SINCE their breakout 2022 season ended, Derry have become a Division One team, retained the Anglo-Celt Cup for only the second time in their county’s history, changed managers, welcomed Ciaran McFaul back and topped their group in the Sam Maguire Championship.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge and, with all that experience behind them, Conor Glass says the Oak Leafers – who face Cork in next weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-finals - are a more formidable force now than they were when they bowed out at the All-Ireland semi-final stage last July.
“We definitely are,” said the midfield colossus who can also add becoming an Allstar and winning an Ulster title and reaching the All-Ireland club final with Watty Graham’s to his phenomenal list of recent footballing achievements.
“I feel like we have that experience of last year behind us and things are falling into place for us as well. Ciaran McFaul is a serious athlete and we’ve seen over the last 10 years. He’s been a stalwart for Derry football before he left (for the USA) and he’s one of the top three footballers in Derry on his day.
“To have that sort of personnel coming into your team halfway through your season gives you an extra boost and it pushes the bench to get into the team. It drives a lot of factors which again makes the team better and makes us perform better on game day.”
Last year the Ulster champions beat Clare handsomely but didn’t get going against Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final. So do all those positives since translate into making Derry prime contenders for the Sam Maguire?
Glass hopes so.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe it,” he said.
“That is the ultimate goal, we fell short last year but we feel that we have the personnel to do it. The three boys behind me (Cormac Costello, Matthew Tierney and Gavin White from Dublin, Galway and Kerry) would say the exact same.
“I’m sure all the quarter-finalists would say that too. Last weekend’s games showed that any team can beat the other on their given day so it is very open this year.”
Despite the amount of ground he has covered over the past 18 months, Glass says he feels “as fresh as ever” and he says some of that is down to luck with injuries but also the injury prevention programme he began at the age of 16 before going to play in Aussie Rules.
“The first couple of games in the League, I probably could have done with a break but that was my way of dealing with the club final,” he said.
“I’ve been managed well the last couple of months and I’ve able to get away to Tenerife a couple of times with my partner to recharge the batteries. If you’re so fixated with GAA and high performance you can be quite overwhelmed with it. I’m in a good place at the right time of the season and I feel the rest of the Derry squad is too.”
Derry’s scoring stats make for good reading. A total of 4-47 from their three group games and scores are coming from all over the field including goalkeeper Odhran Lynch.
“The goalkeeper is forever evolving,” said Glass.
“He’s not your Ethan Rafferty who is a natural outfield player. Ethan Rafferty is a centre-half forward/midfielder, he’s not really a goalkeeper whereas Lynchy actually is.
“He’s so switched on, he set up three points against Donegal, scored two against Clare so he’s a key cog in our attack if needs be. It depends on how the opposition sets up and it can be high-risk but it’s high-reward as well. Attacking with 15 inside the opposition’s 45… If the ball is turned over you’re in deep trouble but that’s the price you play when you play that type of football.”
It’s no longer any surprise to see Lynch leave his goal and score from play but the undoubted leader of the Derry attack is talismanic forward Shane McGuigan who Glass believes is every bit as good as Kerry’s David Clifford, Dublin sharpshooter Con O’Callaghan and the country’s other top forwards.
“He’s in that bracket,” said Glass.
“Maybe because he’s not playing for Kerry or Dublin he doesn’t get the headlines? That’s been the case for Derry the last five-six years. Chrissy McKaigue is an unbelievable man-marker and defender and thankfully he got that recognition and an Allstar last year because he’s been doing it for 10-12 years. You don’t know where you’re at until you play against the best teams and thankfully he did that last year.”
McGuigan and Glass were both scorers in the penalty shootout when Derry saw off a determined Armagh challenge to retain the Anglo-Celt Cup. After that thrilling win, the Oak Leafers were held to a draw at Celtic Park by a Monaghan side that had obviously done their homework after they’d been dismantled in the Ulster Championship.
Beating Donegal in Ballybofey was a signal of intent and Derry topped their group and progressed straight through to this weekend’s quarter-final, with a six-point win against Clare.
“The first couple of games were a bit weird in terms of the atmosphere and the intensity – the crowds were a bit down compared to the Ulster Championship – and it was weird for us to play two Ulster teams again in Monaghan and Donegal,” said Glass.
“But the final game was unbelievable – it was like watching transfer deadline day on Sky Sports – everything was chopping and changing that much. It has worked and you’re not going to please everyone – I think it’s just being Irish that people are never going to be happy with certain things.”
