Derry excited by their latest All-Ireland bid

DERRY manager Ryan O’Neill feels his side are ready for Saturday’s All-Ireland U-20 B Championship hurling final against Roscommon in Kingspan Breffni.

It’s a repeat of the 2023 decider won by the Oakleafers, and O’Neill said Saturday can’t come quick enough for his side.

After not qualifying via Ulster, for a crack at the ‘A’ grade, Derry were winners over Donegal in the All-Ireland semi-final at ‘B’ level.

“There’s a good bit of excitement, a good buzz there at the minute and I’m looking forward to Saturday now,” O’Neill said.

Derry came up short last season and decided not to fully focus on their conditioning during December.

Derry looking to the building blocks of continuous u-20 progress

Instead, they mixed it up with hurling sessions with the view of working on their touch in case weather put an end to their pitch access.

With the weeks of rain, the extra skill sessions were a welcome start to their preparations.

O’Neill is joined in the management team by Kevin Kelly who has been there since their days with the minors.

Former Derry Ulster senior winners Kieran Stevenson and John O’Dwyer make up the quartet.

It works well. They are on the same page, meeting online once a week and planning all their sessions by the time the players hit the pitch.

Another part of the approach is telling the players how it is – the good and the bad.

“When you’re honest with your boys, you get more back from them,” O’Neill said.

“The days of roaring and shouting around dressing rooms are long, long gone.

“You might get away with it twice a year but boys don’t listen to that carry on anymore, the roaring and shouting.”

O’Neill and his management did the rounds to scout players in the various championship games and have assembled a young u-20 squad.

Development

While the Antrim team they faced in Ulster was stacked with players in their final year, Derry had one eye on the now. but also selected with a view on development towards next season.

“You’re always trying to build,” O’Neill said. “You want to get them into the system and get them a year’s hurling and a year’s strength and conditioning.”

On the day they beat Donegal in the semi-final, Derry had someone away to watch Roscommon’s semi-final win over Tyrone.

“They’re strong at three, at six and strong up the centre,” O’Neill said of their findings on the Rossies.

“No matter who you’re going to play, it’s an All-Ireland final. What I can tell you is, we are ready for it, we have the work done.

“We playing an in-house match on Sunday morning and we brought in a few boys that are not playing club football, that are 20 or 21 to balance out the teams.”

It was the final run out before Saturday and their chance to take home the Richie McElligott Cup for a second time.