Tyrone County Football and Hurling

[Hand of God]

I think the weekend rammed home the point of the lack of physicality in our side.

Of the players in our squad how many would you fancy breaking a tackle on the run? Donnelly? McKernan? Kennedy? Kilpatrick? Devlin maybe?

That's about it for me. We have loads of pace there but lack the power. McElholm and Canavan are great players but they lack the size and power when things get congested.

I thought the deployment of Kennedy inside was such a waste. He's our best midfielder and he's never a forward. McGarrity surely gets a run now if we want to go with a big man inside.

Derry bullied us physically at the weekend. They have inside forwards who can throw their marker off and win that ball in Murray and McGuigan.

Not many major positives, thought Cormac Quinn did well and Donnelly is still the best half forward we have.

Promotion now looking very unlikely.

[RedHand88]

Putting a big midfielder inside whilst we were getting cleaned out repeatedly at midfield was insane stuff. It smacked of desperation.
If we can't beat Derry we may forget about Division 1 or the all Ireland series for a few years.

[Truthsayer]

Putting a big midfielder inside whilst we were getting cleaned out repeatedly at midfield was insane stuff. It smacked of desperation.
If we can't beat Derry we may forget about Division 1 or the all Ireland series for a few years.

Why should we forget about the All Ireland series? I've never heard such hysteria about an aul league game in January. Is likely Kerry will win the next two or three All Irelands as the new rules suit team with the best players and they have them. We don't at the moment but on any given Sunday in summer will give most top teams their fill of it, as Donegal and Dublin found out last year.

[tiempo]

Malachy was brought in to rise the remaining members of the 2021 squad and improve with a rich vein of available talent, is increasingly looking like a transitional manager, more questions than answers at 6 8 9 11 14, he's been unlucky that Meyler finished up but playing Kennedy and Kilpatrick anywhere other than MF is total headscratcher, invariably they'll retire too eventually and we might end up bemoaning the lack of quality MF options

Was thinking of an amateur-pro boxing analogy, some of the underage stars might never adapt to senior county, but some who weren't earmarked to graduate to senior might emerge, Conor O'Neill looks a class act at a glance, would have high hopes there

[Hand of God]

I really struggle to see how Ciaran Daly has managed to hold down a starting spot for us in the last 3/4 years. If he is the best we can find for our half forward line in the county then we are going to seriously struggle to push on in the next few years. Games just pass him by.

[tyrone08]

Putting a big midfielder inside whilst we were getting cleaned out repeatedly at midfield was insane stuff. It smacked of desperation.
If we can't beat Derry we may forget about Division 1 or the all Ireland series for a few years.

Why should we forget about the All Ireland series? I've never heard such hysteria about an aul league game in January. Is likely Kerry will win the next two or three All Irelands as the new rules suit team with the best players and they have them. We don't at the moment but on any given Sunday in summer will give most top teams their fill of it, as Donegal and Dublin found out last year.

Kennedy inside was stupid especially when they didnt even play too many high balls into him. We gave derry the run of midfield as a result. Its clear we dont have a set system. No issue with Kennedy going inside for a few high balls during the game but he needs to be in midfield for kick outs.

Tyrone wont be anywhere near it this summer. All the top teams have already shown the work they put in over the winter. We look exactly the same. There has been zero progress over the last few years.

The getting to an AI semi last year seemed to have covered over most of this but in reality we had zero chance of winning that game.

[barelegs]

Putting a big midfielder inside whilst we were getting cleaned out repeatedly at midfield was insane stuff. It smacked of desperation.
If we can't beat Derry we may forget about Division 1 or the all Ireland series for a few years.

Why should we forget about the All Ireland series? I've never heard such hysteria about an aul league game in January. Is likely Kerry will win the next two or three All Irelands as the new rules suit team with the best players and they have them. We don't at the moment but on any given Sunday in summer will give most top teams their fill of it, as Donegal and Dublin found out last year.

Kennedy inside was stupid especially when they didnt even play too many high balls into him. We gave derry the run of midfield as a result. Its clear we dont have a set system. No issue with Kennedy going inside for a few high balls during the game but he needs to be in midfield for kick outs.

Tyrone wont be anywhere near it this summer. All the top teams have already shown the work they put in over the winter. We look exactly the same. There has been zero progress over the last few years.

The getting to an AI semi last year seemed to have covered over most of this but in reality we had zero chance of winning that game.

Kennedy was inside because he's still working his way back from injury (fairly sure he had groin surgery in autumn - definitely played no football from last July until he came on v Monaghan). Likewise McElholm and Canavan are still working their way back, as is Peter Teague.

Tyrone have started the league slackly over the last decade or so. Whether that's how they are being prepared or what the issue is it's hard to know. We invariably play better when the weather dries and the ground hardens.

