By Michael McMullan

FORMER Derry player Joe O’Kane feels the current crop are the best the county has produced in “a long time” in terms of “natural footballers” but is concerned with their lack of experience going in against All-Ireland champions Tyrone.

O’Kane was the man Paddy Crozier entrusted with marking Brian Dooher when Derry overturned the Red Hands in 2006 at Healy Park when they were All-Ireland champions.

“I saw them this year a couple of times and they have been okay and just worry that they are a bit green yet,” O’Kane said.

“Against Tyrone, you need your big players to perform from day dot and can’t have them going in and out.”

Loup man O’Kane picked out captain Chrissy McKaigue for his leadership and experience, but questions who else is a “go to man” and spoke of how Ciaran McFaul’s withdrawal was a massive loss on the eve of the championship.

“In terms of natural footballers, it is the best Derry have seen in a long time,” O’Kane said.

“In terms of men getting jobs done to get over the line, I’d be a bit worried to be honest.”

While Sunday’s opponents Tyrone survived in Division One on the last day, Derry’s inability to pick up enough points in the games with Galway, Roscommon and Meath didn’t fill him with confidence.

O’Kane feels playing in the top Division One is an important factor and noted how an emerging Armagh team were wasteful in the eye of a strong Donegal performance on Sunday in Ballybofey.

“The big thing Tyrone have over them (Derry) is that they are so economical, when they get their chance they don’t miss.

“When Derry were coming against Donegal (in the 2021 championship) looking for those few extra points, they were starting to panic and Tyrone won’t do that.

“They have done it all year against the top teams and they did it when they needed against Fermanagh.”

While O’Kane looks back favourably in the 2006 defeat to Tyrone in their own back yard, he can’t believe it’s the last championship win Derry tasted over their neighbours.

“It is nearly depressing me at this stage, it’s 16 years and we are still talking about it,” he said.

“I know it’s great to say you beat the All-Ireland champions in their back yard, but we are still talking about it

“If someone had told us then, that it would be another 15 or 16 years before we’d beat them in the championship again, you’d tell them to wise up.”

Looking back, O’Kane feels Derry didn’t realise the quality of their team at the time. He recalls picking up a knock in a challenge game with Fermanagh ahead of the game and Paddy Crozier insisted he go away and get himself ready for the challenge of marking Dooher.

“In the Tyrone game, you were going in with nothing to lose. Everybody was writing you off,” he said, while stressing how good Derry’s preparation was.

It’s something he feels Derry can tap in on this season and Tyrone, despite being drawn against Fermanagh, would’ve been the name on the tip of their tongue.

“The only benefit you have of getting Tyrone in the first round is that you can prepare for them months in advance,” he said, thinking back to how Derry had honed their individual roles in 2006 with all the pressure on Tyrone.

“When their wides kept coming in that first half, the pressure was on them,” he said of Derry’s 0-6 to 0-0 interval lead.

“We knew that another three or four points and keep out the goals and we’ll win this.”