Derry hurling manager Ger Rogan has lauded his players for their "phenomenal" effort.

The Oak Leafy County travel to Aughrim for their league opener this weekend and Rogan admits he couldn't have asked any more from his team in terms of preparation.

"These boys are absolutely phenomenal," he says in the County Derry Post. "The effort that's being put in is tremendous.

"Some of the more senior players will tell you as well that the injection of youth and enthusiasm into the set-up has really given the place a lift and people are enjoying training more than they have done in a while.

"Last year, things weren't going so well at the start of the campaign. There was an apathy about the whole thing.

"I think it was clear that there was a lack of communication about whether players should be going to club or county - but that's been resolved now.

"This year we're getting an average turn-out of 28/29 players at training. We also gave the lads an individual training programme over the winter and they've all done it.

"We started group training again in January and things are going very well. The effort is fabulous.

"It is irrelevant who we play in our first game. I suppose the fact that it's Wicklow is probably poignant in terms of having three bad results against them last year.

"But I would be quite confident in the side that we have and that the players and conditioning that have come in will benefit the squad." Tweet

Most Read Stories