By Michael McMullan

DERRY All-Ireland winner Tony Scullion feels Ciarán Meenagh is the perfect man to lead the county forward.

The All-Star defender also states the importance of getting a manager in place ahead of the forthcoming club championship, something the previous management didn’t have the luxury of.

Meenagh, who teaches locally in St Colm’s, Draperstown, came in under manager Damian McErlain in 2019 as Derry climbed out of Division Four.

He stayed on board under Rory Gallagher before talking on the role himself when Gallagher stepped away on the eve of the 2023 Ulster final following serious allegations regarding his private life.

While the rest of Meenagh’s management team is yet to be rubber-stamped, former skipper and All-Star defender Chrissy McKaigue will be part of the setup.

“It couldn’t be anything but positive,” Scullion said of Meenagh’s appointment.

“He’s the ideal man for the job. He is a top man, a man is highly respected by players and that’s the key thing. By all accounts, the players were mad keen to get Ciarán back again. That’s the main thing.

“He has a great way with them, he has a great way with players. He commands respect. He gives respect to every player there. By doing that, he’ll get respect back.

“The manager is like a foundation of the house. If the foundation is weak, then the house will crumble eventually. The manager is a key position. Ciarán Meenagh is the perfect man for the job at this particular time.”

The Derry club championship begins later this month to give the new management a chance to run their eyes over any potential additions to the squad ahead of the new season.

It’s something that wasn’t afforded to Paddy Tally last season due to his appointment on the cusp of the Christmas holidays.

“Paddy came on very late to it and it was hard for him,” Scullion said.

“It was tough. You can look at results and all that, but they were unlucky in the past year.

“We were competitive in a lot of the games in the league. We were competitive in the three All-Ireland round-robin.”

After a draw with Galway, Derry were knocked out after defeat at the hands of Dublin in the final group game.

“We weren’t a million miles away in any of the games,” Scullion added.

“Ciarán has been installed now in time for the club championship. With Ciarán being there in the past too and working in the county, he’ll have a fair clue of what’s happening and the players available that are good enough to play for the Derry.

“I’m sure he’ll have a backroom team too, people that he’ll trust and he’s the perfect man for the job.”

Derry will begin 2026 in Division One but Scullion feels relegation isn’t the end of the world as the county set about taking their next steps.

“I think Division One and Division Two in the National League, it doesn’t really matter as long as we don’t slip any further,” he said.

“I think Division Two will do us no harm and hopefully we’ll have a good National League campaign leading into the championship.”