Mickey Harte has admitted he faces a huge task in lifting morale among his squad ahead of this weekend’s clash with Dublin.

Cathal McShane is set to be sidelined for up to five months after dislocating his ankle in yesterday’s Allianz Football League Division 1 defeat to Galway.

Our writers chat through the main talking points from the weekend’s Allianz League action.

This was some way to celebrate a homecoming of sorts for Galway manager Pádraic Joyce as he took charge of the side for the first time at Tuam Stadium.

All-Star full-forward Cathal McShane has revealed his decision to knock back an AFL contract and to continue his quest for an All-Ireland with Tyrone was a tough call that came "down to the wire".

AFL club Adelaide Crows have claimed Cathal McShane felt he was “not ready” to embark on an Australian Rules football career.

Tyrone All-Star Cathal McShane has decided against a career in Australian Rules football.

While he may have turned up and been a discreet presence for Tyrone’s opening league win over Meath on the first day of the Allianz Leagues, last year’s top-scorer in the Championship, Cathal McShane, was not believed to be present for Tyrone’s inept defeat to Monaghan in Castleblayney.

This wasn’t the first time that Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney managed a Monaghan win over Tyrone, but what’s rare is precious as he allowed a small smile play on his lips after this most commanding of wins. “It’s my second,” he told reporters.

Cathal McShane was not the only Irishman touching down in Australia this week to trial for an AFL club.

Mickey Harte learned last week that it is impossible to change the mind of a young Irish person who has decided to leave Ireland.

Nick Dal Santo has pinpointed kicking ability alongside AFL-ready athleticism and conditioning for making GAA players increasingly attractive to Aussie Rules clubs, with many of the native products not possessing the same ball skills.

Jim Gavin is gone but his words as much as his deeds in inter-county Gaelic football remain.

Tyrone’s current All-Star full-forward Cathal McShane’s links with a move to Australian Rules are not as clearcut as originally claimed.

Owen Mulligan says Cathal McShane is entitled to pursue an Aussie Rules career, amid calls for the GAA to cut ties with the AFL since reports emerged of the All-Star full-forward's potential move.

Mickey Harte hasn’t given up hope of holding on to All-Star attacker Cathal McShane as speculation intensifies that he is on his way to an Aussie Rules career with the Brisbane Lions.

A local report in Tyrone has claimed 2019 All-Star Cathal McShane is on the brink of starting an AFL career with Brisbane Lions.

Connor McAliskey has left the Tyrone squad, and will play no part in the Red Hands’ challenge for honours in 2020.

When Mickey Harte acknowledged last spring that Tyrone required more height and physicality in their attack, he was hoping the ploy would pay off with an occasion like last Friday night.

After his release by Reading in May, Irish defender Paul McShane was left hunting for a club to get his career back into gear. Brian Barry-Murphy’s Rochdale provided the kickstart he needed, writes David Sneyd.

Rochdale have signed former Republic of Ireland defender Paul McShane on a short-term deal, the Sky Bet League One club have announced.

Paul Murphy, unsurprisingly, didn’t enjoy how Tyrone set themselves up in the All-Ireland semi-final earlier this month.

And so what stands between Dublin and immortality is the county that itself was denied that very place in history on another All-Ireland final day.

Mission accomplished for Peter Keane and his men. They are where they want to be.

Our reporters look at all the talking points from the weekend's GAA action.

If Tyrone are to pile more misery on Kerry and reach successive All-Ireland finals, chances are flame-haired target man Cathal McShane will be tormentor -in-chief.

Protect the D and Pepper The D: Kerry know that an aerial bombardment is coming their way and they must protect the D with their lives. Tadgh Morley and Jason Foley have the ability to break even with the Tyrone duo of Donnelly and McShane but naturally they need some help.

Getting the match-ups right has gone a long way for Kerry and Mayo in recent years. We think of Aidan O’Mahony on Michael Murphy in the 2014 final, Lee Keegan on Enda Smith in the 2017 All-Ireland quarter-final replay and just last weekend Patrick Durcan tagging Ryan McHugh.

They were known as the superb six, a cohort ready-made to complement Ireland’s golden generation of Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, but the tribulations of those bright young things should temper the hype attaching to the latest sextet.

Cork may have lost their third competitive game of the summer and exited the championship but do so with their heads held high.

Cork will have again travelled up the M8 by bus yesterday in preparation for taking on Tyrone this evening in Croke Park.

Oisín McConville is certain Cork’s Super 8 interest will end next Saturday evening against Tyrone at Croke Park, even if he has been impressed with the renaissance of Ronan McCarthy’s side.

Tyrone struck an early and perhaps decisive blow in their Super 8s opener at Hyde Park, where they scored a four-point win over Connacht champions Roscommon.

Tyrone blew Cavan away as they charged into the Super 8s series with a ruthless demolition of the beaten Ulster finalists.

There were no surprises at Pearse Park. Tyrone flexed their muscles and delivered a message that they’re in this for the long haul.

Qualifier specialists Tyrone are up and running again, and while a four points margin at Pearse Park will not inspire supreme confidence, they are set to gain momentum along the back door route.

Donegal swept past Tyrone to book their place in the Ulster SFC final, scoring a first win over fierce north-west rivals Tyrone in four Championship clashes as they triumphed by four points at Kingspan Breffni Park.

The game itself was a walking, talking, advert for a tiered football championship, so when the competition on the pitch doesn’t scare you, you look for motivation elsewhere, and Richie Donnelly found it within his own dressing room.

Tyrone charged through to the Ulster SFC semi-finals with a demolition job at the Athletic Grounds.

Last year's All-Ireland finalists Tyrone came through a draining battle when they just couldn't shake off a game Derry challenge in the Ulster Championship preliminary round in Omagh.

Three games into this year’s Allianz League campaign and Tyrone deep in relegation trouble with one point out of six, Mattie Donnelly went to Mickey Harte with a suggestion.

Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill hailed super-sub Daryl Murphy after the veteran striker sparked a comeback against Swansea in Saturday’s Championship clash at the City Ground.

Galway’s tortuous search for a balance between defensive security and offensive potency took a painful hit as they missed out on a place in the Division One league final.

Tyrone shot down Galway’s bid to reach the NFL Division 1 league final as they stormed back to win comfortably at Healy Park.

As Jim Gavin post-match critiques go, his take on his team’s performance that conspired to knock them out of the reckoning for a seventh consecutive Division 1 final was withering: “That performance will obviously not help the players that were out on the pitch, that’s for sur.”

Despite playing the last 25 minutes with 14 men, Tyrone picked up their first win over Dublin in six years as the All-Ireland lost three round games for the first time in Jim Gavin’s reign.

Mickey Harte declared himself satisfied with their new attacking strategies after his side moved a step closer to Division One survival with an Ulster derby win over 14-man Cavan.

Footballer Michael Murphy showed, on his television appearance on ‘The Toughest Trade’, that he possesses the attitude of a full-time sportsman. On Saturday, his manager with Donegal praised that mindset.