GAA: ULSTER SFC QUARTER-FINAL:HE'S ONLY played 30 minutes of competitive football with the county this year, but Brian Dooher is set to start his 17th championship season with Tyrone.
The team to play Monaghan in Sunday’s Ulster quarter-final in Omagh will be announced later today, and Dooher is expected to fill one of the half-forward positions having proved his fitness and indeed competitive edge over the last week.
Manager Mickey Harte is down several first-choice players, and yet Dooher – who will also enter his seventh season as Tyrone captain – has always been one of his first players on the team sheet, provided he’s fit.
Despite being two months shy of his 36th birthday, the long break doesn’t appear to have done Dooher any harm, with Tyrone assistant manager Tony Donnelly confirming “Brian is getting stronger over the past few weeks and he’s definitely very much in contention for a starting place”.
Dooher has taken an extended winter break for the past few seasons, although his lay-off this time was increased due to the red card he received playing for his club Clan na Gael against Loughmacrory, resulting in a four-week ban and forcing him to miss two Tyrone league matches.
It means his only competitive football with Tyrone so far this season was as a substitute in the closing rounds of the league against Kildare and Meath.
However, Dooher is renowned for keeping in good condition in the off-season, and this winter also adopted a fitness regime specially designed by Limerick physical therapist Ger Hartmann.
Dooher’s fellow forward and club-mate Stephen O’Neill has also had precious little game-time this season, and yet likewise looks set to start against Monaghan.
Definitely missing for Tyrone will be Joe McMahon, with a broken jaw, and also Enda McGinley, who needs a second ankle operation – although these losses have been somewhat tempered by Philip Jordan’s U-turn on his decision to quit county football for the season.
Justin McMahon is also in line to make his Tyrone return having missed the latter part of the league with an ankle injury sustained in the win over Antrim.
Sunday’s game marks a repeat of last year’s Ulster final, which Tyrone won comfortably by 10 points and Monaghan’s chances of claiming some revenge haven’t been helped by the loss of key forward Tommy Freeman, who has departed for the US in search of employment, along with Rory Woods.
Monaghan manager Eamon McEneaney also has an injury-list that now includes Vinny Corey, who is ruled out of Sunday’s game due to a recurrence of the hamstring injury which forced him to miss part of the league.
Monaghan are also planning without Gavin Doogan, who has undergone surgery to remove a piece of broken bone from a joint, with David Hughes, Shane Smyth, JP Mone and Gary McQuaid also sidelined.
Curran to miss Sligo's next game
SLIGO centre back Brian Curran will miss the first round of the football qualifiers after being handed an eight-week ban by the Central Hearings Committee after he was caught stamping on Leitrim full back Ronan Gallagher in the Connacht championship tie.
Curran’s suspension was first proposed by the CCCC, but after his hearing, the ban was still enforced.
Carlow’s Seán Mac Gabhann, who was reported for striking with the head during a hurling league tie against Longford, was handed a 16-week suspension. Fermanagh hurler Cathal Mac Fhearaigh was handed a 12-week suspension for abusive language to an umpire in a league match against Tyrone.
