Harte drops minor bombshell as McGee replaces Gourley
Harte revealed that defender Michael McGee will make his first championship start of the season in place of Ciaran Gourley in the left full-back position.
McGee played a number of games in the league, but Gourley took over the number four shirt for the championship and acquitted himself well up to now.
Mark Harte has recovered from a thigh strain, which kept him out of the win over Galway and returns at right corner-forward in an otherwise unchanged team.
He takes over from his understudy Michael Coleman.
Peter Canavan, who made his return after a 10-month absence in the clash with the Tribesmen, is again on the bench.
Goalkeeper Pascal McConnell, who played just once during last year’s triumphant All-Ireland campaign, is, for the third successive game, preferred to John Devine.
Harte revealed that Canavan was still “a wee bit off” a 70-minute game but revealed that his inspirational skipper is getting very close to a starting position.
“It would be foolish of us to rush Peter into the thick of things at this juncture because it could undo all the good work he has put in his efforts to regain full fitness after the operation he went through on his damaged ankle,” said Harte.
“However, it is a great source of confidence to us to have a player of Peter’s marvellous ability waiting on the sideline if things happen to go wrong.”
Harte played down the fact that Tyrone have been installed as warm favourites to triumph on Sunday. “Obviously losing the Leinster championship was a big disappointment to Laois but the sound-bites coming out of there all season has been that they have a bigger fish to fry.
“Obviously now in light of their injury problems their backs are to the wall but if any manager can take them out of this corner it is Mick O’Dwyer.
“There is no greater motivator in the game than Micko and despite all the trauma’s Laois have been subjected to over the past week, I firmly believe, that he will have his lads psychologically revved-up for this game and that they will pose a big threat to us,” said the Tyrone manager.
Indeed, Harte maintained that his side will have to play as well as they did in the concluding stages of their victory over Galway if they are to successfully mount this obstacle.
“We did not play well for three-quarters of the Galway game and a different complexion could have been put on things but for our storming finish on that occasion.
“Questions have been asked if we have the same type of hunger and determination that brought us to the pinnacle of All-Ireland success last season. I believe we have but we are lacking a bit in consistency.
“Our performances up to now have been what, I would term, patchy. We have played some good football and have also produced some very mediocre fare,” said Harte.
“More consistency in the level of our overall performances is called for if we are to get over Laois and go on to better things. Hopefully this improvement over 70-minutes will be forthcoming on Sunday, but I am under no illusions whatsoever, that we will really have to up our game several notches if we are to go through to the concluding stages of the championship.”
P. McConnell; R. McMenamin, C. Gormley, M. McGee; J. McMahon, S. Sweeney, P. Jordan; K. Hughes, S. Cavanagh; B. Dooher, B. McGuigan, G. Cavlan; M. Harte, O. Mulligan, S. O’Neill.
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