1: Harte bows out as boss

IT was the end of an era in the O’Neill  county as long-standing senior inter-county boss Mickey Harte bowed out after 18 years in charge. His request for a one-year extension was turned down by the county board, and he decided shortly thereafter that he wouldn’t put his name forward for interviews for the vacant managerial position. It was a huge story in the GAA world; the Tyrone Herald led with 10 pages of coverage to commemorate his tenure, which saw Tyrone win three All-Ireland titles between 2003 and 2008. It wasn’t long before he was back in the game as he was announced as new Louth manager less than a fortnight later – which was some turn up for the books. It’ll be interesting to see how he gets on as he embarks on a new challenge in Leinster, and it’ll be some change for Tyrone next year for everyone, players and supporters alike as they get used to the new dispensation.

2: Logan and Dooher take the reins

FEARGAL Logan and Brian Dooher are the new kids on the block, so to speak. They were appointed as Tyrone’s new joint-managers on November 25, and it’s an exciting appointment from a Tyrone perspective. Not only did they form the management team (alongside Peter Canavan) that led Tyrone to an All-Ireland U-21 title in 2015, but they’ve brought on board a formidable backroom team of Collie Holmes, Joe McMahon and strength and conditioning coach Peter Donnelly. They’ve been conducting trials in the last few weeks so expect a significant enough shake-up of the panel, and Logan said in his first interview after being appointed that they are keen to play an attacking style of football, so expect a little less guarded Tyrone team next year. It’ll be surreal at first to see some new men on the sideline, and their first task is likely to be maintaining Tyrone’s position in Division One. Beyond that, who knows, and they’ll likely be given some sort of grace period by Tyrone fans, but their appointment has the possibility to really rejuvanate things in the county after attendances dipped in recent years. We shall see in the coming years.

3: Clarkes bridge 64-year gap

The Tyrone Club Championship was unbelievable this year, and it was crowned by Dungannon’s victory over Trillick in the senior final. Ciaran Barker was the hero as he stepped up to take the winning penalty, and it was the culmination of a ludicrously dramatic campaign (all of their matches went to extra-time). Their victory over Errigal Ciaran in the semi-finals was possibly the pick of the bunch as they fought back from the brink in extra-time to claim their place in the final with the last kick of the game, Ciaran Barker striking a ’45’ that sent them into dreamland. They started off slow in the final as well but they got their act together and it almost seemed like fate had decreed that this was going to be Dungannon’s year. They only got promoted from the intermediate ranks a couple of years ago, but they have fantastic players all over the park and their character and spirit was obvious throughout their memorable campaign.

4: McKenna returns home

IT was inevitable he’d come back to Ireland at some stage as he always wanted to have a go at winning the Sam Maguire with Tyrone, but few people expected it to be so soon. Conor McKenna was in good form for AFL club Essendon last year, but his struggles with homesickness were well-documented and his form had also slipped a bit. He announced his AFL career was over in September, and he made an immediate impact in his first few games with Tyrone, scoring goals against Donegal and Mayo at the tail-end of the league. It was remarkable how quickly he seemed to re-adjust to his native sport, and as he’s still only in his mid-20s he’ll likely be a mainstay of the team for years to come. He didn’t really get going against Donegal in the championship, but there’s a real sense that he’s only getting started. That will be music to the ears of Tyrone fans as the new season already comes into view.

5: Eire Ogs are back on top

IT wasn’t a great year on the Tyrone hurling scene. Outgoing Tyrone hurling officer Peter Kerr says more coaches are badly needed to develop the sport, and at the time of writing they’re still waiting to find out who will manage the senior inter-county team next season. However, it was a memorable year for Eire Og, Carrickmore as they won their first Tyrone SHC title in four years with a fantastic victory in monsoon-like conditions against Eoghan Ruadh. The feeling was that the Dungannon side had pushed ahead in Tyrone, which probably spurred Eire Og on as they not only fought like dogs, but produced some terrific hurling on the day. Sean Og Grogan hit two early goals and set up another in the first half, and the game was as good as over at half time as Dermot Begley went onto lift the Benburb Cup.