I'd have plenty of concerns in terms of a kick out strategy or lack thereof and what we're doing in attack.

What we haven't got right for the last 3-4 years is our intensity. We're too willing to let other teams dictate the pace of the game no matter how superior to them we might be on paper. It's not something a Kerry or Donegal ever let the opposition do.

[the goal was on]

Kennedy only back from long term injury so i guess it was way to build up his fitness. Playing with half the team they had last year by look of it and few very inexperienced lads there too. Derry virtually full out so was always gonna be tough game to win. The kildare game damage was done . need to start seeing improvements in coming weeks. If not then it could be a tough year!

[square_ball]

I'd expect better performances against the likes of Cavan, Louth & Offaly simply because we are better than them. I don't think we will learn much over these next few matches to be honest. You'd just be hoping a few wins will give the team a bit of confidence and momentum to take into the rest of the season. Meath in Croke Park on 14th March will be a good gauge of how we are going.

The most disappointing thing about the past 2 games is we were in a position to win both games going into the last 15/20 minutes and didn't kick on.

[NotedObserver]

On the ttm podcast it was mentioned we are missing a strong number 6. A couple of them mentioned Hampsey. Obviously a fit Hampsey be perfect but he hasn't played much football in recent years. Can he still play there or we better going for Teague?

Looking at McKinless at weekend he's a perfect 6. He niggles the player everytime and in their faces and dives to win frees but can break the tackle as well.

[Hand of God]

On the ttm podcast it was mentioned we are missing a strong number 6. A couple of them mentioned Hampsey. Obviously a fit Hampsey be perfect but he hasn't played much football in recent years. Can he still play there or we better going for Teague?

Looking at McKinless at weekend he's a perfect 6. He niggles the player everytime and in their faces and dives to win frees but can break the tackle as well.

I'd like Teague there. Think he has more football to him than Hampsey and he's a good solid defender. Hampsey more at home in the full back line I feel.

[GaelTheGael]

1. Niall Morgan
2. Cormac Quinn
3. Aidan Clarke
4. Niall Devlin
5. Michael McKernan
6. Peter Teague
7. Joey Clarke
8. Brian Kennedy
9. Conn Kilpatrick
10. Conor O'Neill
11. Ruairi Canavan
12. Ronan Cassidy
13. Eoin McElholm
14. Darragh Canavan
15. Ethan Jordan

[NotedObserver]

So leaving out the below, do any of them get in? To be honest looking forward to the next few games to see how we get on.

- Joe Oguz
- Donaghys
- Aidan Clarke
- M Donnelly
- R Brennan
- B McDonnell
- B Cullen
- McGarrity
- McGeary
- McCurry

[Hand of God]

I think McGarrity has to be given a go at FF. The small men aren't working and Kennedy and Donnelly just aren't effective on the square.

After that then we are overstocked with certain players and very short on others. I think we have great competition in the full back line and full forward line but our half forward and half back lines are light.

Serious questions have to be asked about our S&C and this predates Malachys time. When Peter Donnelly was here the physical transformation for young players coming through was huge. I remember the likes of McGeary, Meyler, Rory Brennan, McShabe etc coming straight to the u21s primed and physically ready. McKernan a few years after.

I can barely recall a player stepping out of u20 level in recent years and looking at the physical level and ready made. It took Devlin up until the tail end of last year to look like he adjusted to the top level requirements at the senior intercounty. Ciaran Daly, Seanie O'Donnell, Ruairi Canavan, Ben Cullen are guys who are all the county panel for a number of years now and just don't seem to have progressed physically so big questions need to be asked about our S&C on how we are way behind sides from other counties in that regard.

[loughshore_hallion]

I think McGarrity has to be given a go at FF. The small men aren't working and Kennedy and Donnelly just aren't effective on the square.

After that then we are overstocked with certain players and very short on others. I think we have great competition in the full back line and full forward line but our half forward and half back lines are light.

Serious questions have to be asked about our S&C and this predates Malachys time. When Peter Donnelly was here the physical transformation for young players coming through was huge. I remember the likes of McGeary, Meyler, Rory Brennan, McShabe etc coming straight to the u21s primed and physically ready. McKernan a few years after.

I can barely recall a player stepping out of u20 level in recent years and looking at the physical level and ready made. It took Devlin up until the tail end of last year to look like he adjusted to the top level requirements at the senior intercounty. Ciaran Daly, Seanie O'Donnell, Ruairi Canavan, Ben Cullen are guys who are all the county panel for a number of years now and just don't seem to have progressed physically so big questions need to be asked about our S&C on how we are way behind sides from other counties in that regard.

Seems crazy that Tyrone's S&C coach is currently in New Zealand. Not face to face with the players