Derry U21 boss Rogan blasts club ‘dishonesty’
The Oak Leafers were due to face the Saffrons in Casement Park but, after seeing just 10 players turn up for a scheduled challenge game with Banagher on Saturday, Rogan was forced to pull the plug on the team’s involvement in an Ulster championship that they won back to back for the first time ever as recently as 2007 and 2008.
Rogan, manager of the county’s senior team as well as the under 21s, expressed his disappointment with dual clubs who he claims told their players not to play for the county hurlers.
“It comes down to honesty,” he said. “Clubs are telling us that players made their own minds up when I know for a fact that they were told that if they went to county hurling, they wouldn’t be in the club football squad.”
While the focus was on the U21s following their failure to fulfil last night’s fixture, Rogan says that the problem has been ongoing with the same clubs since he took over as senior manager at the start of the year.
“I had a similar situation at the start of the year with the senior squad, with certain clubs not buying in to Derry hurling. You had clubs coming to a meeting with the county chairman and county officers telling us one thing when we knew different. They’re saying they support the Derry hurling team and then they’re going back and telling the players not to be coming out and training with the county team,” he said.
“It disappoints me that one of the people in charge of one of these clubs was in my position not too long ago and was criticising the county board for failing to promote or support hurling.
“There are clubs like Slaughtneil, Banagher, Swatragh, Na Magha and Kevin Lynch’s who have gone above and beyond the call to help Derry hurling and it’s them I feel sorry for. Other people need to take a look at themselves and stop hiding behind a smokescreen,” he said.
Rogan said that Derry could have fielded last night but they would have had to use minors and “that would not do anyone any justice. It would be unfair to ask minors to play at under-21 level.”
In recent years, the Derry County Board had come under intense criticism for a perceived failure to support hurling. However, Rogan, who said he will not walk away from Derry hurling, was keen to alleviate the board of any blame and praised their attitude towards the small ball code.
“The county board, and more especially (county chairman) John Keenan have been nothing but supportive of everything I have tried to do. Let it not be said by any man that they have been anything other than fully behind Derry hurling in every respect,” he said.
