By Alan Rodgers
A NEW roving role in the Tyrone attack has coincided with a series of refreshed performances which have firmly re-established Niall Sludden as a key member of the Red Hand team.
During an honour-laden career for the county, the Dromore, St Dymna’s player has often been consistency personified. Now, he’s preparing for a third Ulster final and the prospect of once again embarking on the All-Ireland trail.
Of course, it’s all down to the kind of patient perseverance which so often pays dividends no matter what the sport. But there’s also no doubting that the fact that the Dromore player is really enjoying a new lease of life and the chance to make his mark in tomorrow’s provincial showpiece with Monaghan.
He knows only too well the pitfalls associated with the inter-county game. Just as personal form can rise and dip, so too can the fortunes of a team. After all, Tyrone were emerging from an Anglo Celt double when he arrived in the panel a decade ago, but the show reel of final highlights didn’t exactly unfold in the manner that many would have hoped and anticipated.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been at this stage. When I first came into the set-up, we were on a two-in-a-row. Sometimes you get the belief that you’re going to be there every year. But it takes a lot of hard work,” he remarks.
“I’m enjoying my football at the minute and want that to continue. I’m just happy to be back in the team and contributing. It took a lot of patience, for there’s a lot of competition around the squad and a new management in there too.
“But I know what I’m capable of, I’ve a lot of self-belief as of course do the other players. Getting in at half-back, the half-forward line, coming from deep and getting around the park and playing my part.
“If I’m given that kind of role where I can roam, get on the ball and make turnovers. I’m happy to to mix it anywhere and try and do my best wherever I’m out.
“Maybe sometimes you’re trying too hard and maybe that was my issue over the past couple of years. But I know I’d the work done, so it just takes time for things to fit into place and I feel my game is coming into the right place at the right time at the minute.”
Impressive performances in the first round against Cavan and then in the semi-final against Donegal have certainly highlighted Niall Sludden’s contribution. Those darting runs, the ability to take a pass and score and track back are all impressive attributes. Most important of all, perhaps, is the fact that, as he says, he’s enjoying the football just now and it shows.
More of the same would do nicely indeed as Tyrone return to Croke Park for this weekend’s Ulster showdown against Monaghan. For the first time since the All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry in 2019, Tyrone’s fans and their supporters will make the trip in their thousands and the players, too, are looking forward to the opportunity after a year of keeping it local.
“With everything that’s been happening recently, days like this seem far away, especially when you’re training early on and doing the runs during lockdown,” adds Sludden, who was a member of the Tyrone team which won the All-Ireland Minor title in 2010.
“It’s every kid’s dream and every footballer’s dream to be out in Croke Park representing your county and we want to do that justice. I know when you get to my age, you just never known when you’re going to get there again.
“Monaghan are a great side and we know each other very well. We saw last week how they were hitting a lot of goals and they have a lot of pace, a good attack and defence and obviously Rory Beggan in nets is a bit of a weapon for them.
“We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us. It’s going to be a good game.
“Every team has particular strengths and weaknesses. If you give Monaghan any chances at all, they’re really going to punish you. It’s very much up to us to bring our game and focus on ourselves because that has been helping us in the last couple of games.
“Our squad, our squad depths, the competitiveness and the boys now starting to come back from injury. That’s the most important thing to focus on.
“We need to be on our game, especially in Croke Park. It’s about making sure we track runners, but we’ll be prepared for all that.
“There’s a great buzz in around training and it’s very exciting because this is where you want to be. It’s what you do the training for.”
That Ulster title beckons and with it the promise of an All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry. No wonder, there’s that exciting feeling that normality is finally returning and with it a Tyrone championship run to enliven the summer.
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