NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE 2B FINAL
Derry v Sligo
Saturday, Ederney, 4pm

By Michael McMullan

CORMAC O’Doherty is hoping Derry hurlers can learn from the defeats of the past ahead of this weekend’s league final clash, with the prize of a spot in Division 2A for the first time since 2016 in their sights.

Derry face Sligo in a repeat of the opening game of the season, won by Derry on a 2-14 to 1-14 on a day when Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch’s penalty – in a 1-12 haul – wasn’t enough to down the Oaks.

After losing all their games in the 2016 season, Derry were relegated to Division 2B. They did manage to win the Nickey Rackard Cup the following season before having close runs in the Christy Ring Cup where they lost out to eventual winners Kildare and Meath.

Cormac O’Doherty, who made his senior debut in their Rackard Cup final win over Armagh, stressed a ‘fair turnover’ of players since they were last in Division 2A but the narrative in the current group is about progression.

“You have got to be playing at that higher level if you want to improve as players, but as a team as well,” he said.

“That has to be the aim, to get to a higher level. We have had a few relegation battles since then, we have been in a few finals that we have lost so it’s winner takes all, regardless of league results so far.”

In their first season in Division 2B, Derry needed a play-off to avoid relegation. In 2019, under John McEvoy, they fell short to Wicklow in a low scoring decider, a game O’Doherty describes as a ‘bad day all round’ before succumbing to Down the following season.

“We had topped the group and then Covid hit and there was six or seven months (of a gap) so the momentum we had built up from the league in the year, we weren’t able to rediscover that again for the final,” the Derry skipper states of their defeat against Down.

“It was tough to take, it’s a learning curve and we’ve kept a good core of players from those couple of final defeats and hopefully that will stand to us this week.”

Dominic McKinley and Cormac Donnelly came in as a joint management ticket at the start of 2021 and despite a struggle to avoid relegation; Derry reached the Christy Ring Cup final, only to fall heavily against Offaly.

This time around, Derry have won all five games including their opening day win over Sligo on a difficult day for hurling.

“It is hard to read into both teams since then because we have both have improved a lot,” states O’Doherty, who wasn’t overly surprised to see Sligo edge out Donegal in Saturday’s semi-final.

“What we do know is that it is going to be a big battle and there is no point in expecting anything else. The two battles with Sligo in the Christy Ring (last year) and the league, I know they won’t give us anything handy. We are going to have to be on our game if we expect to win or want to win.”

LESSONS TO LEARN…Meehaul McGrath in action hurling the 2019 final, a game O’Doherty hopes his side can learn from

O’Doherty saw Sligo’s semi-final as a ‘50-50 game’ with either side bringing their own qualities to the table.

Derry’s season has gone well to date. Before the ball was pucked, the management appealed, via their club managers, to every player of county standard to put their lot in with Derry.

At last year’s Christy Ring Cup final – between injuries, Covid and withdrawals – they couldn’t fill the full complement of 11 substitutes.

“We now have a group of 31 or 32 players that want to be hurling for Derry,” O’Doherty explains of the turnaround.

“Everybody talks about it being a big commitment at county level, and it is a big commitment, so you do have to want to be there to drive the thing on.”

The Sleacht Néill man also believes that keeping their management team is another factor.

“It’s great to have that group of players that enjoy playing hurling for Derry and I think we are starting to reap the benefits of it.

“Without a victory on Sunday, that’s what it all comes down to, the hard work over the last 18 months with Cormac and Dominic will all go to waste.”

Does this bring pressure? O’Doherty accepts the favourites’ tag that accompanies their 100 per cent record so far.

“Any final is going to bring its own pressure and having lost a couple of league finals, we can hopefully learn from that and know the type of pressure that comes with it,” he admits.

“It comes internally from wanting to get the best out of ourselves individually and collectively, I think that has brought its own pressure so far with wanting to produce your best hurling in a final, so hopefully we can do that.”

READ MORE – Michael McShane on his Manager of the Year award. Click here…