DERRY’S new camogie manager Martin McCoulter says he’s been pleasantly surprised by the wealth of talent available for selection in the Oak Leaf county.

This weekend they take on Wexford at Bellaghy in their second league outing, but they won’t be able to call on their Sleacht Néill and Eoghan Rua contingent, who are playing in All-Ireland semi-final clashes with their club.

But that was also the case in their first league match a fortnight ago against Meath, and while they lost by three points, they played extremely well in difficult conditions.

Coulter, an Ulster club winner with Ballygalget as a player, says they have the raw ingredients to make his tenure a successful one.

“I have to put my hand up on this one, a lot of people like me are
ignorant and think Sleacht Néill is the be-all and end-all of the camogie scene,” he admits.

“But as great as their team is, there’s fantastic talent as well in clubs like Glen, Ballinascreen, Swatragh. The talent is right up with the best of them.

“We’ve played challenge games against Down and Antrim and done more than well, there’s an abundance of talent.”

Girls who stood out against Meath included debut player Rachel McEldowney, while Sinead McGill, who had been on the fringes of the panel previously, also took her chance when handed a starting berth.

It’s taken a while for Coulter to get to know everyone, but he says he got plenty of help in that regard from former Derry player Danny McGrellis and Derry camogie Chairman Paddy Downey.

“We started on the sixth of January and when I arrived we had more than 30 players and I didn’t know any of them.

“It’s great now, I’m obviously on first-name terms with all of them, but that initial few weeks were a bit awkward,” he points out.

“I have to say Paddy and Danny have been a godsend, they’ve a great knowledge of the girls, and are able to give me all the important information about their background and how they play.”

While Coulter emphasises that there’s more to Derry camogie than Sleacht Néill, they will welcome back some important players from the club when their All-Ireland campaign is over.

“We’ve four definites from Sleacht Néill at the minute, Sinead and Therese Mellon, Aoife Ní Chaiside, Cliodhna Ní Mhianáin.

“We’re giving one or two others the opportunity to rejoin, but they’ve been on the go for six or seven years all year round.

“It’s not the time to be putting the pressure on them in the build up to an All-Ireland semi-final so we’ll let the dust settle and see what happens when the campaign is over.”