By Michael McMullan

DERRY are trying to “piece” themselves together as they prepare for this weekend’s championship opener against Donegal in Ballybofey.

That was the take of manager Paddy Tally as he picked through a “very mixed” league campaign that resulted in relegation from Division One.

Derry managed just a draw with Galway from their seven games. After leading Donegal for most of the game in Ballyshannon, the loss of Brendan Rogers and a Michael Murphy-led comeback resulted in another defeat.

It was like their defeat to Kerry. Plenty of promise but no real end result. Derry then needed to beat both Mayo and Armagh to have any chance but shipped two heavy defeats. They lost both. Game over.

“At times we showed some pretty good football,” Tally said of the mixed campaign.

There was the familiarisation of the rules after being appointed late to the manager post.

“With the absence of a lot of main players, it was an opportunity to try some new lads,” Tally added.

“I think that worked okay. We’ve got some boys blooded. We’ve seen what we had beyond what the normal panel would be.

“I think towards the end, we were weakened in the squad and we got exposed in the last two games.

“It’s disappointing that we got relegated, but when you look at the league overall, we’re just down in strength and depth at the moment.

“I think that was a problem. I think it’s something maybe Derry have realised for a while.

“I have been speaking to a lot of the Derry football people who said the same.”

It comes back to the second target for the league, aside from staying in Division One, exposing players to life at inter-county senior level. The top flight is a tough spot.

Conor McCluskey is not expected back until late in the season. Gareth McKinless is out. Odhrán Lynch’s injury isn’t as bad as first feared but Sunday comes too soon.

Brendan Rogers and Ciaran McFaul are currently rehabbing injuries. That’s the balancing act Tally and the management team are facing.

“We’re just picking up a lot of injuries,” he said, pointing to their seven games in nine weeks.

“I would say the games are more demanding now than the old game. There’s been a lot more load between the players.

“At the moment we’re just trying to piece ourselves together and be as strong as we can be for the championship.”

Derry’s difficulty is having just two weeks to prepare for a Donegal side Tally he rates very highly. As definite All-Ireland contenders.

There is also the factor of Donegal prioritising their championship preparation ahead of going gung-ho for the league title.

“Donegal are a serious team,” he said. “They were very unfortunate last year not to be in the All-Ireland final.

“They won the Ulster Championship last year and I think they’ve got better. I think they’ve improved their squad, bringing Michael Murphy back into the squad, bringing Eoin McHugh back into the squad.

“They look as if they really are in a good place this season. I think Donegal are probably the team this year that would be looking to win the All-Ireland and not just the Ulster Championship.

“So they were the outstanding team in the league really. They looked as if they could have taken the league and topped the table if they had wanted to.

“We are under no illusions of how difficult this task is going to be in the Ballybofey. They’re notoriously hard to beat at home, so it’ll be a massive challenge for us.”

Another aspect of Derry’s preparation has been Tally leaving any u-20 players on his radar to focus on their championship preparations.

Speaking to Gaelic Life in his first interview as Derry manager, he stressed the importance of players being allowed to play and compete within in their own peers. When the u-20 season is over, he’ll take a look at calling some of them in.

It’s a different approach in the Oakleaf County and Tally, who could well be tempted to top his panel up with u-20s, explained the difference in senior and underage football. And it has changed with the new rule enhancements.

“In the last three years, I’ve been working in Kerry and with Galway in ’18,” he began.

“The athletic development of the players is so important now and you don’t really find this out until you’re in the later stages of the championship, maybe in Croke Park in the last eight.”

It’s deeper than 15 players. Tally highlights Jim Gavin having experienced players to take in off the bench. It was the same when Kieran McGeeney looked over his shoulder last season. The cavalry helped Armagh win Sam.

“Those things just don’t happen overnight,” he said, with the added knowledge of his profession as a PE lecturer.

“A young player, 18 years old or 17, the middle of minor. It’s really a four- or five-year programme to get him to 22 or 23 where he’s athletically strong enough to consistently compete on every match.”

“If you take a break and don’t develop that player in those early stages, it’s very difficult for them to catch up,” he said of the move from u-20.

“You’ve probably missed a window of opportunity for development. So, I would say long-term planning, strategic development of players, long-term athletic development is going to be a big focus for the teams in the future and especially now with the new rules.”

In this week’s Gaelic Lives podcast, Eamonn Burns and Kevin Cassidy look ahead to Sunday’s game in Ballybofey.

Also, don’t miss this week’s Gaelic Life epaper, packed with Ulster SFC buildup