Clash with football 'disappointing' for Derry hurlers

Derry's hurlers will contest the Christy Ring final just hours before throw in at Celtic Park

Derry hurling captain Cormac O'Doherty says it is "disappointing" that the team will not have their entire fanbase for Sunday's Christy Ring Cup final at Croke Park because of a fixture clash with the footballers.

The Oak Leaf hurlers take on Kildare in their championship's third-tier decider at 14:15 BST with the senior footballers in action against Armagh in the All-Ireland series at Celtic Park at 16:00.

O'Doherty says the Derry hurlers had been told they would play on a different day to Mickey Harte's panel should they make the final.

"The communication was it was coming from Croke Park that we would get separate days," he said.

"It's disappointing but it's done and we're not going to worry too much about it."

With three hurling finals to be staged in Croke Park on Sunday, Derry are the only county whose chance for silverware clashes with an All-Ireland series fixture for their footballers.

"For the other five teams involved, their footballers are playing Saturday with the hurlers on Sunday," added Slaughtneil club-man O'Doherty.

"I don't know what the reasoning is but it's disappointing that we can't get the full support of our county here on Sunday.

"I know we'll get a good crowd here backing us, that's the hurling people that we want involved. Hopefully that's enough."

The need for finals to be played at a neutral venue ensured that there was never an option to stage the two Derry games as a double-header at Celtic Park but O'Doherty does not feel finals should be moved regardless.

"It's a chance to play in Croke Park," he added.

"Any chance you get to play in Croke Park you want to grab it with both hands.

"We were here last year, beaten by Meath in the final. This was always our goal, to get back here and go one step better. It's a massive opportunity for us."

As well as the experience of final defeat 12 months ago, O'Doherty wants his side to take lessons from a seven-point defeat to Sunday's opposition last month.

"Learn from it, learn from what we did wrong," said O'Doherty, who estimates he has lost eight of his 10 previous Croke Park appearances for school, club and county in football and hurling.

"We done some good things in that game, we take them into it and [want to] correct the errors that we made. 

"We've had enough battles with them over the last four or five years in different competitions. We know what they're about, they know what we're about.

"If we bring our 'A' game, I think that'll be enough."