“Tyrone weren’t the best version of themselves.”
Derry may have conquered the All-Ireland champions when the defeated Tyrone, but Rory Gallagher believes that Monaghan will be an even bigger challenge.
The Oakleaf county were undoubtedly the underdogs when they played the reigning champions a few weeks ago, but not only did the win, they did so emphatically.
They played an high intensity brand of football, and looked like men possessed when breaking tackles and tracking back to defend.
This victory has naturally inflated their reputation, with many suggesting that they will be more than good enough to beat Monaghan in Sunday’s semi-final.
However, the Derry boss doesn’t think that their win over Tyrone, means anything when it comes to playing the Farney men.
“Tyrone weren’t the best version of themselves against ourselves and probably haven’t been this year in comparison to last year,” said.
“Monaghan will have a ferocious level of hunger as well as the quality. That’s going to present a different kind of challenge.
“They are a team that have had a lot of successful times and won a lot of games against very tough opponents.”
That win over Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan’s side in Omagh has warranted a lot of attention and a lot of praise – something that Gallagher wants his players to be able to handle.
“We’re where I would like us to be. I would like us to be seen as an established force in Ulster. We’re certainly not that yet,” the Derry boss told BBC Radio Foyle.
“If we’re able to back up consistent performances and win games against the top teams we will be. You can only go so long under the radar.
“There’s no joy playing at the lower levels when you feel you are better than that and thankfully these players are getting the opportunity.
“This is show time for an intercounty footballer. We’ve got to make sure that we turn up and deliver. The best teams do.
“We’ve trained and prepared really well over the last 18, 20 months. We want to be playing in games like Sunday. We want to relish the challenge and whatever other people perceive of us, there’s nothing we can do about that.”
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