Peter Canavan column: Derry are the real deal | Can the Tailteann Cup prove to be a hit?

Derry are the real deal.

There is no doubt about that.

The Oak Leaf County gave Donegal a run for their money last year, but they have since developed further. And they are a more potent force.

Physically, they look to be in great shape. And when the gun was put to their head, they were able to come up with the answers on Sunday.

The core of the team is made up by some of the best players in the country; Brendan Rogers, Chrissy McKaigue, Conor Glass, Gareth McKinless and Shane McGuigan.

That's a brilliant spine. Very few teams have as strong a backbone as that.

But what they're doing now is they're getting key performances out of the so-called lesser lights. Paul Cassidy came up and kicked two brilliant points against Monaghan. Ethan Doherty had a superb game once again. Benny Heron hit two goals.

So it's not all about McGuigan moving forward now. There's other options there. And there's a great vibe and energy about the county. Scenes of the supporters celebrating on the pitch afterwards for over an hour would vouch for that.

The first-half display was the platform for their victory, and there were a couple of reasons for that.

The energy and pace that Derry brought to the game was a step above the Farney County. Monaghan played at a slower tempo before the break.

Rory Gallagher won the tactical battle. Yes, Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney made some adjustments at the break and a number of things worked in their favour after the restart. But they simply had too much to do.

Chrissy McKaigue and Brendan Rogers nullified the threats of Gary Mohan and Jack McCarron.

Up the other end, Conor Boyle and Dessie Ward struggled to keep tabs on Niall Toner and Shane McGuigan.

Ward had to keep an eye on McGuigan, meaning he was unable to surge forward. Kieran Duffy swapped onto the Slaughtneil forward after the break, releasing Ward into a more attacking role.

Shane Carey picked up Gareth McKinless. Carey is a playmaker and is not best utilised when having someone to track. The pace of McKinless really hurt Monaghan in the first half, before Ryan McAnespie put the shackles on him. But the damage was already done by that point.

It was Derry's ability to hit the net that was crucial. Their scoring efficiency outshone that of Monaghan.

The Division 1 outfit retained more ball on their kick-outs, had more possession and more shots, but they couldn't make it count on the scoreboard.

Derry are shaping up well ahead of the Ulster final.

I don't think there will be any surprises in the final. We know what way they're going to play.

Monaghan approached them in a similar way to Tyrone. They defended with 12 players, leaving two or three up front.

I believe Donegal will match Derry's style, with 15 men back to try and deny the space that was afforded to the Derry runners.

The Tailteann Cup gets under way

The nature of the draw was underwhelming, and there are still question marks over the marketing aspects of the competition.

I feel there could have been more done to raise its profile.

But the Tailteann Cup has merit, and I think it's a good idea.

I hope the teams will go at it and approach it in the right frame of mind. If they do, it will leave them in a better position.

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It provides an opportunity for the likes of Down or Fermanagh to regroup, and play football in high summer. Winning the competition would leave them in a much better position facing into 2023.

So much depends on the mentality of teams, and if the leaders within those groups knuckle down to take it seriously.

On paper, you would have to say that Cavan are the frontrunners. If they can replicate their performance levels that they brought against Donegal in the Ulster semi-final, it is theirs to lose.

Looking at the southern section, Westmeath's performance against Kildare was very encouraging.

Ahead of the tournament getting under way, you would say Cavan and Westmeath are the standout teams.