Slaughtneil and Kevin Lynchs will showcase Derry hurling claims Brendan Rogers

After seven titles in a row, Slaughtneil must have thought they’d seen it all on county final day but thanks to COVID-19, this year will be a Derry hurling decider like no other.

Yes, the protagonists are entirely predictable, the county’s undisputed dominant force in one corner, their arch nemesis and only viable challenger in the other, but everything else surrounding the 2020 final has an air of the unknown. Pre-match protocols and preparations, no changing rooms or marching band, face masks, water breaks and, most crucially of all, no bumper crowd roaring on the players.

“Toward the end of the final last year, you could hear the roar of the crowd for every free or every tackle and maybe that will change things but I don’t think it will change the quality of the hurling,” smiles Slaughtneil’s Brendan Rogers, “Celtic Park is usually in fantastic shape at this time of year so it should lend itself to good quality hurling.

“It will be a massive encounter and it’s very fortunate for those lucky enough to be there but with the live stream people shouldn’t miss out. That’s very good from a hurling perspective because I’d say it’s going to be very competitive game and I think everyone is looking forward to it, players and supporters. If it’s a good game, it will show the quality of Derry hurling.”

Going for a remarkable eighth title in a row, Slaughtneil could almost be forgiven for being somewhat blasé about another final but there is no danger of complacency among Michael McShane’s players, especially not where Kevin Lynch’s are involved.

"Yeah, the old foes again,” laughs Rogers, “Going into the championship we both we’re probably the bookies’ favourites but it’s very hard to tell, there have been upsets in Derry over the past few years and with COVID and the lockdown you don’t know how teams have been able to prepare or what facilities they’ve had to work with.

“There is no point trying to pretend both teams haven’t had very convincing wins in the semi-finals but I think both probably went out and performed like that in those games because they knew what would be lying ahead in the final. Both were trying to show how they had progressed while working on things they wanted to work on heading into the final.

“Look, Dungiven know what they are going to get from us at this stage and we know what we are going to get from Dungiven so we are looking forward to what should be a very good competition and a good game of hurling.”

One bonus of the coronavirus hit season has been the players ability to solely concentrate on their club duties, something Rogers says he has enjoyed, even if his dual status means his fixture list remains somewhat hectic.

“It is very condensed, there’s no doubt about that,” he adds, “If anyone gets any sort of injury it more or less rules them out for the foreseeable but it’s enjoyable especially when you have no pulls from the county.

“Usually inter-county would have just ended and there are a couple of league games still to play so you are sort of rushing into the club championship. Now everyone has had a clear run at it and that makes it more enjoyable because you are getting to play as a club which is why lots of people are now calling for the split season.

“There is the enjoyment factor in it but you always want to play all the best stuff at the best time of year, that’s where the decision lies.”

So how has the COVID-hit county final week differed from past years?

“We need to rest up so it’s been lying low at home, off to training, and things like that. Look, it’s county final week and that’s what you are looking forward to all year,” adds Rogers.

“It’s the one thing you aimed to get to get to after lockdown, it’s why you wanted to get playing again, why we did all that training at home when you couldn’t get to the pitch. It was always because of the belief that if things worked out we might get to a county final, that would be the big thing out of this year and we are in that position now so you cannot be any more grateful than that.”