McKeever out to prove a point

There's no lack of novelty surrounding Sunday's All-Ireland hurling quarter-final between Derry and Offaly. Having won their first Ulster title since 1908, Derry's trip south is a journey into the unknown. Unique also in that Offaly meet them for the first time in the championship.

Throw in as well the tantalising situation with Kieran McKeever, one of the few remaining dual players still able to juggle both codes at the highest level. Last Sunday, he failed in his attempt to win an Ulster double after Derry's footballers were defeated by Armagh. Only a few days on, and McKeever has switched his attention back to hurling.

"This is a very, very important game for Derry hurling," he says. "It's a game where we don't want to go down to Croke Park and be totally slaughtered or make Ulster hurling look bad. We want to go down and put on a real good performance and show that Derry are not as weak as other counties make them out to be. We want to make a statement for ourselves."

McKeever admits that he was "totally devastated" after the defeat to Armagh, but it was back to hurling training on Tuesday and there's no time to look back: "Sure, it is going to be very hard to raise myself again for next Sunday. I've probably had a game now every week since February, so it's something like five weeks in a row with big games on a Sunday."

Now 32, McKeever has served his county and club, Dungiven, for some 13 years. Football has always been the main focus, something that his 38 championship appearances testify to, although this has been the first season where he has been able to make an equal commitment to hurling. Both managers, Eamonn Coleman and Kevin McNaughton, have been more accommodating than any of those previous but it's still a demanding task.

And of course, winning both Ulster titles would have been sweet. Playing at full back last Sunday, he had the unenviable task of keeping track of Armagh's merry-go-round forwards but he still thinks the game was as finely decided as they come.

"We were so much on top there in the second half, but just couldn't get the scores. Armagh seemed to be playing 13 in their back line and there seemed to be no way through them. But they have grown in confidence from last year. They've got players with some very good heads who can settle the team down.

"And they isolated two men up front and gave them loads of space. When you have such speedy forwards, it doesn't matter what sort of defender you are. You'll never get the ball. But fair play to Armagh, they had their homework done and they've shown themselves to be very good Ulster champions to come back and win it for a second year. It does take a good team to retain the championship."

It has been a long season. Between both codes in the league and then the championship, he's been on the run almost non-stop since last February. And as a team, the demands of the extended league run may have worked against them once July rolled into gear.

"It's hard to know. Kerry did it a few years ago but maybe trying to peak for every game in the last few months took its toll. We had two very physical games against Meath and the same against Antrim, and maybe mentally we weren't as prepared as we thought we were. I felt I was as ready mentally and physically as I could. We just lost it on the pitch."

For Sunday, McKeever will be positioned at centre forward. Against Antrim, he played his typical sort of game that their manager Sean McNaughton calls "passionate and full of heart". He also pinched the first-half goal that began the downfall of the long-reigning Ulster title holders.

"He's definitely their main man," says the Antrim manager. "He does all the donkey work up front and fetches an awful lot of ball for their forwards. And he's a right good hurler as well. Of course he'll be disappointed from the game last Sunday but I don't think he's showing any signs of tiredness yet and he's definitely got the heart for it.

"And overall they are a very direct team. They have an incredible hunger right now and they will definitely give Offaly all they want. Their stick-work may not be as strong but they showed against us that they have a real passion to win."

Offaly, of course, carry all the expectations into Croke Park. That is, no one expects them to lose. But it won't be all about winning. Derry haven't been this far out of town for a championship game in a long time and they want to make it a day to remember.