Derry coach Dominic “Woody” McKinley fears a minor injury could end a player’s season, like the compact nature of the new long-distance campaign.
Last weekend, the Oak Leafers got a promotion from Harling League Division 2B after a 1-23-2-15 win over Sligo in Edirne.
Just eight days later, they kicked off the championship campaign with a home match against Wicklow at Celtic Park (1pm).
When deciding on the Christie’s Cup, scheduled for Sunday, May 22, McKinley says breastfeeding the injured players during the campaign will be half the battle as they try to return to the final after losing to Opal last season.
“That’s what it is…that’s what you get during spitting season,” McKinley said.
“You always fight against injuries. You can make a decision on the player this week and it can backfire.
“Ritchie Mullen, for example, is coming back from a groin injury. We have some other guys with groin and groin injuries. You can play with them this week, but if they’re still injured, they’re from all over the league.
“We are thinking about it and working with the juggling games. We want everyone back and we want everyone to be in it, but we are counting on the strength and conditioning of the coaches and the physical in the coming weeks.
“We will listen to their information and that will be the main point in terms of how we go to the Christy Ring Cup.
If you have two or three players on your team, especially a striker, these points are hard to get.
Derry Wicklow hit with a sword in last year’s competition and won the championship 2-24 0-12 in Agrim.
When McKinley was told he could rest all the players who knocked him out of the Christy Ring Cup on Sunday, he replied: “It’s a dangerous mentality.
“I always believe in playing your strength and playing with your best team. I think you should always respect your opponent because you don’t want to hit him in the face.
(Photo: © INPHO / Tommy Dickson)
“Whatever player we have, we will introduce them until the physicists say they are ready to play. If they say, give them another week, we will follow that advice.
We have to make these decisions for the player and the team.
“I haven’t read much with the Wicklow League kit. I expect them to be part of this game: this is the first match in the Christy Ring Cup, the main thing is a good start.”
Derry was relegated to Division 2A in 2016 and lost the Division 2B Finals in 2019 and 2020 to Wicklow and Dawn respectively.
Although McKinley feels he could improve on his recent performance last weekend, he is hopeful the win will bring confidence to his team in the coming weeks.
“It was good for the players because they tried it a few times and stopped a little bit in the final,” added Derry Boss.
“Sometimes they can get nervous. They were nervous too on Saturday, but they crossed the line. It means a lot to them to get ahead in this division.
“The game has a bigger profile and maybe a bit more respect. It’s a big step for them.
“Maybe our performance was straightforward, but we always managed to maintain control.
“We know we may need a game like this in the future, so whatever we do. All that energy can disappear very quickly, so we have to be on it.”
Source: Belfastlive
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