DERRY GAA: Under 20 hurlers target historic All Ireland final win against Roscommon

Ryan O'Neill believes lifting the Richie McElligott All Ireland Under 20 'B' Championship in Croke Park on Saturday could "work wonders" for Derry hurling.

O'Neill's Oak Leaf squad travel to headquarters to face a fancied Roscommon who have already accounted for 2022 winners, Down, in the semi-final. Derry booked their own place in the decider courtesy of a highly impressive 1-24 to 1-07 last four victory over Mayo in Breffni Park two weeks ago and O'Neill says they are determined to make the most of the opportunity and bring a first title back to Derry.

"This is going to be massive," admitted the Derry manager, "I have said this before but the hurling community in the county is not big compared to the football one.

"Now, we are not complaining about that, we are embracing it. We are working from seven or eight clubs; from as far away from Ballinascreen, Slaughtneil, Dungiven, into the city and out to Coleraine; we have a good balance of players.

"And, it will be as important for the Na Magha boys as it will be for the Kevin Lynch's or Slaughtneil lads to be coming back as All Ireland winners. Those lads are looking to bounce straight into a senior set up. If they come back into that senior set up with an All Ireland winners' medal, it's going to work wonders for those clubs. It will work wonders for the senior teams, for the lads themselves and for Derry as a whole. That's the bigger picture."

The Oak Leafers have already experienced Championship heartbreak this season, losing to Antrim in the Ulster U20 final, a game O'Neill admits his team didn't do themselves justice in.

"We didn't do ourselves any justice in the Ulster final against Antrim," added the Kevin Lynch's club man, "We are a better team than we showed that day. There was a bit of toing and froing that week about where the final would take place and I think maybe if it hadn't been a home Ulster final it may have suited us better.

"Listen, we didn't perform that day to the standard I know we can but we knuckled back down the week after and started preparing for this All Ireland 'B' Series and this is something Derry needs, an All Ireland at hurling. Chances to win an All Ireland don't come round too often."

O'Neill's team will be backboned by a number of players who have already made the step up to Johnny McGarvey's senior Oak Leaf squad, players such as James Friel, Ruairi O'Mianain and Segdae Melaugh. Getting boys competing at the top end of senior hurling remains the ultimate goal for the Derry manager and for Oak Leaf hurling and the recent signs are looking positive.

"The idea when we took over the Under 17s four or five years ago was to spend three, four, five, however many years it was, to get a lot of young lads through for senior hurling. Now every year we are working with two or three dual players but if you went back 10 years ago to when I was taking minor teams, you were depending on about 10 dual players at least. That's not the case now. You are now working with 80% hurling lads and then you have your three or four dual players, which you can't do without either.

"It's starting to get strong again but it's still a work in progress though we'd hope that in the coming two years we would have all these lads though to senior level."

It's a formidable foe Derry will face in Roscommon who are appearing in their second successive final. Twelve months ago two second half Down goals broke Roscommon hearts but they have bounced back to avenge that final defeat in this year’s semi-final against the Mourne County and now have their own eyes on a first title since 2012.

"We have a bit of work done on Roscommon but again, you can do work on teams all you want, but what really matters is turning up on the day and showing what we can do rather than worrying about what they can do," added O'Neill, "We have every confidence in these boys.

"When we got the word last Thursday it was in Croke Park, that was a real boost. County Chairman John Keenan moved mountains to get that and I'm so thankful to John for doing it. Even getting these boys to Croke Park, how often does a Derry hurling team get to play for an All Ireland title in Croke Park? That's the reality of the thing.

"So we’re concentrating on ourselves. We know Roscommon will go into the game as favourites but that doesn't bother us. We know what we can do and we are ready to go."

Saturday's Under 20 final will be the curtain raiser to Dublin's Leinster Hurling Championship clash against Wexford and is being shown live on TG4.

"This is going to be massive for the lads' families, getting to see their sons playing in Croke Park. That's a dream for any parent, never mind the lads themselves and for us as a management team. Getting to take a team to Croke Park, it's a big, big, thing and will be a massive shot in the arm for Derry hurling going forward.

"I said the other day, in any fight the underdogs only gets one crack at it; an underdog rarely gets a second crack at it, so when we get our chance we want to be taking it."