Rafferty has embraced the pressure

Division Two

Tyrone v Mayo

Sunday, Castlebar, 2pm

By Chris Caldwell

LIAM Rafferty admits the pressure is on Tyrone to secure a positive result at Mayo on Sunday if the Red Hands have any hope of top flight survival.

A four point reverse in Ballybofey to Donegal last weekend has left Mickey Harte’s men in the mire at the wrong end of the division one table and Rafferty acknowledges his side have no room for maneuver this Sunday.

The Galbally clubman realises that while the Red Hands only have to avoid defeat this weekend, the fact that Mayo, who were rampant in a 3-23 to 0-17 away mauling of Galway on Sunday – have to win against Tyrone to stay up, makes their task all the more difficult.

However, he is adamant that Mickey Harte’s men are relishing the task ahead.

“We’re really looking forward to it, it’s a massive game and we really need to win,” the 22-year-old teacher said.

“Every game from now on is a knock-out game, and Mayo are one of the best teams in Ireland.

“We saw what they did last week, they were very impressive, and it’s going to be a tough one.

“We felt the pressure back in March, with the wins over Kerry and Dublin. We were hammered by Galway, and then we came back the next week and beat Dublin, so it’s a bit turnaround.

“The pressure is really on for us, and hopefully we can put in a performance that will get the win for us.

“It would be a shame to beat Dublin and Kerry and still get relegated.”

Rafferty is pleased that there have been no positive Covid-19 tests in the Tyrone camp thus far, but he admits preparing for big games under restrictions is ‘strange’.

“The atmosphere can be strange sometimes. For a week there at training we might have had six of seven men isolating,” he said.

“Luckily enough we had no positive cases, but we had men identified as close contacts, and then we had men injured as well.

“So we were low in numbers for a few weeks, but I think most counties were like that.

“But we have been lucky we have had no positive cases, and we are doing everything that we can to follow the guidelines, which is good.”

Last weekend, Donegal seemed a little sharper than their Tyrone counterparts, which may have been due to them taking part in challenge games prior to the clash.

But Rafferty believes last Sunday’s run-out will help put a spring back in the players’ steps ahead of the Mayo clash and that extra edge a competitive encounter brings will sharpen themahead of another clash with Donegal when the neighbouring counties clash in the Ulster Championship.

“We still do have our in-house games, which are highly competitive and very intense,” he added.

“But we haven’t played together since back in March, and I think you could see that in the performance. There was something lacking, maybe there was something that Donegal had that we didn’t show

“But hopefully it will come, and it was good to get the game under the belt, especially up in Ballybofey, where we will be playing them in the Championship.

“Mayo are one of the best teams in Ireland, so it’s great preparation going into the Donegal game.

:We’re just trying to improve on last week’s performance, and if we can do that, then hopefully we can put in a better show against Donegal in the Championship.”

While the result against Donegal in the league last time out was ultimately disappointing, the inclusion and performance of the returning Conor McKenna was most definitely a positive for Rafferty.

And the Galbally man is only too eager to learn from his county colleague who has brought so much professionalism back with him after several years in the AFL.

“He’s fitting in very nicely, and he was brilliant against Donegal,” Rafferty observed.

“He’s fitting in as if he never left, he’s a great player and it’s great to have him.

“It’s great to have a man like that in. if you ever want to ask him a question about what they do out in Australia, you have that luxury.

“He can bring things back from the professional game that we mightn’t have known.”