Meenagh has a balanced focus ahead of league

By Michael McMullan

DERRY manager Ciarán Meenagh feels his side must find a balance in focus this weekend as their league campaign gets underway against Meath.

With Páirc Tailteann under repair, the Royals have nominated Croke Park for their home games.

Saturday’s opener (3pm) has been in the Derry sights since the fixtures came out, a game Meenagh has previously emphasised the importance of.

“You can’t put all your eggs in that basket either because you have Tyrone coming the following week,” Meenagh also stated, speaking after last week’s Dr McKenna Cup semi-final defeat to Donegal.

“Then you’re away a fortnight later to Kildare,” he added. “You have seven games coming in nine weeks.

“We’ve seen, year after year, teams that have had good National Leagues not finishing the year well.

“(Other) teams that are having an indifferent National League, finish the year on a high and they get momentum at the right time.

“The Meath game is important. It’ll be important to me, the first game is important to everybody

“So, it’s probably about getting fixated on ourselves as much as being fixated on anybody else.”

Meenagh and his management team used 22 players in their two preseason games. Brendan Rogers and Shane McGuigan were rested while Rossa duo Odhrán Lynch and Eoin McEvoy are on their way back from injury.

Ruairi Forbes, Charlie Diamond, Conall and Dan Higgins are among those involved in the Sigerson Cup.

There has been a welcome return for Gareth McKinless after a cruciate injury and has been named as vice-captain, with Conor Glass remaining as skipper.

Sean Kearney made his debut under Ciarán Meenagh earlier this month

Among the new players over the McKenna Cup games, Newbridge captain Conor McAteer and Sean Kearney of Swatragh put their hands up with scoring performances.

In the absence of Odhrán Lynch, Ballinascreen ‘keeper Ryan Scullion, debutant Shea McGuckin of Magherafelt and Lavey’s Louis Regan are vying for the number one jersey.

“I thought for 25 minutes we were really, really good,” Meenagh said of last week’s outing against Donegal.

“I thought we were defensively solid. That breeze died in the second half, so that was against a strong breeze in the first half.

“I thought our communication, our awareness of space in behind, the manner in which we attacked was very, very good.

“That wee bit of sloppiness probably crept in just before half time and then we missed three two-point efforts at the very start of the second half.”

Donegal hit the Oaks with a 1-7 tally without reply to get a hold of the game before Derry rallied late on but Ryan Mulholland’s stoppage time goal wasn’t enough.

“A team gets a run at you,” Meenagh said of the crucial third quarter. “Conor (Glass) was only to play 40 minutes.

“When he came out, with Dan Higgins not being available, Brendan Rogers not playing, we had some bigger men – Eoin McEvoy just not right yet either – so they had a big platform across the middle of the field there.”

With Donegal having the spine of their All-Ireland final team from last season, the Derry boss feels the test will stand to his team.

“It’s just the chemistry of the team playing together, getting back to being competitive, to bringing games down the straight,” he said of the positives.

“You are finding new players as well on top of that; getting your seasoned players back, getting football under their belt, those that were rehabilitating from injuries.

“It’s all of those things, but it’s a process of developing confidence then as well.”