SIMPLE MINDS

Rogers: This club is alive and kicking because we focus on doing the basics well

EVERY club in Ulster and beyond would love to know the secret of Slaughtneil’s success.

The problem is, there are no secrets.

So says full-back Brendan Rogers, who claims the Derry club just do the simple things well.

And doing the simple things well has become a way of life for this trophy-winning machine.

Victory over surprise finalists Cavan Gaels in tomorrow’s Ulster SFC final will complete another outstanding year and achieve the ‘double treble’ of back-to-back Ulster titles in hurling, camogie and football.

Outsiders can’t grasp how such a small community can hit such heights, but Rogers insists there is no big secret.

He said: “I think people are under a misconception as to what we really do. When Crossmaglen were at their peak everyone was saying they were doing

6am sessions and stuff but no, in my mind it is a very simplistic system, something we have grown up with.

“People talk to you about being a dual club as if you’ve only doing it this last five years – but we’ve always done it. It’s just that it has come to the fore with the success.

“There are no fancy drills. Players themselves focus on quality rather than quantity in training so we’re not killing ourselves in between the games.

“You don’t have to slog round the pitch running 10k in training just so you can run 10k in a match.”

Rogers admits he was unhappy with his display in the 2-17 to 0-17 Ulster semi-final win. Kilcar’s Paddy Mcbrearty scored 0-10, five from play, and Rogers heard about it afterwards.

“I wasn’t long getting a kick up the ass!

“It’s a Slaughtneil thing that nobody is allowed to get too big for their boots.

“Whether people are having the craic or being serious, you always get slagged no matter how you play. There’s always that element of keeping you level-headed. Maybe you need it.

“I don’t think it was my best game and you know what? Maybe it was the best thing for me. I suppose the next game will tell that.”

Last week, Cavan Gaels had a one-man wrecking ball in Paul O’connor who did the damage against Derrygonnelly. He bagged three goals himself then set up the winning goal in the sixth minute of injury-time.

O’connor was awesome in the air and it’s a tactic the underdogs are bound to try again, but Rogers will be ready.

“It’s up to the defender to lay down the marker early,” he smiled. “Maybe Cavan Gaels were fortunate to get the rub of the green (against Derrygonnelly) but you need that something extra sometimes, when games are tight.

“Hopefully if we can prevent those goals it can go a long way.”