Derry display the perfect riposte to Gavin Devlin 'sulking' jibe says McKaigue
Chrissy McKaigue has said that Derry's performance against Galway disproves Gavin Devlin's 'sulking' theory.
Speaking after Derry had been dumped out of Ulster Championship by Donegal this year, Devlin said that current boss Paddy Tally 'should have run a million miles away' from the job as the players still pined for former manager Rory Gallagher.
Devlin was part of Mickey Harte's management team in Derry last year and though it started well as they won the Allianz League, things went south in the Championship and the duo departed after the All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Kerry.
He added that he felt they were 'sulking' in the closing 20 minutes against Donegal and that if Gallagher didn't return 'you are better just putting that team in the bin and building a new team'.
McKaigue retired after last year's Championship, though his association with Devlin goes back way before 2024, with the Tyrone man having managed his club, Slaughtneil, while the pair also coached together in Ardboe.
Last Sunday, Derry played out a rip-roaring draw with Galway in what was their best championship performance since the narrow defeat to Kerry in the 2023 All-Ireland semi-final.
McKaigue said: 'Gavin's a very affable character, I'm very friendly with him. At times he wouldn't pull any punches, as that interview showed.
'I suppose what I would go back and say to that comment is, watching Derry at the weekend, it was a really strong performance from Derry in terms of their attitude, their application, their intensity.
'It was frightening the intensity Derry brought to that game. Sitting in Celtic Park in the stand watching the intensity they brought was probably a chip off the old block.
'But now for Derry it's the consistency in that, that they can back that up like the best teams do, week in week out or game in game out.
'So Gavin's comments, he obviously made that comment, we all heard that comment but if you were at the game at the weekend you would say to yourself, 'Hopefully this is the real turning point for that Derry group' because no one really gives them a chance against Galway, let's be honest.
'I think Galway themselves were taken back by the intensity, the physicality that Derry brought. But I tell you what from a Derry supporter's point of view and just from knowing the lads it was a performance to warm the heart and to be honest with you, nine times out of 10, they get the result.'
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