Gaelic Games

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Brendan Rogers and Shane McGuigan will return to the Derry team for their Division Two National League opener against Meath at Croke Park on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Neither Rogers nor McGuigan featured for Derry during the Dr McKenna Cup with manager Ciaran Meenagh opting to give the Slaughtneil duo an extended break after their club's run to the All-Ireland club hurling semi-final.

Ryan Scullion has been handed the number one jersey with regular goalkeeper Odhran Lynch still sidelined.

The Oak Leafers are also boosted in defence with Padraig McGrogan and Conor McCluskey named in the full-back line alongside Diarmuid Baker.

Gareth McKinless who missed the entirety of last year's campaign has been handed the number six jersey.

Rogers will partner Conor Glass in midfield, while McGuigan will be joined in the full-forward line by Lachlan Murray and Niall Loughlin.

Despite naming a hugely experienced starting team, there's plenty of youth on the Derry bench with Conor McAteer, Sean Young, Sean Kearney, Patrick McGurk and the returning Jack Doherty providing options as replacements.

Eoin McEvoy and Dan Higgins remain sidelined as Derry begin their efforts for an immediate return to Division One.

Derry: Ryan Scullion; Conor McCluskey, Padraig McGrogan, Diarmuid Baker; Conor Doherty, Gareth McKinless, Shea Downey; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers; Ethan Doherty, Niall Toner, Paul Cassidy; Lachlan Murray, Shane McGuigan, Niall Loughlin.

Subs: Shea McGuckin, Ruairi Forbes, Patrick McGurk, Mark Doherty, Conor McAteer, Matthew Downey, Jack Doherty, Ruairi O Mianain, Conall Higgins, Sean Kearney, Sean Young.

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Derry manager Ciaran Meenagh says it's important his side do not become "too fixated on one team" as they begin their National League Division Two campaign against Meath at Croke Park on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Oak Leaf County were relegated from Division One last season, failing to win any of their seven fixtures.

Former interim boss Ciaran Meenagh is now in charge of the team and his first task is guiding the 2024 league champions back to Division One.

On paper, Derry could not have been handed a more difficult start, taking on two of the sides that reached the last four of the All-Ireland series in Meath before hosting Tyrone in their second game.

"At the end of the day, we have seven games in nine weeks and if we're too fixated on one team," Meenagh told BBC Sport NI.

"We have Meath and then we have Tyrone at home and then we have Kildare away, coming week after week.

"I suppose the team we've got to fixate on most now is ourselves and how we can draw improvement from our own performance.

"The division is littered with dangerous teams, so yeah, that's a tough start, but there'll be no simple games."

Derry's Dr McKenna Cup campaign ended with a defeat to a strong Donegal side at the semi-final stage, but Meenagh was able to welcome back all-star midfielder Conor Glass.

Derry were also without the Slaughtneil duo of Shane McGuigan and Brendan Rogers who were given a break after their club's run to the All-Ireland club hurling semi-final.

"We were probably missing a number of those players that we would look towards in that case, and Conor Glass was only to play 40 minutes the night just to get him back up and running."

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Monaghan captain Micheal Bannigan feels Saturday's Dr McKenna Cup final against Donegal in Omagh [17:00 GMT] will be "great preparation" for their National League opener eight days later.

The Farneymen host Armagh in Divison one on Sunday, 25 January but before then, there is the opportunity to claim some early season silverware.

Gabriel Bannigan's men won 1-15 to 2-10 in their semi-final against Tyrone on Wednesday to set up a meeting with Jim McGuinness' side with Micheal, nephew of the Monaghan boss, finding the net in a man of the match performance.

"It's a great game to get seven days out from the National League, so it will be great preparation for us and we'll look forward to it," the Aughnammullen forward told BBC Sport NI.

"We're without Sigerson [universities' championship] players at the moment, like every team is. We're also without the Scotstown boys, so there are young boys getting their chance, which is brilliant."

Pre-season competitions were shelved in 2025, but their return in 2026 has proven popular despite issues regarding match cancellations and player availability.

They also afford the opportunity to build some early momentum prior to the league and Bannigan can only see positives from their Dr McKenna Cup run.

"At this time of the year, it beats training so we're happy," he added.

"A lot of young boys get their chance and a couple of years ago I got my chance [in the Dr McKenna Cup] so this is good for boys trying to break onto the panel because challenge games just aren't the same."

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Donegal boss Jim McGuinness said he will "probably manage and rotate some players" for the Dr McKenna Cup final with their Allianz Football League opener against Dublin to come.

McGuinness' side will take on Monaghan in the decider on Saturday after they overcame holders Derry 1-18 to 1-16 in the semi-final at Celtic Park on Wednesday.

The final against Monaghan, who picked up a two-point victory over Tyrone, comes just a week before Donegal's Division One opener against Dublin in Croke Park.

While McGuinness feels he needs to look after his panel to ensure they're ready for that league game, he believes facing the Farney men, who are also in the top division, will aid preparations.

"We played a Division One team tonight in many respects and Monaghan are the same, so it's great from that point of view," he told BBC Sport NI's Odhran Crumley.

"It's getting closer to the first [league] game so we'll probably manage and rotate some of the players and give fellas that haven't had tough minutes, some minutes and marry all those things to see if we can get ready for the first league game."

An unanswered 1-7 in 12 second-half minutes helped Donegal fight back to beat Derry and McGuinness was pleased with his side's response after the break.

"Very good challenge, Derry threw a lot at it in the first half and it's just great from our own point of view that we were able to look at players again and respond to the challenge they laid down, so happy to get into the final."