Red Hands on a roll

An eighth straight win in Sunday’s NFL Division Two final will set Tyrone up perfectly for their Ulster Championship opener against Armagh, according to Colm Cavanagh.

The Red Hand midfielder believes there’s nothing to beat the winning habit. And an in-form Tyrone team, with a 100% record in 12 competitive games since the start of the year, is on quite a roll.

Since manager Mickey Harte has never organised a single friendly game in his 10 years in charge, this weekend’s Croke Park clash with Kildare, a repeat of the league opener at the same venue, will be Tyrone’s final outing ahead of the first round championship clash with the Orchard County.

“The league is obviously a build-up to the championship and I suppose the more game time we’re getting, the better,” says Cavanagh. “At the start of every year, one of your main aims is to get to Croke Park by the middle of the year. It is one more game to help us get used to the pitch, and hopefully it will stand us in good stead coming back in the next couple of months,” said Cavanagh.

Tyrone may have discovered a winning formula, but the search for peak performance continues. Cavanagh feels the team still has many flaws to eradicate and problems areas to address.

“We have been playing in fits and start and by no means are we happy with the way we’re playing. Getting over the line is the main thing, we have been doing that, so far so good.”

Solid foundations have been laid for the challenges ahead, promotion back to Division One has been secured, and a league title is up for grabs.

All that has been achieved on the back of a hugely impressive unbeaten run, and an unblemished record that Cavanagh wants to extend.

The season to date has not been without its problems, with key players, including Stephen O’Neill, Sean Cavanagh, Joe and Justin McMahon, Aidan Cassidy and Mickey Murphy all picking up injuries.

But the replacements who came in demonstrated the depth of talent in the squad, a strength Colm Cavanagh believes is vital as Tyrone push on towards the league final and the championship.

“Obviously we don’t want to see anyone getting injured. At this stage of the year, you want to be fighting fit. I suppose that’s probably one of the good things about this Tyrone team this year, that there are guys that can come off the bench and do the job. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day, it’s not a 15-man game any more. There’s 20 men that’s going to be played every game. We’re just hoping to keep injury-free at the minute.”