DERRY have suffered a major blow after it was confirmed that experienced man-marker Dermot McBride is unlikely to feature in county colours next season.
The Ballinascreen man has been plagued by injury in recent years, with a troublesome knee problem keeping him on the sidelines for most of Derry’s 2016 campaign.
McBride missed the entire National League and made his only Championship appearance as a sub in the Ulster SFC preliminary round defeat to arch-rivals Tyrone.
Oak Leaf boss Damian Barton has had to contend with a number of key players leaving the panel for various reasons, and adding McBride’s name to the list is a bitter blow.
“Dermot’s gone,” said Barton.
“Unfortunately, he has been struggling with injury which he struggled with all of last year. When I say he’s gone, at this moment in time in the season he’s gone.
“He needs a rest and I think part of the bigger picture and something perhaps other managers will reflect on, within clubs and certainly at county level, is that players don’t get any down time any more.
“When does the body get time to replenish? It really and truly doesn’t. Eventually it takes its toll and players like Dermot, who have been playing at the top, just need a bit of a break to recharge the batteries and replenish the body a wee bit.
“At this moment in time he’s not in the squad. Dermot’s a wonderful fella as well as a great athlete and it’s been very frustrating for him, this niggly injury that he can’t get rid of.
“It’s only fair to him to give him time out, but obviously the door is always open for Dermot.”
Back in October it was confirmed that Danny Heavron, Sean Leo McGoldrick, Liam McGoldrick, Gareth McKinless, Conor McAtamney, Emmett Bradley, Ciaran McFaul, Eoghan Brown and Christopher Bradley had opted off the panel, and another man who has joined them is Niall Holly.
It had been suggested in the months after Derry’s All-Ireland Qualifier exit to Tipperary that the big midfielder wouldn’t be available next year, and Barton yesterday confirmed that the Eoghan Rua, Coleraine man will play no part in the county’s 2017 campaign.
“No, Niall’s not with us,” continued Barton.
“Niall has huge commitments from a work perspective which obviously supersedes everything in life.
“He has been struggling with an ankle injury, Coleraine last year indulged in an intermediate sortie in the hurling as well so he’s another guy who hasn’t had time to charge his batteries and look after his body.
“Again, it takes its toll.”
Barton has yet to finalise his panel for the Dr McKenna Cup, where the Oak Leafs open up with a tie against Armagh on January 8.
With so many changes in personnel, a period of transition is to be expected, and Barton feels Derry have come under greater scrutiny than others regarding the make-up of their squad.
He added: “It’s been well publicised and unfortunately it has been more publicised than we deserve. I think there have been quite a few changes in other counties that maybe haven’t had the same mileage.
“Players are there by choice and if you consider domestic, work and social aspects of their life, people have to live. Gaelic players now have given an awful, awful lot from underage. They don’t really get a break.”
