Listen to the full interview via the podcast
Are Derry genuine Ulster Championship contenders?
Ahead of their battle against Donegal this weekend, some of the signs are good. Fresh from winning the Allianz League Division 2 title in 2013, they took another step up this year by reaching the Division 1 decider against Dublin.
But is league form a real arbiter of Derry's championship chances in 2014?
To get closer to the answer, we spoke to former Derry full-forward Paddy Bradley who gave us an insight into why Brian McIver's side are so strong in the first half of the year.
"Brian McIver came in last year and set his stall early in terms of players working hard. They came up last year from Division 2 and they've continued on that progressive path. The thing with this year was to get out early and hit the ground running. From September, October time they were out training hard, probably harder than a lot of other sides," said Bradley, who highlighted how Derry try and rack up points early.
But Bradley also spoke about the lack of depth within Derry's ranks compared to the big guns and also touched on the danger that other counties will close the match fitness gap as the season wears on.
"I do think it's very important that they get an Ulster title in the very near future because it's been a long time. Let's not forget that when you look at the Derry side, they're a very experienced bunch of players. This year is probably as good an opportunity for Derry," he added.
Bradley believes Donegal could be vulnerable which will be a "massive opportunity" for Derry and he expects his native county to prevail at Celtic Park.
Derry v Donegal is live on Off The Ball this Sunday.
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