McGarvey fully aware what Lavey have in store

By Michael McMullan

LAVEY manager Johnny McGarvey hopes his side have enough this Sunday to book an Intermediate Hurling Championship final spot.

As manager of the Derry senior team, he knows the landscape better than most and expects a tight encounter against Swatragh.

While the winner will play in the intermediate decider, a place in the junior final awaits the losers, because of the county’s structures.

Lavey lost last year’s Ulster Junior Final at the hands of Burt but they can look to the progress of Swatragh who have been successful at intermediate level.

McGarvey also identifies the three tiers within the county. Sleacht Néill have been top dogs since 2013 with Kevin Lynch’s the main contenders.

“They (Swatragh) have stayed consistent at that intermediate level and just missed out in a couple of (senior) semi-finals.

“I would suggest that what we’d call the middle tier in Derry club hurling is very even,” he added, referring to all four semi-finalists this weekend.

While Lavey take on Swatragh, Banagher and Ballinascreen face off in the other semi-final. Eoghan Rua and Na Magha are at the level below.

“I think it’ll be a fairly good standard in these two semi-finals and I think it’ll be very, very even,” McGarvey added.

“I hope we’ll have enough to get ourselves over the line but we’re looking forward to it.”

Lavey missed out on a chance to challenge at senior level after losing to Kevin Lynch’s in the first round.

He pointed to Lavey not taking their goal chances on the day with the winners having a more clinical hour in front of goal.

While admitting Kevin Lynch’s deserved their win and not wanting to offer up excuses, McGarvey felt the game came too early for his side in the season.

“It’s certainly not an excuse,” he stressed. “But it did probably come two weeks too early. We were fighting trying to get Eamon (McGill) and Segdae (Melaugh) back. Connor Melaugh had tweaked the hamstring playing football against Limavady.

“We know that if we want to be competitive with the Lynch’s, never mind go on a level, then we need everybody.”

They were also without Derry panellists Conor McGurk and Eoin Mulholland from their starting 15.

“We don’t have enough, with too many boys who don’t want to play in hurling and that leaves us with a struggle,” he added,

“The Lynch’s match, there was loads to learn from it. We didn’t play well enough to get the result and they deserved to win.

“I like this part of the system where you have this (intermediate qualifier) to fall back into, to try and make a season out of it for yourself.”

Looking forward to this weekend, McGarvey praises Swatragh’s level of consistency.

“What I love about them is they’re competitive every year,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter who they’re playing, they are thereabouts. If you’re five or six points up on them, they don’t really change a thing. They battle away and they can hurl as well.

“The one thing about Swatragh, like Banagher, you’re never over the line. Until that final whistle goes, you haven’t got Swatragh beat, and that’s a great quality to have.”