Derry open the defence of the National League crown with trip to Tyrone

Derry will begin the defence of their National League crown away to Tyrone.

Healy Park will play host to Paddy Tally’s competitive debut as the new manager of the Oak Leafers.

The appointment of Tally brought to an end a saga that dragged on as Derry attempted to find a replacement for Mickey Harte, who left the role in July.

A familiar face within Derry football will be hoping to make Tally’s debut a nightmare with Malachy O’Rouke, three-time Derry Senior Football Champion with Glen, in his debut for Tyrone.

The fixture is set to throw in on Saturday, January 25, at 6 pm.

Derry will only have three fixtures at Celtic Park across the entire league campaign.

Kerry will make the long trip to be reunited with their former coach, Tally, in week two on Sunday, February 2, at 1:45 pm.

They will then face last season’s All-Ireland runners-up, Galway, in the third round of the campaign at home on Saturday, February 15, at 5 pm.

Derry’s final match at home will be in round six of the National League, when Mayo come to Celtic Park the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, with throw-in at 1:30 pm on Sunday, March 16.

Tally will have faced every Division 1 side prior to their meeting with current All-Ireland champions Armagh on Sunday, March 23, with fans hopeful by this point that Derry will be on their way to defending their crown.

Last season, claiming the title with a final victory over Dublin, it was the high point of Derry’s season before a poor Championship performance. 

Donegal eliminated Derry from the Ulster Championship in their opening fixture, as they failed to defend their provisional title, before Derry lost to both Armagh and Galway in their All-Ireland group stage.

Harte would guide them to victories over Westmeath and Mayo before a quarterfinal elimination by Kerry, with Tally being a pivotal piece of the Kingdom’s coaching ticket that brought an end to the Oak Leafers season.

Travelling to Tyrone is no easy feat for any Derry manager, especially one managed by O’Rourke, but the Derry squad will need to get to grips with the new rules voted in by the GAA Special Congress to ‘improve’ the sport and make it more entertaining for fans.

Tally may have been appreciative if the McKenna Cup had still been in place ahead of the league campaign for this to be less of an issue for his players, but he will have to make do and hope another Tyrone man will bring success to Derry.