Messages

I'd say you'd need to be fairly blind not to see the improvement in Tyrone from last year. Yes it's not perfect yet but we have disposed of a Cavan team who took us to extra time last year, fairly easily and took the reigning all Ireland champions to within a kick of the ball. Yes there's loads of work to do but I'd be fairly confident that we are moving in the right direction.

Pretty much my thoughts as well Benny

Ruthless on McShane. Started the last day, didn't do much wrong, not in the 26 for tomorrow

Take a day off lads

Jeez

Do you want to see progression at all? Donegal, Armagh, Derry have all done the same in the last 12 months

Why the moaning? It comes across as complete resentment and bitterness. Yet if they go on a run, you'll be crying looking tickets

Good to see a few signs of things being worked on. When they could they got early ball into Darragh and McCurry. Big Kennedy a serious operator with conn improving. Some of the support players such as Daly, donaghy and mcgeary good. Not sure what people thoughts are but been impressed with Teague. First proper run at intercounty and doing okay

Peter Teague has been excellent. I'd dread to think how we would have faired out defensively without him and Rory Brennan returning
Pity Hampsey has been missing, they've more than compensated for his absence but if we had him as well in there our defence would look formidable
Interestingly no sign of Hampsey today. Seen 7 players do a separate training session before the game, meyler was one of them but he stepped away from the intensive drills (so still looks a long way off)
Could be wrong, but didn't see Hampsey anywhere today. So can only assume he will be missing for the Ulster championship then too

Is Mcelholm not back with the under 20s?

Could see plenty of the Errigal boys on the bench starting. Unconvinced Niall devlin is a man marking corner back although missed the Galway game. Hopefully can build on the attacking display from last time out

Yeah McElhom has joined up with the u20s , won't be involved with the seniors again til they are done, real farce of a team announcement
Why bother ?

Few changes to come in that Tyrone line up?

I think so

Ronan Cassidy is an excellent prospect, but this level is too soon for him. If Bradley is fit, you'd imagine he will come in for him. Penny for Cathal McShanes thoughts...

Rory Brennan has to be pushing hard for a start too, and I think we could do with Conn for the kick outs

Yeah, Morgan struggled at times tonight, responsible for a few scores conceded, but ultimately delivered when it mattered. Our second goal had his finger prints all over it
Plenty of promise:
Kennedy won the midfield battle
Peter Teague showed why many us where frustrated he never got a chance under the previous management team
Shea Ohare and Conor McElhom showed huge promise making their NFL debuts. Two class acts from last year's u20s
Serious talent to come back in yet

All tempered by the fact that Derry were poor.

Few surprises in Malachys line up. I'll be even more surprised if there isn't a couple of changes announced at 5.45? Anyhow the bench does look strong, probably hasn't seen us with as good a bench since 2021. Every side will utilise all 5 subs with the pace of the game ratcheting up under the new rules

Big test for Nathan McCarron.

Heard McElholm and Bradley both had niggling injuries of late, so an opportunity for Ronan Cassidy

Strong Derry starting 15. As far as I can see only padraig mcgrogan and Conor McCluskey would be missing form their best 15? Lachlan Murray is dangerous, I'd be concerned with the 3v3 match ups

Hard to know how this will go, so much change and uncertainty from last year

McRory football is all about playing with your school mates, lads you toiled with for years in the classroom
Local pride, derbies, history, friendships and rivalries

Amalgamations have no place in McRory. If your school isn't big enough for McRory, play Markey football etc

Anyone take a stab at starting side for national league? Assume Errigal are out and m bradley is injured?

Morgan
Mckernan
Brennan
Clarke
Ohare
Mattie Donnelly
Seanie O'Donnell
Kennedy
Kilpatrick
Ciaran Daly
E Mcelholm
Ritchie Donnelly
McCurry
?
?

I'll guess

Morgan
McKernan
Teague
Clarke
Conal Devlin
Brennan
Niall Devlin
Kilpatrick
Kennedy
Daly
McElhom
Seanie
McCurry
Mattie
Bradley

Good summary from Niall Gartland there on the latest Gaelic life

It was mentioned on here a while ago Tiernan McCann had returned as well, but this looks to be off the mark, otherwise it would have been confirmed by now. Certainly Niall is the go to journalist for Tyrone football

Derry in a fortnights time without the Errigal contingent.

Malachy O'Rourke is a big-name appointment for Tyrone and Niall Gartland looks at the road ahead for the new man at the helm.

FEARGAL Logan and Brian Dooher's names will go down in the history of Tyrone GAA and rightly so, but it was no major surprise that their tenure came to an end at the tail-end of last August.

After a prolonged period of uncertainty in the wake of a surprise championship exit to Roscommon – leaving fans to wonder what exactly was going on – change at the top came quickly.

Dooher and Logan stepped aside after four years in charge and a fortnight later Malachy O'Rourke, whose stock has never been higher, was formally announced as their successor. And if there was ever a formality, this was it.

