By Alan Rodgers

A FINAL-ROUND clash for Tyrone against Cork at Healy Park on Sunday gives the Red Hands the perfect opportunity to boost their championship aspirations by defeating opponents who come north needing a win to secure National League promotion.

Malachy O’Rourke and the players have endured a tough Division Two campaign. But the prospect of gaining two points from this seventh round clash is the major incentive just three weeks out from the start of the Ulster championship.

It’s a game that carries added significance considering Cork’s ambitions of reaching Division One, while results elsewhere last weekend mean that Tyrone are virtually certain to retain their Division Two status for 2027.

There’s only a very, very unlikely mathematical chance of them being caught out and dropping to Division Three. Victory over Cork would go some way towards easing the pain of a campaign this year which has caused serious concerns.

It is the first meeting between the counties since the 2024 All-Ireland Qualifiers when Tyrone emerged with the win. Cork, though, are improving and there’s no doubting that their determination to win promotion offers the Red Hands with the chance to spoil the party and provide a vital boost of morale ahead of the championship.

That’s certainly the aim of ace-scoretaker, Ethan Jordan. He is well aware of the importance of winning this final league tie, and the improvements required ahead of that big derby clash against Armagh on April 12.

“Obviously, we need to go out and get a win next week and it doesn’t matter what situation a team is in.

“We expected to win at home and that’s what we’re faced with. It doesn’t matter if we needed a result or not because the win is still going to be the target,” he said. “Going into the summer we want to be building wins because we haven’t had enough of them so far. But Cork is going to be a big one for us.”

Jordan had an excellent game against the Royals at Croke Park last weekend, scoring 1-9 for the second time in Tyrone’s Division One campaign – he racked up the same amount against Kildare all the way back in round one. He already has one eye on their upcoming clash against Armagh in the preliminary round of the championship.

“It’s going to be a championship game of sorts for us and then we’ve to go to the Athletic Grounds knowing what we’re going to face there. This week is going to be a massive for us. We could have ended up having to win that game.”