Derry team spirit delights boss Dominic McKinley ahead of Donegal clash

Allianz Leagues, Division 2B: Donegal v Derry (O'Donnell Park, Letterkenny, Sunday, 2pm)
Derry ‘s John Mullan and Meehaul McGrath battle for possession with Mayo’s Conor Murray at Owenbeg last Sunday. Photo: George Sweeney. DER2209GS – 003Derry ‘s John Mullan and Meehaul McGrath battle for possession with Mayo’s Conor Murray at Owenbeg last Sunday. Photo: George Sweeney. DER2209GS – 003
Derry ‘s John Mullan and Meehaul McGrath battle for possession with Mayo’s Conor Murray at Owenbeg last Sunday. Photo: George Sweeney. DER2209GS – 003

Dominic McKinley has revealed he and Cormac Donnelly had doubts over returning as joint Derry senior hurling managers for 2022 but says the spirit within the revamped Oak Leaf squad has vindicated their decision to remain in charge.

On Sunday Derry face a top of the table Division 2B trip to O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny, to take Donegal in a clash which will send one of the counties on the direct route to the League final. Both teams go into the game with perfect records after three games, Derry currently topping the table on scoring difference from their neighbours.

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Both Derry and Donegal will be expected to win their final fixtures against London and Mayo respectively, making this weekend a virtual play-off for that automatic final spot. The loser on Sunday will have a second bite at the league final via the second and third placed play-off spot.

It’s been quite a turn around but it’s not just results that have pleased McKinley, it’s the bond that has developed within a settled Oak Leaf panel.

“One thing we have been working on is the togetherness of the panel, the honesty and commitment to each other, and we have got that this year,” explained the former Antrim boss, “We have 33 or 34 players now and it’s a long time since the Derry hurling team had 33 or 34 players.

“We need to make sure we keep them all happy, work away with injuries etc because we will need every last one of them before we are through this run of fixtures.

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“That togetherness has been the most pleasing thing. Cormac and myself questioned ourselves at the end of last season; we questioned was it worth it doing what we were doing but we worked hard at the start of the year with the help of all the club managers. They all helped us out and played a major part in getting all these players back in.

“And the boys have been training and working hard. You’re not going to training any more thinking about who is there. You’re going to training with a plan in your head to make them better. Training is tough and training is good, how it should be. Once you have to go and think about who is turning up that night you’re in deep trouble and I have been through it enough to know that.

“We are in a good enough place and have a very important game at the weekend against Donegal. Both teams are unbeaten and the players are looking forward to it. We are looking forward to the challenge. Last year when we played Donegal out in Ballinascreen we were very lucky. Cormac (O’Doherty) scored a monster point right at the end to win it and I would say it will be just as close again.

“It will be nip and tuck because it’s an important match for both teams, a bit like a championship match but these matches are what you play the game for, you want to be challenged.”

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Last week’s comprehensive victory over Mayo at Owenbeg was soured by injuries to Ritchie Mullan and Tiarnan McHugh, both of whom miss Sunday’s game with McKinley confirming Mullan’s suffered a high grade hamstring tear.

“Both lads suffered hamstring injuries but Ritchie’s is much worse than Tiarnan’s. They are two different grades of tear but Ritchie looks like he’s out for the foreseeable future, three or four weeks at least,” added McKinley, “This is why it is so important for us as a management team, with our physios, doctors and everybody else, that we are on the ball with everything we are doing because it's a heavy schedule for the boys. We’ve been stressing how important it is to the players to manage this period but with Ritchie’s injury I’ve never seen the like of it.

“He was on the ground and got up to straighten his leg and actually pulled his hamstring straightening his leg. Something just popped. It was totally innocuous but it’s is a high grade tear and is going to take time. He’s going to be a serious miss but that’s the way the cookie crumbles when matches are coming constantly.”

Mullan’s injury means he's also a doubt for the Christy Ring Cup which gets underway against Wicklow on April 10th, just one week after a league final Derry will hope to be contesting.

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“If you’re asking me know, I want to go the direct route to the final,” added the Derry manager, “I want to be in there because it gives you a week’s rest and that means you can rest up your injuries etc. If you going through the semi-final route you are playing every week and then the Christy Ring is coming at you after that so it’s a schedule you have to manage. We can’t rush players back from injury because one bad injury and a player could miss the whole county season.”

While both Mullan and McHugh will miss out this weekend, Lavey’s Fintan Bradley is expected to feature on Sunday as he continues to work his way back from a back injury. The Derry manager admits Sunday will be his squad’s toughest test yet but says he’s been impressed with how both the consistency and the scoring ratio has improved this season.

“The consistency of the team, and the consistency of being able to get on top of teams has improved. I’m not saying we are there yet but I think if you reflect from last year to this - the Wicklows, Mayos and that - last year we had real trouble with them but this year our scoring ratio is way up and that’s something we are working hard on.

“We are beating these teams the way we expect to do as players and management to be honest. That’s where we want our performance levels moved to, we want to be up there more consistent as individuals and as a team. We are not there yet but we are moving in the right direction.

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“This will be our toughest test yet. Donegal have five or six players from outside and have added that bit of finesse. I know the players well and they’re good players, we have the utmost respect for them but it will be a challenge for both of us. They have players we will look at and they will look at some of ours so we need to get our match-ups right and go out and play the match, there’s no rocket science to it. We need to bring a good attitude and hopefully that takes us through.”