Derry star Brendan Rogers says he’s been impressed by the drive Mickey Harte has brought to the team during his first year in charge.

Easter Sunday saw Harte winning his first national title since being appointed Oak Leaf boss last September, as his side came through an epic final to defeat Dublin on penalties (3-1) and lift the Allianz FL Division 1 title.

Speaking to RTE Sport, Rogers hailed the impact that the Tyrone man has had on the team since taking the reins.

"It’s that winning mentality that he has. He has been about sports teams for at least 30-odd years now and has been competing at the top level all the time,” he stated.

"To constantly have that drive, hunger and passion, you can hear it in his voice that he just wants to win. It certainly rubs off on the team.

"Maybe that’s why we set our stall out to win the McKenna Cup and the league at the start of the year. We want to win everything and that’s the competitive nature in him. You feed off that and the energy around the camp is brilliant.

"It was controversial to some eyes that he [a Tyrone man] came to Derry but ultimately he wants to win. He feels that there’s something in this group that he wants to be a part of and that he feels he can have an impact on.

"It has been a good few months so far. He has got the most out of some of the younger lads who were maybe on the fringes before. Sometimes it just takes a bit of a difference voice to bring that out."

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