AT VARIOUS STAGES this year, both teams have looked like they wanted nothing more than a towel to be thrown in.
And yet the sight of one another in Ballybofey will at least bring out the very best and worst of themselves when they know it’s all on the line. The weather forecast for that region of Donegal at time of throw-in is a hot evening, with thunder and lightning. How appropriate.
Like a lot of teams this season, neither Donegal or Tyrone are the teams of old.
Donegal still miss the authority of Michael Murphy and the daring of Ryan McHugh, but somewhere along the way it appears that between players and the patched-up management of Aidan O’Rourke and Paddy Bradley, they have stopped feeling sorry for themselves.
Because when you strip it back, Donegal still have an impressive spine of footballers, some of whom were struggling with injury over the last few seasons, or yet to come into full bloom.
The win over Clare was the first step to regaining confidence after a shambolic league campaign and the loss of manager Paddy Carr, followed by the bottoming out against Down in the Ulster championship.
In the win over Monaghan last Saturday, they were business-like and brisk. In Oisin Gallen they have someone who can operate in tight spaces. Having Patrick McBrearty back from injury closes off the leadership deficit.
Shaun Patton’s kickout is still a weapon, Brendan McCole is a sturdy full back, and their middle third of Caolan McGonigle, Hugh McFadden, Eoghan Bán Gallagher and Daire Ó Baoil look to have been given an injection of confidence.
The more optimistic Tyrone football fans believe it is only a matter of time before things all click into place and they become the force of old that won an All-Ireland two seasons ago.
And in many ways even a sceptic might believe that too, when you look at their goalkeeper Niall Morgan and the brilliant full-back line of Michael McKernan, Ronan McNamee and Padraig Hampsey in front of him.
You have a mobile and huge midfield pairing of Brian Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick and elsewhere, Conor Meyler, Mattie Donnelly, Peter Harte offering experience, while Darragh Canavan is looking, well, scary.
And yet, there’s something massively off with it all. After all, this is a team that their last six championship games reads as follows; defeat to Derry in Omagh, defeat to Armagh in Armagh, defeat to Monaghan in Omagh, defeat to Galway in Galway, victory over 14-men Armagh, and a draw against Westmeath in Breffni Park.
Cathal McShane has not featured recently. 2021 Footballer of the Year Kieran McGeary cannot hold down a permanent place on the team. Tiernan McCann is retired and Conor McKenna has gone back to Australia.
That’s all personnel and recruitment. Strategy-wise, they have abandoned the man to man stuff that served them so well in 2021. What can appear a deliberate tactical ploy however, is often a result of confidence seeping out.
It’s already almost over-documented how many players have lost from that All-Ireland winning team, but the net effect is of dropping standards on the training field and the insane drive to represent Tyrone from within that county does not seem to be there at present.
A win in Ballybofey is not beyond them. But it’s by no means expected either.
