League final is a stepping stone for Derry hurlers

Allianz Hurling League Division 2B League Final   |   Derry vs. Tyrone   |   Owenbeg, Saturday, 5:30pm

The Christy Ring is now the main aim for Johnny McGarvey, but the Derry manager knows the advantages of winning a trophy in this Saturday’s Division 2B League Final at Owenbeg.

While the fate of Derry’s season does not lie in Saturday’s result against Tyrone, the psychological benefits for his players, especially those who have never won a trophy, and the extra momentum caused by yet another win ahead of the Christy Rong, means that this is a game he would certainly like to win, even if he doesn’t really need to.

Derry’s performance in Division 2B this season has been dominant, a surprise draw against Wicklow probably the only disappointment for McGarvey, who has watched his team more often than not, get better with each passing game. Their recent domination of Roscommon was their best showing of the lot and gave them home advantage in this weekend’s league final.

“We're exactly where we wanted to be, and we're probably in the position we wanted to be in, in terms of how we're playing and what way we're going,” McGarvey claimed.

“I think there'll be quite a few players on our panel who have never won anything, at club or county level. You know, most of our lads who are there now, the vast majority of them wouldn't have been involved when Derry won 2B a couple of years ago, and I suppose with Slaughtneil so dominant in the club scene, a lot of them won't have won anything at senior level.

“It's important to try and get that winning mentality. It's very important, in terms of momentum, now going into the Christy Ring.”

Derry met Tyrone back in February, a game marked by a ferocious gale which swept through Celtic Park. The weather certainly had an effect on the game as Tyrone threatened to come back from a 12-point half time deficit.

McGarvey’s side looked to be headed to a very comfortable opening day win after dominating the first period, but with the wind at their backs in the second period, Tyrone certainly, gave it a try, scoring seven successive scores to take the deficit right down to five points before they imploded, Derry goals from Corey O’Reilly and Dara Mooney followed each by a red card, to Joe McToal and then Lorcan Devlin.

That was the end of the comeback and by full-time, Derry had got back up to a 10-point difference. In the end it was a job well done, but not without some relief.

McGarvey feels that Derry improved since that day, but he also expects the same from Tyrone.

Johnny McGarvey is looking forward to the Christy Ring Cup.

“I expect them to come with an attitude, that they can win the match, and they will win the match,” McGarvey added. “You know, I wouldn't expect them to come with anything else, and whatever they bring, we'll have to match it and go beyond it. Look, I expect that we'll have to play better than we have already played to win the match.”

Ironic

McGarvey finds it somewhat ironic that outsiders will be looking at Derry as the team to beat now, given the struggles that the Oakleafers have endured in recent years.

“I suppose maybe looking from the outside, that's the way of it,” he continued. “But, I mean, when you came from where we came from last year, we don't see it that way at all. We've been the whooping boys for some of the bigger county teams. We take every game as serious as the last one, and we treat every game exactly the same.

“We're very, very focused on ourselves and what we're doing and what we're trying to do. So, no, look, we treat Tyrone and the league final exactly the same way as we treated the very first league match, and hopefully we'll have improved significantly from then.”

The Christy Ring awaits just over the horizon, with a trip to Wicklow awaiting on the weekend of April 13-14. That is the most important date at the moment, but a good game, and a good win on Saturday would certainly strengthen Derry’s belief that they can finally get the bigger trophy which has eluded them for too long.

“It'd be lovely to win, but I mean, look, it's a one-off game,” McGarvey said. “As I say, Tyrone will come, with plenty of fire in the bellies, trying to turn us over in Owenbeg, and we'll have to match it. If we play well, if we play at the standards that we've set for ourselves, then I expect us to.”