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Gary Ferry, 8 Sep
Ulster Championship
Enniskillen vs. City of Derry
Saturday, 2:30pm
Richard McCarter admits he hasn’t seen his players as happy in several
seasons as City of Derry head to Enniskillen hoping to make it two wins
from two in the Ulster Championship.
The Judges Road side kicked off their new campaign last week with a
largely impressive 41-27 win over Ballymoney, a performance and
scoreline which the Head Coach was more than content with.
“We knew it would be a really tough game,” McCarter reflected.
“Ballymoney were promoted last year, so we knew they would come up with
a lot of confidence because they were used to winning most weeks last
season. We knew it would be a tough one and a potential banana skin,
but I thought we coped pretty well with it. We had a great start,
scoring in the first couple of minutes, but the next 15-20 minutes were
pretty sluggish. Then we had a middle period in the game where we were
outstanding.
“The only blot on the copybook was that we were 41-15 up with 20
minutes to go and instead if kicking on and winning even more
handsomely, we allowed them back into it so it finished 41-27. That was
a wee bit of a disappointment, but at the same time, a bonus point win
at home, with six tries at home in the first game, we can’t be overly
critical.”
A lot has changed at Judges Road in just 12 months. Relegation from the
All-Ireland League had a huge psychological effect on everyone at the
club and it showed on the pitch early on in Ulster. The players and
staff have really bounced back however in 2023.
“When we compare it to this time last year when we played Dromore at
home on the first day, we were awful,” McCarter admitted. “The game was
over inside 20 minutes and I think they had scored four tries.
“From probably mid to the end of November last year, when, ironically,
it was away at Enniskillen and we won with the last play of the game –
that really turned our season, and we won 11 of our last 14 matches or
something like that. Now we’re started this year with two wins from
two. We’re definitely heading in the right direction and this is a
level where I feel we can get our confidence back.
“We’re not going to win every week, but we’re going to win more than we
lose I like to think, and you can see that in the players. Their
confidence levels are through the roof compared to where they were this
time last year. It’s great, not just for the league, and all the
competitions, but in terms of the boys enjoying their rugby again. This
is the first time I’ve seen us look really happy at the start of the
season for years.”
Familiar opponent
A very different test awaits City of Derry this week however, with
Enniskillen a familiar opponent after some big tussles last season.
“We have done well in the first couple of matches, but we know this
Saturday is a big step up as well,” McCarter continued.
“Enniskillen are flying and they have been going well for a few seasons
at this level. It’s always difficult to play away from home. We played
them three times last year, and we won the two league games, including
an away victory, and lost the cup game.
“We know we’re capable of winning up here, but it’s a different kind of
mentality because you have to hang in these games. If you are still in
the game at half time, you can really kick on in the second half. We
have got the ability to do that, but we have got to be wary of their
strengths as well.”
The Derry Head Coach is hoping for a similar performance to last
Saturday, without the tailing off late in the game.
“I knew it wouldn’t be perfect on Saturday because were still building,
and we’re still at that stage of the season when we’re going to make
mistakes and the boys are getting up to match fitness, but some of the
tries we scored were incredible,” he said. #
“The conditions were very, very hot and the ground was rock hard; it
was perfect for running rugby, but it doesn’t make it easier at the
same time when it’s so hot, so it was fairly impressive.”