All systems go in Tyrone

Ardboe

Management team:
Gavin Wylie, Noel O’Neill, Fabian Muldoon and Ciaran Hurl.

Championship programme:
Tyrone SFC first round
Ardboe v Donaghmore

Team news:

ARDBOE haven’t had a good league campaign thus far, so they haven’t really been named among the runners and riders for this year’s championship. That said, they’ll still be favourites to edge Donaghmore in the first round. In terms of injuries, Eunan Devlin and Martin McKeown are likely to miss the first-round clash at the very least, but most of their key players are available. DD Mulgrew, who’s spent more than enough time on the fitness table for one career, is in good form up front, while his brother Oran has been a great addition to this year’s squad. Shay McGuigan captains the team. They had a good championship run two years ago, and it’s possible they’ll embark on a similar run this year if they play to their potential – but that’s a fairly big if.

Carrickmore

Management team:
Ryan Daly, Noel Hurson. Neil McFlynn, Tom Gribben, Alisha Gormley, Paul Sweeney and Seah McGlinchey

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Carrickmore v Killyclogher

Team news:

CARRICKMORE still have a comfortable lead at the top of the roll of honour list in Tyrone, but some of their supporters may be starting to wonder when they’ll add to their tally of 15 senior championship titles. This year’s championship campaign may give some indication as to what exactly their younger players are made of. Carmen have done exceptionally well at underage level in the last few years, but they’ve had testing enough few weeks in the league. In saying that, a convincing victory over Moy at the weekend came at just the right time and will have done their confidence the world of good as they prepare to take on an in-form Killyclogher side. It was notable that 40-year-old Conor Gormley still did a job against the Moy, but they’ll need everyone to step up to the plate if they’re to fare at least as well as last year, where they reached the semi-finals.

Clonoe

Management team:
Stevie McDonnell, Barry Taggart and Mattie Daly.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Clonoe v Coalisland

Team news:

YOU can infer from Clonoe’s high-profile appointment of Stevie McDonnell that they mean business this year. The Armagh legend has been tasked with bringing the good times back to the O’Rahilly’s, but they’ll have to do it the hard way as they take on their old pals Coalisland in the first round. Team captain Connor McAliskey’s decision to take time out from the inter-county scene seems to have given him a fresh lease of life as he’s scored heavily in the league, but worryingly Dan McNulty – who can ping the ball over from all angles when he’s in the mood – and PJ Lavery are injury doubts at the moment. They’ve still been going well, and are racking up big scores, so they’ll be hopeful of having their first decent championship run in a few years.

Coalisland

Management team:
Damien O’Hagan, Peter Herron and Jarlath O’Hagan.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Coalisland v Clonoe

Team news:

CLONOE, Clonoe, Clonoe. Since the championship draw was made back in February, Coalisland will have been licking their lips the prospect of playing the O’Rahilly’s in the first-round of the championship (and vice-versa, of course). Last year’s semi-final defeat to Trillick was devastating, so they could be men on a mission in a more general sense as they seek their second title in three years. They have quality players all over the park, albeit Padraig Hampsey has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. If he gets himself right, and Tiarnan Quinn continues the form that saw him score five points from play in a recent league match against Omagh, they won’t be far away. Na Fianna also seem to be extremely fit this year, but their match against Clonoe may take on a life on its own (and it’s just a shame, albeit understandably so, that there won’t be thousands there to witness it).

Derrylaughan

Management team:
Kevin Coary.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Derrylaughan v Moy

Team news:

DERRYLAUGHAN haven’t won a senior championship clash in nearly a decade, but they have every chance of doing so when they take on the Moy in the first round. The lockdown seemed to work for the club’s benefit as a number of injured players have had the chance to heal up. The majority of the team is in the late-twenties, early thirties-age bracket, but they have a few talented young players. Brian Kennedy broke into the Tyrone senior panel last year, while Tomas Carney was recently involved with the Tyrone u-20 team. James Donnelly and Conor Hughes are not long out of minor football and are doing well, while at the other end of the age spectrum, Martin McStravog, a member of Tyrone’s 2001 All-Ireland minor winning side, is still as influential as ever. Their captain Ciaran O’Hagan is another stalwart. They last achieved promotion two years ago and will really want something to show for themselves in this year’s championship.

Donaghmore

Management team:
John Rafferty, Eamon Grimes and Simon McCaffrey.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Donaghmore v Ardboe

Team news:

IF league form is any barometer, it could be a short-lived championship for Donaghmore. They’re still searching for their first win of the new season, but another way of looking at it is that they’ve been steeled by a tough series of matches against Clonoe, Omagh and Trillick. Their starting team is much the start as last year, but they have a couple of talented young players in their ranks, like James McCann and Lorcan Quinn, the Tyrone u-20 goalkeeper. Another positive is that captain Niall McKenna is fit at the moment. The east Tyrone club almost pulled off an upset against Killyclogher in last year’s first round, and they take on a team of similar quality, Ardboe, on Saturday evening.

