Manager Wayne Quillinan has named the same starting 15 as that which cruised past Roscommon in the All-Ireland quarter-final
With a relatively fully-fit squad at his disposal, the Austin Stacks man is facing into his side’s fifth championship fixture at the weekend. The Oak Leaf county, with the added benefit of the Ulster league earlier in the season, are getting ready for their 13th encounter.
“Derry’s biggest strength is that they play as a collective. They’re well drilled, they’re excellently coached. They stick to their process, and trust their process. They’ll hurt you if you make mistakes, they are a quality team,” he said.
“The other big strength they have is their cohesiveness which, as I said to you before, is a gripe I’ve had. You come to Saturday, they’re going into their 13th competitive game, we’re going into our fifth. At this level, you can’t beat that preparation.
“Well, you can, because that’s what we intend to do. When we played Roscommon (in the quarter-final), it was their seventh game, it was our fourth. So, whether it’s league or not, the championships in the other provinces provide them with a lot more games.”
In the Ulster championship, Damian McErlain’s Derry defeated Cavan (1-8 to 1-5), Antrim (2-24 to 1-2) and Armagh (2-18 to 0-7). In the provincial semi-final, they accounted for Tyrone (2-14 to 1-10), before coming through a return meeting with the Orchard county in the decider (0-12 to 1-7).
Their most recent outing saw the Oak Leaf kids get the better of Dublin (0-18 to 2-10) in the All-Ireland quarter-final, and their side contains several players who took part in last year’s All-Ireland final victory over Monaghan, including Luke Grant, James Sargent, Eamon Young, Dara McGuckin and Ger Dillon.
Add that to individuals of the calibre of Ronan Canavan, Cathal Ó Mianáin, Turlough McHugh and Dylan Rocks and this is a formidable outfit. Kerry, of course, are fully aware of that, and management will have planned accordingly.
With respective tallies of 2-19, 2-18 and 3-18 recorded in their last three games, the Munster champions are full of quality themselves. From Michael Lynch at full-back to Ronan Carroll at full-forward, with key figures like Gavin O’Keeffe, Ben Murphy and Gearoid White in between, the potential is clear.
“Derry have been All-Ireland favourites since day one, and rightly so. They haven’t been beaten in two years, they’ve nine of last year’s squad, including six starters. That, in itself, is a huge challenge,” added Quillinan.
“We didn’t spend the last six months with the Kerry minors thinking that we’re not going to win every game that we go out to play. That’s the belief and confidence that I have in our boys. If we perform to the very best, I’ll be very surprised if we weren’t there or thereabouts when the final whistle goes.”
This is the acid test, the biggest mountain to climb. An All-Ireland final clash with Mayo or Armagh awaits the victor. Expect Ryan O’Driscoll to have an impact, starting or coming on. Maybe, just maybe, this is Kerry’s time.
Verdict: Kerry
Kerry team to play Derry: Kacper Robak; Fionnán Ryan, Michael Lynch, Ruadhán Donovan; Seán Ó Cuinn, Aodhna Ó Beaglaoich, Gavin O’Keeffe; Ben Murphy, Killian Dennehy; Gearoid White, Joey McCarthy, Eanna Murphy, Jack Joy, Ronan Carroll, Michael Horan.
Subs: Brian Dineen, Eoin O’Flaherty, David Sargent, Gavin Casey, Ned Ryan, Cian Mac Gearailt, Shane Kelliher, Ryan O’Driscoll, Donncha O’Sullivan
ALL-IRELAND MINOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL
Kerry v Derry
Saturday, June 22
Cusack Park, Mullingar at 1.30pm
Referee: Alan Coyne
Extra-time and winner on the day
Live on TG4
