By Barry O’Donnell

SUFFERING back to back losses in major national finals at Croke Park could knock the stuffing out of any team, but Tyrone manager Darren McCann maintains that there was no problem with morale in the camp when he took over the reins.

The Red Hands came up short against both Kildare (National League) and Leitrim (Intermediate Championship) in finals at Croker
in 2024, seeing their dreams of
silverware dashed in agonising fashion.

Errigal Ciaran clubman McCann stepped up from the county minor set-up to the senior fold in the winter and was immediately struck by the upbeat atmosphere among the players despite that double hammer blow of defeats.

“There was no need to look to lift the mood or anything like that,” he said.

“The work that has gone on the last three or four years prior to us has been fantastic. The girls are in a great position and we’ve just added our own wee stamp to it.

“We went into Division One this year in the National League and that was always going to be a tough challenge. We tried to blood as many girls as possible, throughout the league. We’ve used up to 30-odd players through injuries and what not.

“But, that early part of the season, you know, it was just about learning and putting things in place for the championship.”

McCann, a teacher at St Ciaran’s, Ballygawley, hopes that memories of those 2024 setbacks, however painful, can be harnessed in a positive fashion to hopefully provide a more successful narrative down at Croke Park this Sunday against Laois.

“Obviously the final last year was a disappointment for the girls. I hope they’ll use that in a positive way in the build up to next week’s final.

“Last year they put in serious graft throughout the whole season. They got to the National League final, and then obviously got to the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final as well. So there’s plenty of hunger there for the girls, striving to get back there.

“They’ve really gone to the well in the last two games (the quarter final semi-final both going to extra-time), showing their determination to try and get back there.

“So now it’s about us fuelling that and harnessing that motivation next week and hopefully getting the right result.”

Looking back on the year as a whole, McCann felt that his squad have constantly faced a test of their mettle and character, and even when results went against them, they have never been found wanting.

“The big thing that I would say with this group, they’re very resilient. Obviously you talk about the two finals in ’24, but last year is last year, it’s a new year, and in every game in the league, the girls never back downed from the challenge.

“You’re coming up against the Meaths, Kerrys, Dublins, Armaghs, the top, top teams. In a lot of the league games, we were well in them into the last 15 minutes, maybe a sin-bin here or there.

“Take Dublin, if the game had gone on another five minutes, I think we would have won the game, there was a point in it at the end. Kerry up in the Tyrone complex it was the same again. We were involved in a lot of great games.”