McKenna Cup is a big miss for 2025 says Derry boss Paddy Tally

A Central Council decision to suspend traditional pre-season competitions was made in September after meetings between the GAA's management committee and Ard Chomhairle, while a motion to restore the January competitions was then defeated in October. It means Tally's first official game in charge of the Oak Leafers will be a Division One clash against his native Tyrone in Healy Park on the last weekend of January.

Given the new rules that will also come into play next season, it is far from ideal but Tally is determined to use every moment possible to prepare for what will be a novel league campaign for every county in the country.

"Absolutely, of all the years," reflected the Derry manager, "Of all the years not to have the McKenna Cup - especially with the new rules coming in too.

"Every year you have changes and you just adapt quickly, but you have those three McKenna Cup games to see where and to try new players out. This year we're coming in with the advent of the new rules, you don't have any opportunity really to play competitive games before you're thrown into the league matches straight away

"Really you're going to have to hit the ground running when you start playing, and that'll be a new challenge, not just for me, but for every manager. I think certainly it would have been great to have the McKenna Cup."

Tally is optimistic Derry will adapt quickly and believes the negativity that dogged the tail end of last season masked a number of positives from a year in which Derry were Ulster's first top flight champions since the Oak Leafers' 2008 victory under Paddy Crozier.

"There are only two national titles in any year and you win one of them, so you have to look back and say there was success for Derry last year. Anybody can have a couple of bad games in a championship," adds Tally.

"It happens. Derry still ended up in the last eight, ended up in Croke Park. The boys had an opportunity to play in Croke Park in the last eight again, three years in a row now, so they're building experience. Maybe it didn't work out in the finish last year but that experience will stand them going forward. You always have to look for the positives, you have to take the best out of it, take the learnings out of it and then bet upon that."

With All Ireland winning minor manager Damian McErlain moving to take charge of the U20 squad in the new Derry set-up, Tally stressed the importance of a link between a thriving underage structure and the senior team.

"That's essential," he explained, "That's essential that you have a strong link between U17s, U20s and seniors. That has to be a very strong link.

"We'll go across that with them. I feel it's very important and I have a big part to play in ensuring I'm in communication with Damian (McErlain) to hear his advice about players coming through that have maybe stepped out of U20s and might be ready to move up. Lads who have been in the last year of U20s who may come in and feature in a senior squad after they finish, or lads who are coming through the system and may be ready to come out.

"That's an essential part of the progression and development of any young player and I think it's something we'll be very keen to ensure. High levels of communication, good contact and making sure there's a good flow going through the entire system."

But despite that close link Tally is hoping to forge between the various Derry tiers, he said it was important for players to experience championship action with their own age groups too.

"It is important for those players to play with their own age group. It's a big part of their lives to play with their friends, to play with their own people and to have success with those

"Those are days I'll never forget. Remember, when you were that age yourself the most important people to you were your peers, your own age group. You needed to step into senior football after that, but some boys in the senior squad were married with kids, you were a young boy stepping up and often you had very little in common.

"It can take a long time to navigate that transition whereas at U20 level they've all the same interests. They're probably in school or university together, they hang out together with their friends and I think it's important that those boys are allowed to play with their own age group and do their very best in that group.

"At the end of it, if there's players there who are ready to come in and join the seniors, they will do that."

And developing added depth in his panel is one of Tally's first priorities, especially with players still involved in the provincial club championships.

"It is a priority, especially early in the season. We'll have boys coming off the back of a couple of very, very intense years, so there'll be lads who need additional rest at this time of the year. There'll be other lads who may still be involved in some club activity - Ballinderry lads, the Slaughtneil boys in hurling, they're still involved in that, and when they finish up they'll need downtime as well.

"The Newbridge boys only finished last week, remember, and we're heading into late November so when do they get a break?

"Every way, physically and mentally, you need a break from football to a point, so we'll use this time. There's no rush on us. There's no panic. We'll use these few weeks to gather people together and plan the future."