DESPITE SEVERAL PLAYERS leaving the Tyrone panel at the start of the year, for Michael McKernan, the squad remains competitive thanks to the inclusion of several U20 All-Ireland winning stars.
U20 Player of the Year Ruairi Canavan, captain Niall Devlin, Michael McGleenan and Steve Donaghy are all reported to have joined the senior set-up in recent weeks. Ahead of their blockbuster clash with Armagh this Sunday, McKernan maintains the wholesale departures were replaced by a talented crop.
“Those boys all had personal reasons, a lot of them were getting married or moving into homes. They have been great servants to Tyrone over the last number of years.
“No, I think there is still a strong panel and there have been new boys brought in at the start of this year. We have brought in some U20s now that have strengthened it even more. They’re pushing on.
“We had the U17s at the weekend, and the U20s who won Ulster and All-Ireland this year, so look, those boys were leaving, they had their time and it was just their time to move on. There are new boys coming through and they’re pushing it on now.”
Having overcome Fermanagh in their Ulster championship opener, the defending All-Ireland champions fell flat against Derry last time out.
“Derry just taught us a lesson that day. But look, we’ve had five or six weeks of hard training. We’ve reviewed our season to date and we’ve looked at the discipline aspect, just probably the basic skills and concentration within games.
“There’s been a lot to work on over the last few weeks and hopefully, we’ll get back up to the level we were at last year.”
Hoping to get back on track this Sunday. A trip to their near rivals lies in store. The last time the sides met tempers flared and it ended with five red cards and an Armagh victory. The All-Ulster clash is do-or-die, a stand-out fixture for all concerned.
“Even for the neutral, it’s good. In Armagh, it is not a nice place for any team to go to. Their fans get behind them and the last game will be in the back of our minds probably.
“We’ve played them twice this year and they’ve beat us twice. We know the challenge that we’re faced by. But look, it’s something to look forward to, for us, for Tyrone fans and even for Armagh fans. Just in general, GAA people can look forward to it too.”
