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Bradley buzzing to get another crack at an Ulster title with Slaughtneil after Derry final win over Kevin Lynch's

Slaughtneil Gerald Bradley and Paul McNeill with Sean Kelly of Kevin Lynch Dungiven during the Derry Senior Hurling Championship Final at Owenbeg on Sunday 24th October 2021. Picture Margaret McLaughlin.
Slaughtneil Gerald Bradley and Paul McNeill with Sean Kelly of Kevin Lynch Dungiven during the Derry Senior Hurling Championship Final at Owenbeg on Sunday 24th October 2021. Picture Margaret McLaughlin. Slaughtneil Gerald Bradley and Paul McNeill with Sean Kelly of Kevin Lynch Dungiven during the Derry Senior Hurling Championship Final at Owenbeg on Sunday 24th October 2021. Picture Margaret McLaughlin.

GERALD Bradley says Slaughtneil are ‘buzzing’ to be back on the Ulster hurling scene after his side clinched a ninth successive Derry title on Sunday.

The Emmet’s are the current Ulster champions and will lock horns with Dunloy in December’s Ulster semi-final, a third clash in five seasons.

“We know each other inside out. It is going to be whoever turns up on the day,” Bradley said.

“It is a bit of an incentive to go on and try to do what we did in 2019. We’re buzzing that we are back in Ulster again, it is where you want to be, playing Ulster club hurling.”

Slaughtneil’s win over Kevin Lynch’s in Sunday’s final was every much the battle manager Michael McShane depicted beforehand. After leading by 11 points at half-time, Kevin Lynch’s came back before the champions used their guile to keep both hands on the cup.

“There was a big breeze out there and with high balls coming in and no matter who you are playing, it is hard to deal with,” pointed out Bradley, who spent much of the game tucked back in his role as sweeper.

With Adrian Armstrong playing at centre-back, Richie Mullan played as the Kevin Lynch’s sweeper and it allowed Slaughtneil to reorgnanise.

“It is my game now, to protect our defence,” Bradley said.

“We do lot of talking at meetings, but nothing can prepare you for on the pitch decisions.

“Our match-ups were all made before the match, but we changed them on the pitch ourselves the way we saw it.”

Bradley saw Brian Cassidy’s early goal as ‘massive’ in the scale of their first half display, but wasn’t surprised. Cassidy overturned a short seventh minute puck-out and when he received a pass from skipper Cormac O’Doherty, there would only one result, in Bradley’s eyes.

“When I looked up, I saw Brian flicking the hurl and putting it into the net,” Bradley recalls.

“If anyone knows Brian, they’ll know he is the knackiest hurler on our team, with his stickwork. He didn’t even take it into his hand, he just put it into the net and it was a big score for us.”

It sparked the start of Slaughtneil’s dominant spell that saw them build-up a match-winning lead. Conor Kelly’s two goals left Kevin Lynch’s within touching distance and there were shades of the 2014 final, with the sliotar playing pinball in the Emmet’s defence in search of a third goal they needed to help save the game.

“The one thing about the Lynch’s, they have big men inside. Regardless who you are playing, it is dangerous the high balls in there,” said Bradley, was part of their defensive shield in those closing stages.

“Even with the stand, you can sense it is tense when the ball goes in high. We were talking about breaking the ball out. Shane (McGuigan) was in there and he was massive.

“That’s the leadership and Grub (Goalkeeper Oisin O’Doherty) spoke about it. He shouted for Shane to break it out and that’s how we got out of there.”