National Football League: Tyrone may struggling but it would be wrong to write them off, former boss Art McRory tells Keith Duggan.
Mickey Harte's declaration that his team will be "fighting for their lives" tomorrow afternoon against Limerick may have been slightly tongue in cheek. Restraint has been one of the notable characteristics of the Ballygawley man's stewardship over the last three seasons.
Many marked out Tyrone as pre-season All-Ireland favourites and on the opening night of the league, their second-half demolition of Dublin in the glamour of a floodlit Croke Park seemed to justify that backing. However, there is no doubt that the past month has been testing for Tyrone.
The strangely off performance against Cork three weeks ago might have been excused as one of those weird league blips. But in the subsequent outing in Omagh, Tyrone were simply bossed out of the game by a robust Donegal team. Afterwards, the body language of returning veteran Brian Dooher was suggestive of a player struggling to understand the narrative of the night. Under Harte, Tyrone are not used to losing at Healy Park.
In addition to the dramatic dip in form, Harte has had to contend with the legal wrangle in the McKenna Cup and the news that Brian McGuigan's return from injury might be slower than anticipated.
McGuigan's return has been pushed back to early summer and Tyrone have to travel to Limerick without the often inspirational Seán Cavanagh.
"Limerick are exactly the sort of team that Tyrone struggles against," admits Art McRory, the former Tyrone manager. "And big John Galvin, a fine player, is going to gives us terrible problems at midfield. They are organised and physical and they will use the high ball to test out our defence, because although Tyrone has a strong defence we are a wee bit on the small side. It is a real test given the team's recent form."
McRory admits football people are genuinely worried about the dramatic loss of form but believes it would be exaggerating matters to label this current period as one of crisis.
Cavanagh's absence highlights that despite the public perception that Mickey Harte has a small army of quality footballers waiting in the wings.
"There is a popular notion that Tyrone has this tremendous reserve of talent," acknowledges McRory. "And my personal opinion is that we do. But you cannot just throw a young player into the senior team and expect him to thrive. It doesn't work like that. It takes time. Players need to be blooded. So it is one thing to say Mickey has all these young players at his disposal. But they need to be given time and that is what is happening right now."
To that end, McRory believes that when it comes to the white-knuckle championship matches in a couple of month's time, the first team will bear a familiar look. When all is said and done, there are precious few places up for grabs. When McRory runs his eye over the team, he believes the defence is fundamentally sharp and smart if slightly small, that the forward unit is essentially excellent and that midfield has not been firing on all cylinders.
"We have a few problems but in short, there are very few places up for audition. Cormac McGinley has been playing full back and he has not fully convinced yet. But Mickey is right to keep playing him there because he might settle in.
"Conor Gormley could end up at full back, even though he would prefer to play number six. If that happens, Peter Donnelly could come in at centre back. He's a very good player and won't get caught for pace playing there and he is as tough as nails. You have Davy Harte, Philip Jordan, Dermot Carlin is going well and Ryan McMenamin. Up front, with Brian McGuigan back, there is probably only one place up for grabs.
"Midfield is a bit of a dilemma. Since Kevin Hughes came back from his time away, he has not produced the same form and he will have to get his head right for the championship. My own feeling is that Enda McGinley might play midfield. Ger Cavlan is showing signs of coming back into his own and he could be an option at centre half forward."
But none of these are exactly new names. Still heavily involved in coaching, McRory is highly optimistic about the underage structure in Tyrone and, somewhat depressingly for other counties, reckons they are a good bet to land All-Ireland minor and under-21 titles this year.
Equally, he is hopeful the senior team will again show their true colours before long. Experience has taught him teams can be temperamental and it doesn't take much to throw the whole thing out of synchronicity. He reckons Tyrone were flattered under the lights in Croke Park in February, noting that he remarked to a friend at half-time that there was "no better team than Dublin to clock out at the break".
"Tyrone played some very good football in that second half but there is no doubt that Dublin stepped down in their intensity."
Since that night, Tyrone have too. But it would be foolhardy to believe that the most formidable team in the land has simply lost its powers.
"That," confirms Art McRory, "would be a mistake."
McKenna Cup restored
Tyrone have had the McKenna Cup restored to them after appealing the decision of the Ulster Council to the GAA's Central Appeals Committee. The original decision was based on the failure of Tyrone to submit a proper team sheet before the competition final against Donegal. The issue arose from manager Mickey Harte's insistence on fielding players already listed on the panels of college teams. It is understood the Ulster Council may pursue the issue further.
