Pictured is Derry footballer Padraig McGrogan who has teamed up with Allianz Insurance to look ahead to his county’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Group stages campaign and what will be a busy summer of Gaelic football.
By John Harrington
One of sport’s great truisms is that there’s only six inches between a clap on the back and kick up the back-side.
Derry players can surely relate to that sentiment.
Three weeks after they were cheered to the rafters in Croke Park after beating Dublin in an epic Allianz Football League Final, they were in the depths of despair after being dumped out of the Ulster Championship by Derry.
Is there any chance the hype that built rapidly after their League success played a part in their provincial exit?
“Well, you'd be daft to say you don't hear the hype,” says Derry defender Padraig McGrogan.
“Everyone hears it but it's whether or not you listen to it. I don't think that's really what crept in to the result and the way we played against Donegal.
“I suppose maybe that result was the best way to humble us and bring us back down to earth again if there every was any complacency set up, but I don't think there was. If there was it's definitely gone now after that defeat.”
You could make the case that the defeat to Donegal might improve Derry’s chances of winning the Sam Maguire Cup this year.
There isn’t as much expectancy weighing on their shoulders now and the four week break they’ve had since exiting the Ulster championship should mean they’re fresh and ready to hit the ground running for the group phase of the All-Ireland SFC.
Donegal manager Jim McGuinness, left, and Derry manager Mickey Harte shake hands after the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship quarter-final match between Derry and Donegal at Celtic Park in Derry. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile.
McGrogan has been ruled out of the rest of the season by a cruciate injury but has remained part of the panel and hopes they’ll be able to make good use of the lessons learned by the defeat to Donegal.
“Yeah, look, any time you get a bit of a break it's good but if you hear ones talking about maybe losing the game intentionally, that's madness,” he says.
“The way Gaelic football is you go out to win honestly every game no matter what. You don't think about it much and you just want to win everything and beat everybody.
“The wee break has been great. We've worked on things as I say, we've looked at the game albeit it wasn't nice watch back. You have to take your time and make the most of what we have now.”
Derry are arguably in the toughest All-Ireland SFC group of all along with Galway, Armagh, and Westmeath.
Saturday’s showdown with Connacht champions Galway will give us an early indication of whether or they’re able to bounce back from their Ulster championship exit.
The Tribesmen have given them plenty of trouble in the past, most obviously in 2022 when they defeated Derry in the League and then the All-Ireland SFC semi-final.
Padraig McGrogan of Derry in action against Matthew Tierney of Galway during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final match between Derry and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
Derry exacted some measure of revenge in the League this year, but that was against a Galway side much weakened by injury.
“Yeah, Galway are a team that caused us quite a bit of pain this past couple of years,” says McGrogan.
“Obviously in the league two seasons ago when they got promoted and we stayed down in Division 2. They dominated us that day on our own kickout.
"There was a gale force breeze and they caused us heartache that day. It really gave us a kick in the backside, that we needed to look at ourselves, because we thought we were going decent but they just put us back down … not to square one, but they made us take another good look at ourselves to see what was wrong.
“Then obviously in the All-Ireland semi-final, Galway again.
“Obviously we played them this year but they were missing a hell of a lot of men, so you can take from that what you will. And a few black cards thrown into that game too, so it’s hard to look back on that game with any depth.
“Look, it's a tough group, but you're not going to get your way in any group. I suppose if you're not going to perform in these big games and beat these teams, what is the point of being in the latter end of the championship anyway?
“Something that Mickey Harte said that always sticks with me is that you can't get too high or too low in this game. You just have to prepare for each game as it comes.
“The minute you get too high, somebody knocks you off the pedestal, and when you get too low, you're just no good to yourself or your teammates.”
