Derry renew Donegal rivalry as Christy Ring Cup gets underway

The two counties met only three weeks ago in O'Donnell Park in Letterkenny where a match that was tantamount to a Division Two relegation play-off ending in a resounding 20 point victory for Derry to send Mickey McCann's team down to Division Three, that despite an encouraging campaign which had seen the Tir Chonaill defeat Kerry.

That result alone was enough to make most of the hurling world sit up and take notice of Donegal this season, but it wasn't a result that shocked McGarvey who's expecting a very different game this weekend to that one sided league encounter.

"We would very much expect this game to be very different from the league game in O'Donnell Park, " explained the Lavey man, "I think everybody would have felt going into that league match that is was a 50-50 game. I don't think anybody saw it being as one sided.

"Now don't get me wrong, we played well and we were delighted with our performance but Donegal were very poor by their standards, they just didn't play well on the day and they will be hell bent on setting that straight first of all, regardless of results or anything else. They will be hell bent on putting a performance in.

"But look, we need to go about our own business and go about it well.

"I think that's fair enough," he adds when asked if he's expecting to be facing a team with a point to prove, "I think they'll come to try and prove it. There is no suggestion within our camp at all that it will be anywhere near the same type of game as in O'Donnell Park.

"We are preparing for it the same way we prepared for that first match and, look, we've taken a few hammerings along the way too so we are not in a position to underestimate any team. I don't feel we are anyway.

"Donegal have some really good players. Danny Cullen is back, Declan Coulter is back and those are really experienced lads. Then you add that in with the likes of Liam McKinney, Gerry Gilmore and Luke White; they've a good team with good players so this is going to be tough challenge."

Derry will be without Eamon Cassidy who has to sit the game out due to concussion protocols after an injury in a challenge match last week while the likes of Deaghlan Foely, Conor Coyle and Ryan McGill are carrying niggling injuries but should be available.

In fact the Derry squad is in as good a health as it has been all season with captain Cormac O'Doherty and keeper Sean Kelly back in contention for an open championship that the Oak Leafers will be among the favourites for.

Meath, another of the fancied sides, starts their championship season at home to London whom Derry will travel to next Sunday but in a league format that sees the top two counties qualify for the final, McGarvey is expecting every point to be hard won.

"First thing you have to do is make sure you are well prepared, make sure your attitude is good and go there on the day and do your job," said the Derry manager, "That's the way we are selling this to our players.

"Look, obviously we know what we want out of the competition at the end but you've got to start at the beginning and you have to win your matches; you've got to get there. There is no point in talking about winning Christy Ring Cups if you are not in the final, you have to navigate your way through the league system which is going to be a real challenge for every county.

"It will become very apparent very quickly that teams are trying to survive in it and teams will be trying to make the final but barring a strange set of results, every single game will matter right up until the last whistle. It will matter to someone within the division.

"Only the fact that we have had to book flight s for the trip to London next week, that's the only looking at London we have done for example. We have kept an eye on results throughout the year and know who is playing for certain teams but our only focus right now is Donegal and getting two points in the first game."