Tyrone: A bigger engine with more in the tank
“Do you think you could ever break the record you have just set?” asked the man from the Beeb.
Speaking in plain Ballymoney English, Joey nodded towards his bike. “Och,” said Joey, “I think there’s more in her yet.”
Five days before Tyrone and Down meet in Omagh, and Joey’s response can be applied to the home team.
When assessing the merits of the leading contenders in this year’s Ulster Championship, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the best of Tyrone has yet to come.
Anyone who has paid any attention to the National League during recent years will realise that the counties that have competed in Division One can be divided into two distinct categories.
There are those counties that can survive without their best players and there are those that can’t.
Down, Donegal, Monaghan, Derry and Armagh fall into the latter bracket. To survive in Division One, these counties need to have all their main men fit and well. If there are a few injuries, or if half the team is missing because they are on club duty (Armagh), relegation is inevitable.
The coaching philosophy of some of the managers who are working under the constraints of a limited squad also explains why certain counties struggle in the top flight.
Jim McGuinness is a great example. To succeed with Donegal, McGuinness understands not only does he need all his best players in tip-top condition, he also needs to wring every advantage he can get out of his gameplan.
This explains why McGuinness doesn’t show his hand during the National League.
Consider Donegal’s kick-out strategy. I watched Donegal three times this year and they employed a different approach in every match. In the McKenna Cup against Tyrone, Donegal compressed all their players into a narrow channel at midfield. Goalkeeper Paul Durcan then placed his kicks to players who made runs to the wings. The tactic was successful. Yet, a few weeks later when Donegal played Monaghan in the League, Durcan employed a completely different strategy.
Because he is determined to keep his opponents guessing, McGuinness never plays his ‘A’ game in the League.
There is a lot of merit in McGuinness’s approach. For instance, even if Brian McIver sent a scout to every game Donegal played this year, the Derry manager will still not know for sure which kick-outs will be employed against his team in Celtic Park.
However, it needs to be remembered that the best tactics in the world count for nothing if you don’t have the necessary talent.
Apart from the fact that most of Donegal’s tactical advantages have been negated, their talent pool is losing water.
When he guided Donegal to All-Ireland glory in 2012, McGuinness reaped the maximum return from about 17 players.
When Donegal travel to Derry city next Sunday, Mark McHugh will not be on the bus. Rory Kavanagh will miss the game through suspension. There is also a possibility that an injury will sideline Neil Gallagher.
Still, there remains a distinct possibility that Donegal will win the Ulster Championship. Should they beat Derry in Celtic Park, they would be fancied to overcome Fermanagh or Antrim in the provincial semi-final. If they reach the final, Donegal would be well placed to win a one-off game in Clones.
But Donegal is just one of several counties that have the capacity to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup. Derry, Monaghan and Cavan are entitled to entertain similar ambitions. A provincial title, however, is the ceiling to what can be achieved by all four teams.
Playing at full tilt throughout the League, Derry performed admirably, but their shortcomings were exposed when they came up against a full-strength Dublin side.
Under the unassuming excellence of Malachy O’Rourke, Monaghan have continued to go from strength to strength. But Monaghan can’t afford to get a player like Conor McManus injured. And McManus is injured. Although superbly organised, Cavan just don’t have the forwards.
Therein lies the fundamental difference between Tyrone and their northern rivals. The Red Hands have the talent, experience and strength-in-depth.
Although there is no guarantee that Tyrone will win the provincial title, they are still the best equipped county in Ulster to mount a challenge for the Sam Maguire Cup.
Before Dublin demolished Derry in the League final, it’s worth remembering the All-Ireland champions were extremely fortunate to escape Healy Park with a one-point win.
The most noteworthy feature of Tyrone’s League campaign is despite allowing senior players to take a break, and despite wholesale experimentation, the Red Hands retained their status in Division One.
That alone puts Tyrone on a par with Dublin, Mayo, Cork and Kerry.
Joe McMahon, Justin McMahon and Stephen O’Neill never kicked a ball during the League while Martin Penrose and Mark Donnelly missed the opening games after they were allowed to make delayed returns.
No other team in Ulster could win in Division One while missing so many key players.
It needs to be stressed that Tyrone’s entire season is balanced on a knife-edge.
A trouncing by Kerry finally persuaded Mickey Harte to change the spine of his defence. But that defensive re-organisation was a job of work that would have benefited from another couple of League games. A disastrous first half against Dublin, and the subsequent failure to reach the League play-offs means Harte will still be unsure of his best line-up.
In the League, the chemistry of Tyrone’s team was wrong. Superb at going forward, they couldn’t absorb any pressure whatsoever. Harte will only discover if he has achieved a more solid blend when Tyrone play Down on Sunday. But the Ulster Championship can be a very unforgiving classroom.
Nevertheless, a defeat on Sunday isn’t a disaster for Tyrone because they have the manpower required for the weekly rigours of the Qualifiers.
In Ronan O’Neill, Darren McCurry, Stephen O’Neill and Sean Cavanagh, the Red Hands have the firepower needed to compete against the best teams.
Like Joey Dunlop’s motorbike, “there’s more” in this Tyrone squad.
The big question is will we get to see it?
