WHEN the draws were made I, like many others, had a stab at who I thought would top each group and who would go through. We all do it but I have no problem admitting that I made an absolute hames of the whole thing. These group games have blown the championship wide open and […]
By Michael McMullan FOR the first time in 25 years, Newbridge stepped into a new season to defend the John McLaughlin Cup after their magical 2024 journey. This year’s Derry’s format will be different. They’ve waved goodbye to the group format in favour of a return to the backdoor with the draw coming in the […]
By Michael McMullan THERE are two halves to Paddy Tally’s tenure as Derry manager to date. Before Ballybofey and after Ballybofey. As the Oakleafers prepare to step into the lion’s den against All-Ireland champions Armagh, in their own patch, the Derry boss has had time to take stock. An eleventh-hour replacement for Mickey Harte was […]
By Michael McMullan WHAT a difference a year can make. Derry were league champions 12 months ago and deep in the Sam Maguire conversation. Then everything came crashing down. Jim McGuiness masterminded a Celtic Park championship ambush. Goals and goals and goals. When Armagh arrived in the Maiden City in the All-Ireland group stages, it […]
By Michael McMullan IF Derry can polish up on their showing against Kerry, they give themselves a chance of getting the right result against Galway on Saturday. That’s the take of manager Paddy Tally who also pointed to the importance of the learnings from the defeat to Tyrone. While admitting Tyrone were deserving winners, there […]
By Michael McMullan NEW Derry manager Paddy Tally feels his side are stepping into the most competitive Division One in recent years. The Oakleafers travel to Omagh on Saturday to face a Tyrone side who are also under new management following the appointment of Malachy O’Rourke. Tally’s focus on the league is to maintain their […]
By Niall Gartland DERRY stalwart Gareth McKinless is hoping for big things under their new manager Paddy Tally. Tally’s appointment last month came at the end of a protracted search to find a successor to Mickey Harte, but McKinless believes that it was worth the wait as they have found a man with a considerable […]
By Michael McMullan NEW Derry manager Paddy Tally will pencil in rest for whoever needs it and says a strong link across the u-17 and u-20 grades is essential to long-term progress. He points out the difference in conditioning levels between a player coming in from the u-20 grade to a seasoned player with a […]
By Niall McCoy DERRY clubs will have a two-week period to nominate candidates for the vacant Oakleaf job following Mickey Harte’s departure on Monday. Officials met on Tuesday night to start the replacement process and the clubs are set to have the first say with nominations due back towards the end of July. Former Derry […]
By Michael McMullan PLAYING in Croke Park brings the best out in players, insists Derry’s Conor Doherty ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland quarter-final showdown with Kerry. Doherty made a return from injury to help Derry to victory in last weekend’s preliminary quarter-final win over Mayo in Castlebar. It was the Newbridge man’s penalty that sealed victory […]
