Dooher: Tyrone U20 recruits can bring ‘energy’ to senior set-up

THE addition of a batch of immensely talented Tyrone U20s should provide a real shot of energy to the county’s All-Ireland campaign at senior level, according to joint-manager Brian Dooher.

It emerged earlier today (Thursday) that five members of Tyrone’s All-Ireland U20 winning squad have been invited onto the senior panel, among them their inspirational captain Michael Rafferty, Loughmacrory starlet Eoin McElholm and rampaging wing-back Shea O’Hare, who has been named as the official Eir Grid U20 Footballer of the Year. Goalkeeer Conor McAneney and Donaghmore forward Ronan Cassidy have also received an invitation.

Dooher is positive that they will bring fresh impetus to the Tyrone squad ahead of Saturday’s All-Ireland Round Robin opener against Donegal in Ballybofey but adds that he is mindful that they deserve time to show what they can do at the highest levels of intercounty football.

“They definitely were impressive on the weekend past, and they’ll definitely add a bit of energy and value to the whole set-up.

“We’ll look at that, but we’ll give them a wee bit of breathing space, a bit of time, and get them in.

“A lot of them acquitted themselves very well during the U20 Championship, and they’re ready for the next step up.”

It won’t be easy to go to Ballybofey and claim victory against new Ulster Champions Donegal, a side that have undergone a rapid rejuvenation in the first season of Jim McGuinness’ second stint in charge.

Tyrone did the business on Donegal’s home patch in last year’s All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter-Final with a fair amount to spare, but Dooher acknowledges their transformation in fortunes since McGuinness asked the SOS call.

“Their record in Ballybofey speaks for itself. There are very few teams tgat win championship matches it in.

“We were lucky enough to do it last year, but I think it’s a different team that we’re playing now from the one we played last year.”

He added: “Circumstances are completely different as well.

“Last year they had players who had left, you had one thing or another, you had a different panel of players, never mind the management that changed.

“You had players who had left the panel, who are back now.

“If you look at the fifteen or twenty players that were used that day, they’re different from the fifteen or twenty that will be used this weekend.”

That said, Tyrone weren’t far away from bettering Donegal in their recent Ulster Championship semi-final meeting, losing a pulsating encounter by 0-18 to 0-16 after extra-time.

Dooher commented: “We missed our opportunity to be in an Ulster final – Donegal didn’t, and went on and won it.

“The hand we were dealt is what we have to deal with.

“You wouldn’t know. Some people say it’s a great thing to get a rest, some people say you want another game.

“But I’m not complaining about it, it’s just the way it happened.

“We had four weeks, we got a good bit of training done, so we look at it from that point of view too, we got some more stuff done together.

“We’ll look at that, but we’ll give them a wee bit of breathing space, a bit of time, and get them in

“A lot of them acquitted themselves very well during the U20 Championship, and they’re ready for the next step up.”