Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DERRY BOSS WILL NOT BE LYING DOWN
BOSS Damian Mcerlain insists Derry won’t be merely making up the numbers when they play Kerry in the Electric Ireland All-ireland minor final.
The Ulster champions conjured a brilliant final quarter performance to dismiss Dublin and secure their first decider spot in a decade.
And they will bid for a first title since 2002 when they return to Croke Park on September 17 to play holders Kerry.
But the Oak Leafers will be underdogs against a David Clifford inspired Kerry side bidding for a record four All-ireland wins in a row. Mcerlain is positive and pointed to the character shown by his side who trailed by two after 43 minutes but won by three.
They outscored Dublin by 0-7 to 0-2 in the run in and had a star man in fullforward Lorcan Mcwilliams.
The Swatragh prodigy scored six points, five from frees, and caused Dublin trouble all afternoon.
Patrick Quigg impressed for Derry early on while they got a strong kick from the bench with sub Jon Paul Devlin creating a point and scoring one during a storming finale.
Dublin led 0-8 to 0-7 at half-time and kicked themselves for shooting 11 second-half wides and 14 in total, something Kerry are unlikely to do.
Derry chief Mcerlain said: “We’re going to the final and we’re not just going there to take part. We want to go out and give it our best.
“We think it’s going to be an epic battle. We’ve encountered Kerry the last two years and we knew this year that they were going to be on the other side of the draw so we’d meet if we both kept winning.
DERRY: O Martin; S Mckeever, C Mccluskey, O Mcgill; S Mcerlain, P Mcgrogan, C Mcshane; O Mcwilliams (0-1), D Rafferty; P Quigg (0-4, 3f), R Mullan (0-1), O Quinn; B Mccarron (0-3, 2f), L Mcwilliams (0-6, 5f), M Mcgrogan (0-1). Subs: F Mortimer for Rafferty (30), C Brown for Quinn (33), D Cassidy for Quigg (36), M Bradley for Mcerlain (56), JP Devlin (0-1) for Mccarron (59), T Mchugh for O Mcwilliams (64). DUBLIN: D O’hanlon; D Maher, P O Cofaigh Byrne, L Flatman; K Kennedy, N Matthews, E O’dea; D Ryan, M Tracey; D Brennan, J Doran (0-6), K Lynch Bissett (pictured); D Lacey (0-5, 4f), S Hawkshaw (0-1), R Mcgarry (0-2). Subs: F O’sullivan for Brennan (40), C Archer for Hawkshaw (47), G Nangle for O Cofaigh Byrne (52), A Byrne for Lynch Bissett (59), L Doran for Maher (63), N O’leary for Kennedy (65, black card). REFEREE: S Lonergan (Tipperary).