O'Rourke was the only man nominated for the job and while there's palpable excitement about the road ahead, there's also a recognition that it might take a year or two for Tyrone to return to the top table.

Rome wasn't built in a day and all that but at the same time it wouldn't be much of a shock if the Red Hands put in a credible challenge for All-Ireland honours as the raw ingredients are there.

O'Rourke, who's brought with him his sideline sidekicks Ryan Porter and Leo McBride, as well as enlisting Collie McCullagh, Chris Lawn and John Devine, has assembled a provisional panel of around 45 players ahead of their first competitive outing against Derry on Saturday, January 26.

In terms of strength-in-depth, it's hard not to draw parallels with the stacked squad at Logan and Dooher's disposal in their All-Ireland winning debut season of 2021.

Prodigal sons like Mark Bradley, Richie Donnelly and Rory Brennan have decided to give it another crack, there's no retirements to speak of – Mattie Donnelly, for one, lined out in last weekend's challenge game against Meath, which Tyrone won – and there's a batch of immensely promising players coming through the ranks who backboned the county's 2022 and 2024 All-Ireland U-20 wins.

Eoin McElholm made his debut against Roscommon and has been touted as a star of the future – he was even named by The Irish Times recently as one of five young sportspeople (not just GAA) to watch out for in 2025. A word of caution – he's only 19 and will need time, and even just finding a place on the team will be difficult enough with similarly talented, and more experienced forwards like Ruairi and Darragh Canavan and Mark Bradley and Darren McCurry around. Still, he looks a class act.

And as much as he might like to, O'Rourke can't play 'em all. Cast your mind to the All-Ireland final of 2021 and Mark Bradley didn't see a single minute of action. Not long after, he announced his retirement from the inter-county game – and that's how it was worded, his retirement. Rory Brennan also left after lifting the Sam Maguire, and these lads aren't coming back to renew friendships – they're coming back to win a second Celtic Cross.

Plenty has already been written about how the new rules are tailor-made to All-Star goalkeeper Niall Morgan. He's arguably the best in the business, but he needs help at the back and Tyrone have been uncharacteristically porous in recent years.

Further out the pitch, there's serious competition in that middle eight. Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy have formed a steady partnership in the middle but Richie Donnelly and Joe Oguz will push hard for a starting jersey and elsewhere there are a batch of hard runners fending for a starting berth. Conor Meyler too could come back into contention after an injury-ravaged 2024. Then there's another star of the future, Shea O'Hare, who was drafted into the senior team swiftly after last year's All-Ireland U-20 success. He'll have a say.

It really feels like anything could happen with Tyrone this year. It wouldn't be a shock if they struggle to stay afloat in Division One (given the strength of the competition) but nor would it be a surprise if they pick up a head of steam and give the All-Ireland a serious rattle.

O'Rourke is a generational manager, he knows the new rules inside out having formed part of the specially formed Football Rules Committee and he delivered a coaching day on matter last weekend at Garvaghey. He's a down to earth fella but there's a steely intelligence there and he knows Tyrone football inside-out having lived in Ballygawley for decades.

A look at his LinkedIn account gives us a glimpse into his managerial priorities: "Establishing a vision; Crafting a sustainable, resilient culture; The importance of belonging; Setting standards; Striving for excellence; Realising individual potential; Personal growth and motivation; Developing leadership; The power of positivity; Building effective teams and The importance of physical health and wellbeing." In a term, man management.

He's won his All-Ireland at club level with Glen and there's an obvious box to be ticked with Tyrone. But. as Jim Gavin always spoke about, it's a process.

The first step, in our eyes, is improving the team's consistency levels.

In recent years, you never really knew what you were going to get with Tyrone and there were plenty of chastening defeats.

If they pick up a winning habit and in general bring a lot more cut and thrust to their play than in recent years, it'll bring out the crowds and you never know where it might all lead in the end up.

Final is a 50/50 game.

Cormac Quinn missing will be a blow. There's no way he is back in time for next week
Ruairi was hobbling badly at the end as well. Could be a nervous week for EC.

20 years since Carrickmore won a Tyrone championship

It'll be a while yet before they do

A big reason why Tyrone clubs have such a poor record in Ulster club

Flat track bully

The GAA put the cart before the horse massively.
1. They arrogantly thought the residents would be swept aside and Sinn Fein would fix any problems.
2. They were out of their depth professionally and had no answer when the health and safety issues were raised.
3. They don't seem to understand political leverage.  Only this week they are talking big about "seeing the colour" of the British governments money.  In what world will an untrustworthy British government who have just wheeled out a crushing Budget, do any favours or be pressured by the GAA?

It's just been amateur hour from the start unfortunately.  It needs taken out of the hands of Ulster GAA, get on with it by cutting the cloth according to whatever money is in the kitty, and give it back to Antrim GAA.

Great post. I cringed at McGeehan interview on BBC. The project would benefit from a change of leadership at this junction