Mugsy gets his bell rung as Red Hands tune up for big one
Mulligan rejoined the camp seven days after he failed to turn up for a session, sparking rumours that his inter-county career was over.
McMenamin is uncertain as to what exactly provoked Mulligan to leave and then accept a recall just four days ahead of the third round All-Ireland qualifier against neighbours Armagh.
He was more interested in indulging in some team banter at the expense of the Cookstown man.
“I haven’t got a clue,” he said about Mulligan’s reasons for leaving the panel. “We were slagging him at training that it was a cry for help.
“We were telling him we’re only a phone call away and I told Mugsy I’d take him under my wing now.
“Maybe we weren’t showing him enough attention. It was a good bit of slagging.
“Seriously, nobody knows exactly what happened but Mickey (Harte) got him back anyway. It’s between Mickey and Mugsy. Maybe he wasn’t getting enough game time but I never asked him about it, I just slagged him.”
McMenamin may cut a jovial figure but that’s not to say he is taking his eye off the ball ahead of a game that has supporters in both counties salivating.
“There’s a big buzz about it. I’m walking into shops and it’s the first question people are asking.
“There’s more buzz about it than the Ulster championship. I think that speaks volumes about the game.
“Going to Wicklow and beating them was the kick-start for Armagh and whoever wins, it’s going to give them a massive boost going into the next round and probably into the All-Ireland series.”
The reward on Saturday is an All-Ireland fourth round qualifier against Roscommon but that can wait. It’s local bragging rights that matter.
Getting the better of Armagh means just as much to McMenamin now as it did when they achieved it back in 2003 and 05.
For his Tyrone teammates living on the Armagh border in towns such as Moy, it means even more.
“You always like to beat Armagh, no matter what,” said the Dromore man. “It doesn’t matter who’s playing for them.
“Ask the boys from Moy, they’re always well up for these games. Big Seán (Cavanagh) in training on Tuesday night was well up for the game. We’re stuck in the middle of Ulster so we have about four or five derbies. I’d be more Fermanagh and Donegal but we know Armagh will be thinking the same thing as us and hoping to get one over on us.”
Although Armagh have been quicker to develop from their great team of the early to mid-Noughties, Tyrone retain the services of more than half a dozen players who were part of the 2003 All-Ireland-winning panel.
But after the Ulster semi-final defeat to Donegal, manager Harte appears to be more willing to give the younger players their opportunity.
“It’s gone unrecognised that a lot of boys have come into the Tyrone panel. Against Longford, at any one stage we only had five or six on the pitch who had been a long time playing.
“Kyle (Coney) and Petey Harte have come into the squad and Colm Cavanagh as well.
“They’ve come into the panel but Mickey, Tony (Donnelly) and Fergal (McCann) haven’t put a lot of pressure on them. The way Petey played against Longford was fantastic and we’ll be looking to see it again.
“Experience is useful as well and we’ve a lot of boys who have played in these games and we’ll take any advantage we can. But a lot of the young lads have played in minor and U21 All-Ireland finals as well.”
Omagh’s Healy Park, the venue for Saturday evening’s back door game, hasn’t been a particularly lucky one for the home team in the championship.
Although they beat Monaghan there in May, Down forced them to a draw there in the 2008 Ulster championship while Westmeath ran them close later in that year’s qualifiers.
“It’s kind of funny,” said McMenamin. “When we were growing up you’d always hear about Dungannon being a fortress and then it changed over to Omagh.
“The older team were unbeaten in Omagh for two or three years so it’s probably more down to the players in letting it slip than anything else.”
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