Mickey Harte has named the strongest side available for Tyrone's Dr McKenna Cup match against Derry in Omagh on Sunday. The panel arrived back from their holiday (in Dubai) on Wednesday evening, yet nine of the starters from the All-Ireland final are included.
"It's a question of getting the players back into competitive action, and also a question of going out to win games," said Harte.
"There's no point in conning people. I don't think it's right to expect people to pay into a match that you don't want to win. It would not be fair to the public, and I would never want to do that.
"The objective is to win the game, but you have to consider that the player's are just back from holidays, and haven't trained in two or three months.
"When you compare that with teams who've been training collectively for some time now, maybe that will be something of a leveller."
Peter Canavan and Cormac McAnallen remain on the injured list, while John Devine and Seán Cavanagh are committed to their university sides. Stephen O'Neill is handed a start at full forward, while Ger Cavlan moves to midfield to replace Young Player of the Year Cavanagh.
Dublin have delayed until tomorrow naming their side for the O'Byrne Cup quarter-final against Carlow, who will name a team today.
Carlow's only major injury doubt is centre back John Hayden (ankle) - Stephen O'Brien will deputise. Goalkeeper John Brennan is expected to get the nod over James Clarke while one of the forwards from last week's victory over Wicklow will make way for Thomas Walsh.
After giving new manager Gerry Fahey a victory in his first competitive outing, against Wexford, the Offaly line-up is unchanged for their quarter-final tie against Kilkenny's conquerors, DIT.
Meanwhile, former Hurler of the Year Tommy Dunne of Tipperary fears out-of-competition drug testing - due to start in June - could spark a players' revolt.
Dunne said most people accept GAA players don't take drugs. "We have nothing to hide. We've been told what you can and cannot take if you are unwell and we just have to be aware of it. It leaves us at a big disadvantage in that we cannot just get an over-the-counter remedy for a cold," he said.
"With all that's involved in being an intercounty player now, I hope that this out-of-competition testing will not prompt players to pack it in.
"There is a lot to be wary of and people forget we are amateur sportsmen and should be treated as such. If it got to the stage where players were being tested at home or at work it would be totally unacceptable and there could be a revolt."
Elsewhere, the dual-player controversy looks set to lead to another showdown in Limerick. New hurling manager Pad Joe Whelahan allegedly told his panel this week he expects full commitment this season.
Limerick's dual players include Brian Begley, Stephen Lucey, Conor Fitzgerald, Mark Keane, Mike Riordan and Mike O'Brien.
One hurling panel member claimed management left nobody in any doubt as to what they expected. "Pad Joe means business . . . he's determined to get it right," he said.
Three years ago, then hurling manager Eamonn Cregan threatened to quit because of the dual player situation, having warned that it hampered progress.
The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last night launched the third season of the TG4 Laochra Gael documentary series at St Vincent's club in Dublin.
The show celebrates great names in Gaelic games over the past 50 years, starting this Sunday (repeated Monday nights) with Dublin's Jimmy Keaveney. There will be 10 half-hour programmes.
LAOCHRA GAEL PROGRAMME SUMMARY
Programme 1: January 11th - Jimmy Keaveney; Programme 2: January 18th - Joe Cooney; Programme 3: January 25th - Colm O'Rourke; Programme 4: February 1st - Frankie Walsh; Programme 5: February 8th - Matt Connor; Programme 6: February 15th - Nicky English; Programme 7: February 22nd - Billy Morgan; Programme 8: February 29th - Gary Kirby; Programme 9: March 7th - Tony Doran; Programme 10: March 10th - Pat Spillane
OFFALY: K Meehan; B Mooney, C Daly, M Flynn; M Mitchell, G Raffery, K Slattery; C McManus, A McNamee; C Farrell, P Kellaghan, N McNamee; T Deehan, N Coughlan, J Reynolds.
TYRONE: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Holmes, M McGee; C Gormley, G Devlin, C Gourley; K Hughes, G Cavlan; M Coleman, B McGuigan, S Mulgrew; F McGuigan, S O'Neill, O Mulligan.
