Derry's Brendan Rogers says they are not in the business of entertaining, it's about winning

While Derry were basking in the glory of their first Anglo-Celt Cup success since 1998, much of the Gaelic football world were bemoaning a poor spectacle in the Ulster final.

Not that Rory Gallager's charges cared one bit. The Oak Leaf County have found a winning formula, and all the criticism of their style would not spoil the celebrations.

They have spent long enough on the periphery of Ulster football to know that winning is more fun than entertaining.

Some commentators have suggested their mass defence will not work on the bigger pitch at Croke Park in the All-Ireland series. But the Derry panel are confident they will find the answers.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Sometimes the opposition you play and different styles they played doesn't lend to that type of game, regardless of the size of the pitch," said Brendan Rogers.

"We had a more open game against Tyrone and that was very fortunate for us, it opened up and we got a lot more scores on the board. Against a team like Donegal, it's probably a more controlled game anyway given the nature of how teams would set-up.

"Of course a possession-based game would lend itself to being more defensive and it's probably not as entertaining as people would like, but the tactical battles in those games are far more important and the fine margin than it is to gain territory. If you look at it from a tactical aspect, they're very entertaining to watch, but maybe from a complete neutral's perspective it's not that enjoyable.

"I'm not really in the business of entertaining, it's about winning at the end of the day. If you want to do it in good fashion that's all well and good, but unfortunately for Derry we tried playing that style for a long time and we were at the end of some [bad] results. It doesn't really suit us and we found a way of being comfortable with each other and playing football regardless of the scenarios and teams we play.

"We're not too worried about how we're going to play in Croke Park. We're confident with how we play ourselves and regardless of the size of the pitch and the opposition, we'd back ourselves to manage it."

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Derry's rise has been quick.

In 2019, they found themselves plying their trade in Division 4 of the National League, after a string of poor springtime campaigns. But enduring some bad days were key in this group's learning curve, according to the Slaughtneil man.

"Look it wasn't easy. It was a very difficult situation to be in Division 4," he said.

"When you're coming back with the momentum of a good Slaughtneil campaign, to be relegated was obviously hard to do.

"But to be back up a couple of divisions, we're very much glad we put in the effort, because sometimes it takes those experiences of being in tough battles and tough games when things aren't going your way to solidify as a team.

"And there's a lot of players that were in those panels that are to the forefront of the team now. It's things like that that gelled us together, knowing that we've got players that have been through the hard times and obviously through the good as well. It gave us a good platform. We'll always remember those days so we enjoy the good ones a bit more."

Sometimes it takes those experiences of being in tough battles and tough games when things aren't going your way to solidify as a team.

Quarter-final showdown with Clare

Derry were paired with the Banner County in Monday's All-Ireland quarter-final draw, a game that will be live on Sky Sports.

Two weeks after their provincial title, the Ulster champions now have opponents for whom they can prepare.

"It gives us something to really focus on," Rogers said of the draw.

"I know the last while, we've had a lot of time to look at ourselves, try and get over the Ulster final and get settled again. With Clare now, we can really put that on the radar and really plan diligently on that game. It's something to look forward to at least. Everybody knows what to prepare for. It gets everything settled in that department.

"We played them in the league, and it was a good game too. I guess from that, we can expect a very tight battle. From this weekend (Clare vs Roscommon), you can obviously see they were very well coached and organised and they stuck to the plan. They all play very well together.

"We've no doubt that they'll bring their challenges. It should be a very exciting game. No team at this point is lacking any form or any momentum. So we're all looking forward to it."