Dromore

Management:
Colm McCullagh, Paddy Montague, Hugh McNulty, Kevin O’Brien.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Dromore v Omagh

Team news:

DROMORE’S starting line-up is much the same as last year, but they’ll hope that the extra year’s experience will count for something as they bid to make their mark in the championship. They’ve had some chastening experiences in the last few seasons, none more so than last year’s capitulation against Trillick in the first round, but they have the players to do much better having won the Ulster U-21 title last year. They still have a few stalwarts at their disposal – like Niall Sludden and captain Eoin McCusker – but the team suffered a major blow a few months ago when Emmett McNabb suffered a long-term injury while on trial for Scottish soccer club Ross County. However, it’s understood he’s on the way back to fitness. Cathal McCarron has returned to the club but injured his shoulder in their first league match. The championship may be beyond them but they’ll be disappointed if they don’t get past Omagh in Sunday’s first-round tie.

Dungannon Clarke’s

Management team:
Chris Rafferty, Terry Loughran and Collie Holmes.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Dungannon v Loughmacrory

Team news:

DUNGANNON have proven their worth in the league, but the question is: can they do it in the white heat of championship? Everything seems to be in place for them to do so, and they’re favourites to account for Loughmacrory in their first-round clash. They’ve done themselves proud in the league, and for anyone out there who hasn’t seen them in the flesh, they’re a strong, powerful side particularly at midfield and in the half-forward line. One of those physical players is midfielder Brian McNulty, who’s recovered after a few start-stop years with injury, and centre-half back Sean Molloy is also showing what he can do after also spending an inordinate amount time on the fitness table. Forward Paul Donaghy, who played well with Tyrone at underage level, is another talented six-footer, as is Kevin Parker, a member of the Tyrone u-20 team at the minute. Basically, they’re big, they’re strong, and they have all the potential in the world. They also have a point to prove after falling meekly to Omagh in last year’s championship.

Errigal Ciaran

Management:
Johnny McBride.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Errigal Ciaran v Pomeroy

Team news:

DESPITE having some major injury concerns, Errigal Ciaran have built up a serious head of steam heading into this year’s championship with three convincing wins in their last three matches. Darragh Canavan’s absence with a fractured wrist is a notable one, and could yet come back to haunt them, while Pauric McAnenly (cruciate) and Peter Og McCartan (shoulder) are also out. Nevertheless, they have plenty of talent coming through the ranks with experience of winning titles at underage level. Young players to keep an eye on are Odhran Robinson, Joe Oguz and Cormac Quinn, while Peter Harte has run riot in the league in the full-forward line. There are still some major question marks hanging over the team after their flat performances in the 2017 and 2019 championship finals, but new manager Johnny McBride will be happy with how things are going at the moment. If they can gel in attack, they won’t be far away from the big prize.

Galbally

Management team:
John Moylan, Paul O’Hagan, Kevin Kelly, Peter Murphy and Larry Murphy.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Galbally v Trillick

Team news:

IT’S always had to know how a team will fare in their first year in the top flight – some sink, some swim – but so far Galbally have proven they’re well worth their place among the big boys in Tyrone. Particularly noteworthy was a 2-14 to 1-16 victory over Clonoe, while they lost by a point to Coalisland at the weekend. While nobody really expects them to upset the odds in their first-round clash against reigning senior champions Trillick, they have nothing to lose and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s a close enough contest. The Pearses have a very solid team with no obvious weak points, they play exciting football, and don’t have much to worry about on the injury front barring a few minor concerns. On that note, Paul Rafferty is returning to fitness while Declan Murphy is still a doubt.

Killyclogher

Management:
Mark Henry.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Killyclogher v Carrickmore

Team news:

KILLYCLOGHER will be quietly confident of going far in this year’s championship after faring so well in the league (barring a blip against Errigal Ciaran when they named a highly experimental line-up). Mark Bradley is their captain this year for the first time, and has been going well, but some of their elder statesmen – the likes of Danny Gorman, Martin Swift and Emmett McFadden – seem to be determined to make the most of the truncated season. Their inter-county players are in a rich vein of form at the moment, possibly because of the club-comes-first nature of this year’s calendar, while Tiarnan and Conall McCann’s younger brother Oisin has been playing well in his first year at senior level. Other young players more than deserving of a mention are Odhran Grimes, John Rafferty and Mark Hayes, and given how well Killyclogher have done at underage level in the last couple of years, it mightn’t be too long before the good times are back at the club.

