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 was the same. Goals. Carnage. A championship of a thousand cuts.

Mickey Harte and Gavin Devlin stepped away. There was a managerial saga before Paddy Tally was appointed at the eleventh hour. Add in the new rules, and it was the start of a perfect storm.

As Derry prepare for their championship campaign, they do so after relegation and without winning a game.

They were close to beating Kerry but didn’t. From the depths of defeat, they managed a draw with Galway in a game they could’ve won. The Oaks led Donegal for 44 minutes in Ballyshannon before being undone in the last 10 minutes.

That final quarter summed up Derry’s shortcomings. They couldn’t get hands on the ball and suffered the consequences as a result.

It was the day when Brendan Rogers limped out with an ankle injury. Donegal took over. The Oaks lost Eoin McEvoy too.

While some in the Oakleaf County are calling for another charge of management, there is a need for a dose of reality.

At the time of writing, you could line out a full team of players who played under Rory Gallagher, Ciarán Meenagh and Mickey Harte that are either unavailable, missed chunks of the season or have been on the treatment table.

Take the spine. Odhrán Lynch. Chrissy McKaigue. Gareth McKinless. Anton Tohill. Brendan Rogers. Ciaran McFaul. Niall Loughlin.

Add in Conor McCluskey, the retired Benny Heron and Lachlan Murray who has been unable to play back-to-back games.

That’s the reality. Derry were a couple of experienced players short of an All-Ireland title two years ago. Take out the spine and it’s a different story.

Tally has made the decision to leave the u-20 players to focus on their own age group. When they are done, he may dip into that pool ahead of the All-Ireland series. That’s then, this is now.

It all points to a mission impossible in Ballybofey. Donegal had wins over the last three All-Ireland champions on their return to Division One – Kerry, Dublin and Armagh.

After the victory over Derry, they took a different approach. Whoever needed rested got a break and those who needed football got it.

There is also the MacCumhaill Park factor. Donegal rarely lose there. A fortress. The mind races back to 2021. Derry had Donegal in all sorts of trouble but didn’t land the killer punch before Patrick McBrearty’s wonder score won the game for Donegal. Literally the last kick.

In the absence of Odhrán Lynch, Derry will have to make the choice between a debut for Néill McNicholl or Ben McKinless getting a first championship start since their 2018 Qualifier defeat to Kildare.

If Rogers beats his fitness race, he could well be the man to pick up Michael Murphy. The problem is, Anton Tohill’s broken hand leaves them a midfielder short.

Conor Doherty and Paudi McGrogan are the experienced players in defence, albeit the latter is still finding his feet after a knee injury. Could it see Shane McGuigan pulled to midfield?

Tally could hand championship debuts to Patrick McGurk and Martin Bradley in defence. Bradley has been one of the plus points from the league campaign.

If McGuigan’s physical presence is used more centrally, Derry will have to make changes up front. McFaul hasn’t played since the draw with Galway. Murray has been troubled with injury.

Loup’s Caolan Devlin showed how he can take his club form into the county. Another debut? Possibly.

That’s the Derry story 12 months on from being tipped for Sam Maguire. Too many questions.

Sunday might come too soon for some of the answers.

Roll of honour:
9 (1958, 1970, 1975, 1976, 1987,1993, 1998, 2022, 2023)

Memorable Ulster Championship match:

Ulster Championship final 2022
Derry 1-16 Donegal 1-14 (AET)
Sunday May 29, 2022
WHILE it was far from a classic for neutrals, this was a seismic win for Derry as Brendan Rogers and Conor Glass drove them to victory in extra-time to end the Oakleafers’ championship famine.

An early Niall Loughlin goal helped Rory Gallagher’s side to an interval lead. Odhrán McFadden-Ferry pounced for an early second-half goal but it was Donegal who then forced extra time.

On a day when Rogers’ GPS unit registered 17km, there was no stopping him. And there was no stopping Derry who won a first title in 24 years. The throngs of fans on the pitch after the game said it all. There wasn’t a blade of grass to be seen.

Wild card: Martin Bradley

BRADLEY played on the Derry minor team that lost to Kerry and the David Clifford show in the 2017. He has played at midfield and in defence. Had a sub appearance in the McKenna Cup under Damian McErlain in 2019 before getting a run in the team this season. Had his injury problems last season when he came into the squad but has impressed with his powerful runs from defence on club duty with Ballinascreen. Put in two solid performances in his first two outings and in line for a championship debut this weekend.

Captain: Conor Glass
AFTER a career in the AFL, Glass made a return to help Derry push on in their search of an Ulster title. In a league campaign where Derry failed to put in consistent performances to avoid relegation, Glass was always there with his shoulder to the wheel. None more so than their defeat to Mayo when he kicked three two-point scores to pull the Oakleafers back to within four points. An all-round player. Can kick goals, long-range points and has a defensive instinct to filter back and execute his tackling technique. Derry fans will hope more follow his lead in Ballybofey.

Manager: Paddy Tally
IT’S Paddy Tally’s first season as Derry manager having been there in a coaching capacity in the past. It’s been the unluckiest start. On top of Chrissy McKaigue’s retirement, he’s had to prepare without a host of key players including an injury to goalkeeper Odhrán Lynch and after bringing in outfield player Néill McNicholl, the ruling on the ‘keeper role has changed. Tally has buckets of experience of preparing teams at the top level but faces a big task getting a plan together to take on the champions on their own patch.

In this week’s Gaelic Lives podcast, Eamonn Burns and Kevin Cassidy look ahead to Sunday’s game in Ballybofey.