Derry's Gareth McKinless not surprised at progress of Oak Leaf new boys

The Brian Ogs duo, alongside clubmate Cahir McMonagle and the likes of Jack Cassidy, Conor McGrogan, Ruairi Forbes, Patrick McGurk and Ryan McNicholl, have all been handed a chance to impress in the victories over Cavan and Down which have kept Mickey Harte's men on course to defend the trophy. Next stop on that journey is Saturday in the Athletic Grounds (4pm) as Derry continue preparations for their league opener against Kerry on January 27th.

"It is good for the squad," explained McKinless of the new faces within the senior panel this season, "The likes of Diarmuid and Donncha, and then you have Cahir and Ben all coming from the same club, it's a real positive.

"For Diarmuid, being drafted in last year would have given him a taste of how we do things and the standards that are set, so I'm not surprised that he’s kicked on at the start of this season.

"You can see within training, it's very visible the lads that have been about the set-up - maybe even if it was for a few months previously like Diarmuid - they are starting to kick on and see what it takes to compete and play. It's definitely not a surprise to me that those lads are starting to get more game-time."

And the Ballinderry back believes the increased competition for places, likely to intensify further once the Glen contingent return, can only be good for Derry's prospects this season.

"Over the last number of years, once you break from the bubble of the county set-up, people are always telling you what the squad needs, things like 'you're a forward short' or 'you're bench is lacking'," explained the 2023 All Star.

"Maybe some can take that to heart at times but when you strip it all back and look at it logically, they're probably right in some aspects. Look, at the start and end of any year you're going to review it and look forward in terms of how we can improve the squad; how can we improve how we want to play or, as a player, how can we squeeze a bit more out of ourselves?

"This year the average age is pretty low, bar a few, so you’re gaining maturity with those young lads year on year. You just want to see them improve some aspect of their game, whether it’s skills wise, knowledge and understanding, kick-outs, whatever. You just want to see them improve because if they can do that then the squad is going to come along with it.

"That's a big aim for us, that we can have impacts off the bench across the team. That's something we have maybe been lacking a bit these last couple of years but hopefully it’ll be different going forward."

Last week's victory over Down was the McKinless' first competitive match since being forced off with a knee injury in last year's All Ireland semi-final against Kerry and while he admits it's been frustrating, he's tried to use his time off the pitch positively.

"Everything’s going well but it's been a long process. I've been quite blessed in term of injuries throughout my career. There were maybe times you were playing and not fully fit but that was probably the first sustained period. It was frustrating but it also opened up other options in terms of trying to be a bit more involved around training, giving pointers where you can.

"It's a different perspective. Even up with the county, when you sit back and watch training, you see things that maybe you wouldn't if you were on the pitch. It allows you to give a few pointers, so it's not all doom and gloom.

"You can't really just sit back and feel sorry for yourself, you have to say, 'How could I improve the team even if I'm not physically able to train?'

"Even injured you can still bring some added value to the group. You can take something like that injury two ways; you could just sit back and concentrate on yourself, but that's not really beneficial.

"You're improving yourself and you're improving others by giving them some added value from what you're seeing when you're not involved on the pitch."

McKinless revealed he's already had a few messages from Armagh friends ahead of a weekend tie which will be the counties' first meeting since last season's epic Ulster final which brought Derry a second successive Ulster title. The stakes will be very different this weekend as Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin continue to evaluate their panel, but McKinless believes the competition is ideal league preparation.

"I've had a few jokes back and forth with Armagh men this week. I just keep saying as long as it doesn't go to penalties!" laughed McKinless.

"But, no, Mickey and Gavin have come in and they've set the standard straight away. Obviously we're a group of players that have been on the road a few years and have achieved certain things - not all things - but certain things. We're at a standard among our own group so we know we need to be hitting certain levels on and off the pitch. Obviously when you add Mickey and Gavin, and the likes of Enda (Muldoon), Paul (McFlynn) and Murtagh (O'Brien), the bar just raises another notch.

"Everything has been going well. We're without our full panel in terms of the Glen men but there's been no question over the commitment or attitude of the new boys or anyone else who has been brought in. Everyone is shoulder to the wheel now."