McKaigue: Dubs in final is best prep for championship
There’s not much ground Chrissy McKaigue hasn’t covered in his sporting career. Since coming into the Derry set-up in 2008, he’s seen the highs and the lows through all four divisions, memorable runs with Slaughtneil in two codes, not to mention a stint in the AFL.
In that context, he can look forward to Sunday’s Division 1 final, his third time to play in the top-tier decider. The first was back in 2009 when Tommy Walsh, in his first coming as a Kerry footballer, helped Kerry to a three-point win. McKaigue and Co were back in a league final in 2014, where Dublin were too good.
And this Sunday in Croke Park, they’ll get to square off again. These have been headytimesforDerry,whohaveclimbed the football pyramid from also-rans to topranked contenders. And even with backto-back Ulster titles in the bag, McKaigue doesn’t take these days for granted.
He played when Derry contested Leitrim in a Division 4 final. When you know how quickly the worm can turn, you can appreciate the good times.
“For me, I am a different age and I wouldn’t say I appreciate it more, but I definitely have a deep appreciation of it,” he said after Derry beat Roscommon to secure their place in the final.
“I am just deeply grateful for it and I know that I am definitely closer to the end than I am to the beginning but, look, it is just a great place to be and I have a great belief in this group of players and I also have a great belief in the players that are coming behind. I think Derry are going to be competitive for a long, long time.”
Derrywereneverreallyinanytrouble last Sunday. The sides were level on 41 minutes, but Mickey Harte’s men then moved through the gears impressively.
“We started, as is well documented, at a very low ebb, but we had to find ways to win games and you just had to be humble in yourself to say, ‘right, this is where we are at, let’s look up, let’s try to be better’.
“Experience is massive; Galway beat us in the last four, Kerry beat us in the last four, the experience of those days stand to you, too. Yes, it is not pleasant getting beaten, but those big-day experiences are massive and now we have earned the right to play in a Division One final. It is another big day, it is another day of learning, it is another day of giving our players the experience of playing against the best teams on big pitches.”
Sunday offers the chance to win in Croke Park, a happy habit for anyone trying to secure Sam Maguire, but McKaigue admits that the championship and the clashwithDonegalistheirprimaryfocus.
“It is Dublin in the final and that is obviously a massive game because playing Dublin in Croke Park is where we all aspire to be, but the reality is that we are going to need a performance because I still don’t believe we have had a performance in this campaign to show what we are capable of. And we are going to have to be playing at that level to be competitive with Dublin first and foremost, never mind anything else. So there will be a big focus on that this week to try and get ourselves to that level.
“Because, let’s be honest, Donegal here in a few weeks is the biggest game of the year and everything is building towards that, so what better preparation to have than the Dubs in Croke Park.”