Devine: Tyrone will be ready for quarter-final

Former Tyrone goalkepeer John Devine is confident that Tyrone will be fine-tuned for next weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-final clash

JOHN Devine believes that there is little chance Tyrone will be caught on the hop in next Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Croke Park.

The Ulster Champions will face off against either Mayo, Westmeath or Cork depending on the outcome of this weekend’s qualifier fixtures, and Devine believes it’sunlikely that Tyrone will come in undercooked after a three-week break.

The former Tyrone goalkeeper competed for a starting place throughout his career with Pascal McConnell and was given the nod for the Red Hands’ last-eight clash against Meath in 2007, which ended in an unexpected defeat for a curiously flat Tyrone side. He believes that particular match serves as a poor barometer in assessing Tyrone’s chances next weekend.

He said: “Everyone talks about the break between the Ulster final and the quarter final. In that game against Meath we had the upper hand for parts of it and if we won that game there’d have been no mention of the break, it’s only when you’re beaten that everyone mentions it.

“The teams in the past have gone on and won quarter-finals so I’d never be sold on the conclusion that just because you’ve won Ulster that it’s a disadvantage that you’re waiting.”

The contrast between the wild celebrations that followed Tyrone’s Ulster final win against Donegal and the more subdued scenes in the wake of their last provincial success – all the way back in 2010 – couldn’t have been more marked.

Devine commented: “I think winning the Ulster title had to be celebrated and I’m delighted for those boys, they deserve it totally and you only realise how important it is when it’s not there any more. Tyrone haven’t won Ulster in a number of years and finally when you come back you can start to cherish it, they’ve won it themselves and in their own way. They’re making their own mark and they deserve to celebrate that victory.

The full interview with John Devine appears in today’s edition of Gaelic Life which is available in shops now or online here.