Mickey Harte says Derry were punching below their weight in Division Four.

Operating on the lowest tier, the Oak Leaf County came through their league campaign with a perfect record, but Harte’s Tyrone side will provide a sterner test in Sunday’s Ulster SFC opener:

“It was a false position they were in, we all know that. They were never a Division Four team,” the Red Hands boss told The Belfast Telegraph.

“The fact is that's where they played their football this year, so they probably didn't get challenged as much as I would have hoped they'd get challenged when we play them. So that's something they have to deal with, that they'll consider the challenges that they had and anticipate the challenge that we should bring.

“I still think they would be honest enough as well to say that they're not a top division side yet either. They have work to do, they're a work in progress, they're a developing side, and I think in time they'll be serious operators. But I just hope they're not at that level right now.”

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