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Scoring efficiency, forward movement and intensity in all facets of the game, I still believe 1-2 long established starters will be coming off the bench this week

On the topic of things that make you go wtf, has anyone seen Moortowns new changing room?

Have not!!!! Any pictures?

https://www.facebook.com/reel/3531060217062572/?referral_source=external_deeplink&original_uri=https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EbcDhrdiw/

Like something from the Premier league! Some money about the loughshore.

There isn't an inter-county dressing room in the country that is as nice as that.  Some facilities.  Gotta hand it to the Tyronies, they have a serious amount of top quality facilities in their clubs. Must be a great ethos amongst the members.

That and going to everyone's door every farts end looking £20 for a ticket!

Theres a club in Derry asking for a £1k contribution from families

By Michael McMullan

DERRY forward Lachlan Murray remains a doubt for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC clash with Meath at Find Insurance Celtic Park.

The Desertmartin man pulled up after kicking his second point in Derry's recent defeat to Armagh.

Speaking after the game, manager Ciarán Meenagh said it was a dead leg that forced him out of the action.

His availability would be a massive boost to the Oakleafers' chances this weekend.

Cavan's injury list grows ahead of Dublin visit

With his direct running, he has amassed 4-24 in league and championship this season. He has 62 senior appearances to his name.

Murray was a late withdrawal ahead of Derry's league defeat to Meath back in January and also sat out the victory over Offaly.


"He got a bad dead leg in the first half (against Armagh) so we just have to see," Martin Boyle told Gaelic Life.

Boyle is part of Meenagh's management and was Murray's manager at minor level when Derry won the 2020 All-Ireland title.

"With dead legs, you just never know, so it's very much a case of wait and see."

Patrick McGurk and Matthew Downey – both part of that same All-Ireland-winning minor team under Boyle – were due back in training over the weekend.

The other recent boost has been goalkeeper Odhrán Lynch's return to club action, but he didn't feature in Magherafelt's defeat to Loup on Sunday.

Looking ahead to the Meath game, Boyle knows what to expect but is happy the Oakleafers have home advantage.

"It's a brilliant challenge, it's a brilliant game and we're delighted to be at home in Celtic Park," he said.

"Meath are obviously a top-level team and had promotion to Division One.

"They'll be disappointed obviously with their Leinster campaign and obviously losing to Cork (in the All-Ireland series).

"They're a serious team – they've a lot of scoring threats and we've a bit of experience of them from their first game of the league this year.

"There's a lot to look forward to and there's a lot to be positive about. Hopefully that'll reinvigorate our boys to raise the pitch of their performance and no doubt it will."

Loup didn't go from getting tankings all last year, scoreless for 50 minutes against the Bridge just to top the league this year because Caolan Devlin is back lol

Glenullin up 8 on Glen with about 10 mins to go, McFaul sent off but Glen come back to beat Glenullin by 1. Alex Doherty with maybe 1-6 from play but smallish around the middle without Emmett and Jack.

Anybody know if Odhran Lynch was playing today?

That Minor keeper has a fair bagful of saves this campaign, can't remember the last County representation Moneymore had

Over at Swatragh Ballinderry the nite, good game in awful weather. Swatragh missed a bagful of points, McWilliams bck playing after a long time out, passing and score taking stands out, He gets up to fitness he be a big player for Derry nxt yr. Swatragh made a bad mistake, took him of 15mins to go, then missed 2 2pter free he would hqve scored. Ballinderry also got a point 0.5m wide, ref was on the wrong side to see it, swatragh umpire give it which was correct, but relied on the older Ballinderry gent behind the middle of the goal who gave it a point. Man had to know it was wide.

Nice to hear on McWilliams, went through hell to get back at it

Hope the forecast improves by then, hate going near them stands

[I think it's a massive swing getting Meath out of Croke Park and into a tighter Celtic Park.]

Murray was a big miss in Croke Park the first day out, Jack Flynn ran riot so that will need addressed too. I think it's a massive swing getting Meath out of Croke Park and into a tighter Celtic Park.

Wasn't a massive turnout for Derry vs Galway in the round robin last year but those who made the effort made plenty of racket

I keep hearing that this pitch, and that pitch is the exact same dimensions of Croke Park but are they?

Croke Park 'looks' a lot bigger than the most of them but anybody know the exact dimensions?

There's a list out there somewhere and you can pull a dimension on google earth if really interested, Croke Park is a tad under max size at 145 x 88, Celtic Park is 138 x 83-84. Casement Park used to be 145x90 which is absolute max, Dr Hyde Park is max size as well. Croke Parks camera angle makes it look really stretched but it's still a huge pitch.

Derry have trained all year on Celtic Park so they should know every blade of it by now.

Murray was a big miss in Croke Park the first day out, Jack Flynn ran riot so that will need addressed too. I think it's a massive swing getting Meath out of Croke Park and into a tighter Celtic Park.

Wasn't a massive turnout for Derry vs Galway in the round robin last year but those who made the effort made plenty of racket

Who would Slab Murphy be rooting for in Louth vs Armagh?

2500 i think

Derry vs Meath

No way on earth there will be wholesale changes, but this is the side I'd go with (the armchair select if you will....)

1. S McGuckin
2. S Downey
3. R Forbes
4. C McCluskey
5. G McKinless
6. E McEvoy
7. P McGrogan
8. C Doherty
9. B Rogers
10. N Toner
11. J Sargent*
12. E Doherty
13. N Loughlin
14. L Murray
15. S Young

* Not a clue if he's ever played beyond midfield, but we're talking modern footballer here, so middle third

Mind him playing 11 at minor level I'm fairly sure.

Sean Kearney playing for Swatragh yesterday, don't think he scored from play but V accurate with 2pt frees.

[I don't know how many wides and shorts we have hit in the 3 championship matches]

Is it fair to question how we are coaching how to attack and it feels like this has been the case for a long time.

Everything needs to be so precise with boys weaving in and out, and back door cuts etc. It has and prob will create us a few goal chances per game but there is no variety to what we do. It seems to me that its pretty much all on Ethan to make the half break and deliver these precise passes to mainly Murray to go at the black spot.

I don't think it's possible to change in the next couple of weeks but it's something we need to really look at because the slow possession based attack is not working or hurting the better teams.

On another note our shooting has been woeful for most of the year. I don't know how many wides and shorts we have hit in the 3 championship matches played but we most be one of the most inefficient teams in Ireland. Plenty to mull over and no easy fixes. I'm also not sure what the policy is when selecting our underage teams but looking at the 20s and minors, we seem to prioritise playing a team of half backs, we either don't have natural forwards or don't want to pick them because they are not hitting whatever metric they look for.

Over 50 misses across the 3 games, that's our biggest issue tbh. Derry won the majority of its own kickouts and the majority of Armaghs, that's a good a platform. 14 turnovers and 17 or so misses quickly destroys all hope.

Would like Meath or Louth in the next round to see if they can right a wrong, if they can't then so be it