Football

Gallagher brothers reunited as Ronan joins Rory at Ulster champions Derry

Having previously worked together with Fermanagh, Ronan Gallagher is understood to have joined brother Rory's Derry backroom team. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
Having previously worked together with Fermanagh, Ronan Gallagher is understood to have joined brother Rory's Derry backroom team. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin Having previously worked together with Fermanagh, Ronan Gallagher is understood to have joined brother Rory's Derry backroom team. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

DERRY boss Rory Gallagher has brought brother Ronan into his backroom team as the Oak Leaf boss plans for 2023, The Irish News understands.

Gallagher helped Derry end a 24-year wait for the Anglo-Celt Cup as they stormed to Ulster Championship glory back in May, that journey eventually coming to an end against Galway at the All-Ireland semi-final stage.

And with the inter-county action getting under way again early next year, Gallagher has added a familiar face to his backroom by bringing in brother Ronan as goalkeeping coach. The Loup’s Thomas Mallon is no longer part of the management team.

It sees the Gallagher brothers reunited once more, having previously played together with home club Erne Gaels, Belleek before later joining forces at St Gall’s, helping the west Belfast outfit to an All-Ireland club triumph in 2010.

Ronan was also part of his brother’s backroom team when Rory managed their native county from 2017 until 2019, defeating Armagh and Monaghan on the way to the 2018 Ulster final before Fermanagh came up short against Donegal.

Despite ending Derry’s Ulster drought, the fiercely ambitious Gallagher will be determined to kick on again next year.

“We have an awful lot of quality,” he said in the wake of that All-Ireland semi-final exit to the Tribesmen in July.

“We don't have an awful lot of experience playing at county level at Croke Park on days like this, but there's a lot of learning to do.”

However, the first priority in 2023 will be to earn promotion from Division Two.

After a flying start, a draw with Roscommon and then a home hammering against Galway ultimately put paid to their hopes of reaching Division One, with the two Connacht counties occupying the promotion spots when it mattered most.

In the Championship, meanwhile, Derry begin their defence of the Anglo-Celt against Fermanagh at a ground the Gallagher brothers know well – Brewster Park. The winners of that tie faces either Tyrone or Monaghan in the Ulster semi-final.

Next year’s Sam Maguire competition will be made up of four new four-team groups, with provincial champions and finalists seeded one and two. They are joined by the next-best eight counties, based on National League ranking.

Elsewhere, it is understood that David Drake has joined Vinny Corey’s Monaghan backroom team as strength and conditioning coach.

Drake was Ulster Rugby senior athletic performance coach for 11 years before joining English rugby union club Worcester Warriors as head of performance and strength and conditioning in April 2021.

Last month the Warriors were suspended for the remainder of 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership season and relegated to the Championship due to insolvency.

A former academy player at Ulster, Drake represented Ireland U20s in a squad that also contained Darren Cave, Keith Earls and Felix Jones.

Previous roles saw him work with Ireland’s women’s hockey team and the Irish Institute of Sport.

Drake takes over in the Farney County from another former Ulster Rugby recruit, Jonny Davis. The Belfast man was involved with Tyrone during Mickey Harte’s final year in charge before joining Monaghan when Peter Donnelly went the opposite direction, returning to the Red Hands.

Davis is now part of new Down boss Conor Laverty’s backroom team.