior to this and we know each other very well, and I think that's just going to make the contest more exciting this weekend.' Coetzee was on the losing side at this stage of the competition when the Stormers claimed the title in 2022 but is hungry to make amends this time around.
