Can Derry breathe new life into championship challenge?

Two years ago, Derry were being spoken about as genuine All-Ireland contenders. The Oak Leafers had claimed their first Ulster title in 24 years in 2022 and retained it in 2023, becoming only the second team from the county to achieve this feat. They also suffered narrow All-Ireland semi-final defeats in 2022 and 2023, the latter a 1-17 to 1-15 reverse to Kerry having led by two points with five minutes left. When they beat reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin to claim the National Football League Division One title in 2024, they appeared to have rubber-stamped their credentials, not just as Sam Maguire hopefuls, but as genuine contenders. No one could have predicted the dramatic turn in their fortunes following that league success. The statistics are stark and make grim reading for Derry supporters. Fall from grace The county have played 27 league and championship games since that victory over the Dubs, winning just eight, drawing two, and losing 17. Shockingly, they did not win a single league or championship game throughout the 2025 season. Only three of those victories have come in the championship: a group-stage win over Westmeath in 2024, a penalty shoot-out victory over Mayo in the preliminary quarter-final later that year, and a win over Antrim in this year's Ulster Championship. For former Oak Leaf star Paddy Bradley, the issue cutting deepest into Derry's recent struggles is not tactical or structural, but psychological. "The one issue I have with Derry at the minute is that a lot of players seem to be devoid of a bit of confidence," Bradley told BBC Sport NI. "Derry are lacking at the minute that wee bit of belief and confidence. It probably could do with the likes of Brendan Rogers, Shane McGuigan, Conor Glass and Gareth McKinless coming back into a bit of form. "I'm not saying they're playing overly poorly this year. They just maybe haven't hit the heights that they were playing out of a couple of years ago." Meath stand in Derry's way Saturday's All-Ireland SFC round 2B game against Meath at Celtic Park (19:00 BST) offers another opportunity to halt the slide. A victory over Meath would not erase the struggles of the past two seasons, but it would provide evidence that the county's decline is not irreversible. The new football format highlights the perils of defeat, with a loss often bringing early championship elimination and an abrupt end to the summer campaign. "I suppose it's very early in the year to be thinking that teams are going to be exiting the championship but such is the nature of the way it's structured," added Bradley. "Derry will be just delighted to have home advantage because Celtic Park is notoriously a very, very difficult place for teams to go. "The lads getting to sleep in their own bed the night before a match is something I always loved. Whilst you love getting away to some of the best stadiums all over Ireland, there's always that advantage of playing at your home ground. "There's always usually a big breeze blowing down in Celtic Park and obviously Derry players are well used to that and well aware of that, that's massive." Reasons for optimism Derry's Ulster Championship exit only deepened the sense of frustration; they led Monaghan by 11 points heading into the final quarter of their Ulster SFC semi-final, before ultimately falling to defeat after extra time. "The championship draw, I suppose, Antrim and then the winners of Monaghan and Cavan, a lot of people probably thought that Derry were bankers for an Ulster final," Bradley said. "They probably should have seen that semi-final out. So again, the season hasn't caught light yet." Despite the disappointing results, Bradley was encouraged by aspects of Derry's display against Armagh and feels the foundations remain in place. "I thought for large parts of the Armagh game they did rightly," he said. "Armagh, to me, are one of the top teams in the country. I thought Derry gave them plenty of bother. "If Derry can get a win on Saturday night, then they go on to the next round with real confidence and God knows where their season could end up. "Getting to Croke Park would be massive in an All-Ireland quarter-final. I don't think Derry should fear anybody. They've still got a core of very, very good players."