ASSERTING control that stopped them getting dragged into a “chaotic” game with Mayo and getting key men back on the pitch have breathed life back into Derry’s season, says Brendan Rogers.
Having leaked goals in the earlier part of the championship, they manned the defensive gates with a far greater sense of urgency in Castlebar, building a platform off which they could compete.
It needed a Chrissy McKaigue equaliser in stoppage time at the end of normal time but considering where they had been for the eight weeks previous, it was a huge result for Mickey Harte’s side.
“At times Mayo can play a chaotic game and we probably play a game of control. I guess you’re trying to deny any momentum they have, especially with the crowd and atmosphere you get here,” he said. “A big part of the game is trying to play the way we want to play. That’s what every team does.
“When you can control it and get on the ball, it changes the dynamic altogether. Teams can’t play that open football if they don’t have the ball.”
Monday morning’s draw pitted them against Kerry in a repeat of last year’s incredible semi-final that looked to be going Derry’s way until it was snatched back late on by the David Clifford-inspired men from the Kingdom.
It was a game that almost ran contrary to Rogers’ thread of control, with Derry’s decision to concede some of that in favour of creating a bit of anarchy almost paying off that day.
Either way they looked closer to an All-Ireland winning team after that day than they had before it. The momentum carried on into a Division One success this spring before it faltered.
It’s the experience of games like last year’s semi-final and this year’s league decider with Dublin that they’re desperate for more of.
“We don’t want to be playing teams that aren’t at the top tier any more. It sounds really arrogant and all those things but we’ve been trying to better ourselves all the time and the only way we’ve found of bettering ourselves is playing good teams.
“Not to disrespect any of the teams we’ve been playing but sometimes the freshness of playing Mayo, we don’t play them that often, coming down here brings that bit of a buzz, those things can help. It just puts us on good footing for next week.”
Their struggles in the opening three games were somewhat typified by the goal conceded against Armagh when Rogers’ own loose handpass left them wide open. He did his best to recover the situation but the black shirts piled forward in waves, highlighting the lack of energy about Derry’s play.
“You can have all the tactics in the world but if you don’t bring that edge and that bit of energy, it’s very hard to execute.
“You can’t press up on kickouts if you’re not bringing that edge. Same when you go into a low block defence,” said Rogers.
He admits they looked like an angry team with the bit between their teeth in Castlebar, even if that wasn’t the intention.
But for the reigning Allstar midfielder, it was as much about the reintroduction of quality personnel like Gareth McKinless and a fit-again Conor Doherty.
“To be fair that wasn’t really our objective was to be angry. I suppose you have to look at the facts, we’ve been missing players for a long time and it does knock your momentum a wee bit, and then the losses didn’t help, it kinda compounded it for us.
“The likes of Gareth and CD [Conor Doherty] back on the pitch, those presences, that talent, the ability, it can only give you a lift. Training’s been far better as a result of it and when you start getting those guys back, momentum starts coming again.
“To be fair, we weren’t good the games we lost, that’s the long and short of it. Maybe we could have got something out of the Galway game had we been a bit more clinical but we ultimately weren’t good enough those days.
“It’s like everything, when you’re trying to turn momentum, it’s harder and harder. Getting those lads back, form gets a bit better, it’s just getting back to what we’re used to doing.
“There were a lot less silly mistakes [against Mayo] and it lets you show the class of some of the players we have up front and that brings that wee bit of an edge.
“It’s unbelievable how it can turn so quick but that’s the joys of momentum, once you get it turned it can do wonderful things and hopefully we can keep it going for next week.”