Loughmacrory

Management team:
Martin McConnell, Ryan Keenan, Ciaran Meenagh, Pat Donaghy and Conall Curran.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Loughmacrory v Dungannon

Team news:

LOUGHMACRORY played in the junior ranks as recently as 2013, and they’ll have the attitude that they have nothing to lose against Dungannon on Saturday. They have some of the finest young players in Tyrone, like u-20 skipper Antoin Fox and senior panellist Conall Grimes, but it has to be said that they have found Division One football fairly tough going since the action started nearly a month ago. They actually lost to Dungannon already in the league, and lost a promotion play-off against the Clarke’s in 2018, so they are underdogs, but they’ve been training hard and picked up their first league win at the weekend with a comeback victory over Pomeroy. Pearse Grimes sustained a long-term injury in their league clash against Dungannon, but other than that they have a clean bill of health. Captain is Shane Dobbs and other players deserving a mention are Cathal and Aodhan Donaghy, Cathaoir Gallagher and Eoin Mullan.

Moy

Management team:
Sean Cavanagh (player-manager), Karl McQuade and Darnell Parkinson.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Moy v Derrylaughan

Team news:

The Moy’s championship preparations were dealt a massive blow recently when their scoring wizard Michael Conroy suffered a shoulder injury. He had been the joint-top scorer in Tyrone after two rounds of league action, and is almost certain to miss their first-round clash against Derrylaughan. Otherwise things are looking fairly positive as for the first time in a while, the Moy are bringing through a batch of talented young players who made their mark at minor level, namely Plunkett Donaghy’s sons Adam and Sean, Ryan Conroy, Gavin Kelly, Jamie Coleman and Shane Mackle. Their rise through the ranks has helped a lot given that a number of men who played in their All-Ireland Intermediate title victory two years ago have now retired, while Harry Loughran is still working his way back from injury. Captaining the side are Mark Gribben and Declan Conroy.

Omagh

Management team:
Carl McCabe, Fergal McCann and John McElholm.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Omagh v Dromore

Team news:

THE obvious term one would associate with Omagh, St Enda’s at the minute is ‘transition.’ Their starting team has changed dramatically since they finished top of the tree in 2017, but they still have enough class within their ranks to give the championship a good lash. Connor O’Donnell is in particularly good form at the moment, and it remains to be seen whether team skipper Ronan O’Neill will play any part in their first-round clash against Dromore after aggravating a hamstring a few weeks ago. Youngsters who played under Larry Strain at underage level like Emmet McArdle and Daniel McCrossan look like potential stars of the future, while Joe and Justin McMahon are still about but haven’t picked up any game time this year. It could be a short championship, but on their day, you just never know.

Pomeroy

Management team:
Brian McGuckin, Enda Kilpatrick and Martin Begley.

Championship programme:

Tyrone first round
Pomeroy v Errigal Ciaran

Team news:

FIRST, the pertinent injury news. Pomeroy captain Frank Burns suffered a hamstring injury a fortnight ago, and as it stands is 50-50 to start Sunday’s championship opener against Errigal Ciaran. The Plunkett’s, who were promoted from Division Two last year, have lost their two most recent league matches, so they’ll need to raise their game if they’re to leave a dent in this year’s championship. It wasn’t that long ago that they played Errigal in a senior championship semi-final, back in 2017, but the Plunkett’s have struggled to hit the same heights in the intervening period. On a positive note, they have a settled team and management, so they should give Errigal their fill of it, and anything less would be a disappointment for the club.

Trillick

Management:
Nigel Seaney, Malachy McElholm, Conor Daly, Liam Donnelly and Brian O’Kane.

Championship programme:

Tyrone SFC first round
Trillick v Galbally

Team News:

REGAINING the Tyrone Championship would probably tear a hole in the space-time continuum, but Trillick will quietly fancy the chances of doing the unthinkable after winning two of the last five championships. In saying that, Galbally have shown they aren’t out of their depth in Division One, so they’ll need to treat Monday evening’s match with the appropriate seriousness. Their starting line-up is much the same as last year, although Tyrone u-20 Simon Garrity has put a hand up for selection with a string of fine league performances. Much will rest on the fitness of their big names, none more so than Mattie Donnelly who has recovered from a serious leg injury incurred in the Ulster Club Championship last year, even if he’s still a bit off full match fitness. Their captain this year is Daire Gallagher. They have the raw ingredients to go all the way – the right age profile, talent, confidence and whatever else – but we all know how hard it is to retain the O’Neill Cup.

By Niall Gartland