Harte: Ulster glory first stop for Red Hand kids

He has never been one to settle for anything other than the top prize, but Mickey Harte is targeting an Ulster title with his emerging young team this summer.

Although the chase of All-Ireland titles is what has driven the Tyrone manager for a decade, he accepts that now his team is in transition, they must have “phased expectations” of what is realistically possible this year.

“This new team that we have actually needs an Ulster title, because there are too many players who don’t have an Ulster senior title despite the fact it’s only four years since we won one,” he said.

“They don’t have one, so it’s time they were hunting for one. What we have to do to get out of Ulster would be enough to win the All-Ireland for other teams, with Down, Monaghan and then the winners of Cavan and Armagh to come just to get into an Ulster final.

“That is some challenge just to get an Ulster title but you can only start on that journey and our first journey is Down in Omagh.”

While still disappointed with the last-gasp defeat to Dublin which denied his team a place in the league semi-finals, Harte has taken plenty of comfort from a league campaign that had just about everything.

Speaking at last night’s Ulster championship launch in Belfast, Harte said: “We were involved in many close encounters with Derry and Cork, drawn games, and we came within 30 seconds of knocking the champions [Dublin] out”.

“We got a hammering against Kerry. So we had a lot of different experiences and a lot of different players partaking in those experiences, which can only be good.

“They have learned what it’s like to get a hammering and learned what it’s like to have something taken out of your grasp at the end.

“So, lots of learning and the fact we retained our Division 1 status means it’s been successful enough.”

Meanwhile, Harte has denied speculation that 2008 All Star defender Justin McMahon is no longer part of his panel.

McMahon has not kicked a ball for Tyrone this year due to a series of injuries and there were rumours within the county that he would not be involved this summer.

However, Harte confirmed last night: “No, that’s not true, he is very much part of the panel”.

“He was never was fit enough to join us on match day this last while but he is working and getting back to full fitness.”

With Tyrone’s preliminary round tie against Down only just over two weeks away, Harte conceded it’s unlikely McMahon — or his older brother Joe, who has also been out of action all year — will be involved.

“Because he [Justin] has missed so much football at this level, he is going to have work really hard to be ready for championship but at least it is good to see him taking part.”