By Niall Gartland

COLLIE Tuohey will always look back fondly on his years spent on the Tyrone Masters set-up.

The Greencastle man will line out in nets this Saturday as he bids to get his hands on a fourth All-Ireland medal, but it’s about so much more than winning games – it’s about the camaraderie, friendships and experience of playing alongside men that he looked up to during the halcyon days of the noughties.

The 46-year-old has been an ever-present between the sticks as Tyrone Masters began their journey to the cusp of a fourth successive All-Ireland title back in 2021 and he’s loved every single minute of it.

In particular, sharing a pitch with the likes of Stephen O’Neill and Conor Gormley has been a hugely educational experience for Colly, whose brother Plunkett is another long-standing member of the panel.

“It’s really nice to play with those boys that dominated in the 2000s. We were going down to watch them in Croke Park on a regular basis and now you’re playing with them and against them.

“I’ve played against Bernard Brogan this year, you see the big picture of him on Jones Road and now you’re going out and testing yourself against them.”

“From playing alongside some of the big names on our team, I now have an even better idea of how they became top class intercounty footballers. Those men have been true leaders all their lives. In the changing room, everyone listens to them – they’ll come out with something and it really clicks with you.”

Tyrone faced a massive test of their All-Ireland winning ambitions against Dublin in the semi-final a few weeks back, the same team they’d lost heavily to in the group stages. Tuohey marvelled at the leadership qualities of his teammates further out the pitch as they carved out a 1-10 to 0-8 victory to set up an All-Ireland final clash against Roscommon this weekend.

“You realise how good the footballers on our team are, they’ve never lost their ability and will to win.

“You had big Aidan Brady, Conor Gormley, Marty McGrath, Barry Collins, Stephen O’Neill, Sparky [Mark Donnelly], Leo Meenan, they were all brilliant and so were the rest of the lads. The likes of Marty McGrath driving us on in the middle, and that was the difference from the last time we played Dublin, it was a huge result for us.”

While there is a recreational aspect to Masters Football, it’s still an extremely competitive training environment and Tuohey says he’s had to work hard for the number one goalkeeping jersey.

“Some people think it’s just a matter of turning up but I’ve had to work hard for the position. The management take no nonsense, they’re very determined men. You have to keep at it, I know men can be disappointed when they don’t get on but I think it’s better to stick at it and the results show that over the years.”