By Niall Gartland

A FEW minutes before the final whistle blew on Tyrone’s final day league win over Dublin, news of their relegation filtered through.

Mayo had overcome Donegal, meaning that the Red Hands will play Division Two football in 2026, and while that’s a source of disappointment, the abiding feeling after the match was a positive vibe with the players happily mingling with supporters and signing one undersized jersey after another.

And little wonder – they’d embarked on a strong run of results at the tail-end of their league campaign and will be confident of making their mark in the championship in the first year operating under Malachy O’Rourke.

They have Cavan first up on Sunday, April 13 in a repeat of last year’s quarter-final showdown at Kingspan Breffni, though this time Tyrone can call upon home advantage.

It was a cracking contest between the sides this time last year, Tyrone edging matters by 1-23 to 3-16 after extra-time (who needs the new rules, eh), though Cavan’s record against the Red Hands over the decades has been fairly miserable.

It’s one thing running Tyrone close, and quite another actually claiming the spoils of victory, as Cavan know too well.

Tyrone endured a sticky patch in the heart of their Division One campaign, including a particularly disappointing defeat to Kerry where it looked like the hard part had been done, but they found their groove in the final three matches and are in a good place heading into the championship.

O’Rourke has already made his mark on the team – Rory Brennan, Mark Bradley and Peter Teague all opted for an intercounty return and have accrued plenty of game-time. There’s stiff competition for places – Bradley sat out their recent game against Dublin due to a calf injury, and Darren McCurry staked his claim with a superlative performance, scoring nine points and setting up their two goals. Ruairi Canavan was sprung from the bench and kicked two points from play – he’s also knocking on the door.

They’ve arguably the most potent midfield partnership in the country. New captain Brian Kennedy has been awesome while 2021 All-Star Conn Kilpatrick has grown in stature as the league progressed. Joe Oguz is another strong option in the middle third on the back of his Errigal Ciaran exploits alongside Trillick lad Liam Gray.

In defence, Kieran McGeary is playing his best stuff in a number of years in the half-back line, Michael McKernan has been brilliant and has hit a whopping 2-13 at the other end of the pitch.

The full-back line of Niall Devlin, Peter Teague and Aidan Clarke has also been solid on the whole. They conceded three goals against a David Clifford-inspired Kerry in the fourth round but since then haven’t coughed up a single major, so there’s plenty of cause for optimism on that front even though former captain Padraig Hampsey has been in recovery from a shoulder operation.

Goalkeeper Niall Morgan showed he wouldn’t be held back by last month’s amendments to the 3v3 rule with a man of the match performance against Donegal. He’ll also have plenty to say in the next number of months.

So that’s the backdrop to Tyrone’s Ulster Championship opener against Cavan. They should have enough to progress – and that would, in all likelihood, set up a mouth-watering semi-final tie against All-Ireland champions Armagh. Time will only tell.

Roll of honour:
16 (1956, 1957, 1973, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2021)

Memorable Ulster Championship match:
Ulster Championship final 2003
Tyrone 1-17 Down 4-8
Sunday, July 13, 2003
AN Ulster final for the ages – and one that did so much to lay the foundations for Tyrone’s surge to a first ever All-Ireland SFC triumph. The Red Hands found themselves nine points in arrears but Peter Canavan’s expertly dispatched penalty acted as the catalyst for a stirring comeback at Clones. They were rocked back on their heels by the concession of a late goal – Down’s fourth of the day – but had enough time to set up a replay. Cormac McAnallen was moved to full-back for the replay, they hammered Down, and rest, as they say, is history.

Wild card: Michael McKernan
WHEN you talk about Tyrone’s attacking power, attention invariably turns to gifted forwards like Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry, and understandably so. Their third highest scorer from play in this year’s league campaign is nominally a defender – the experienced Michael McKernan, who has been a beacon of consistency for many years now. He rarely underperforms and it sometimes seems like opposition teams are caught out by him.

Captain: Brian Kennedy
TYRONE have a new captain this year, their 6’5” midfielder from Derrylaughan, Brian Kennedy. He’s a good fit for the role – he served as vice-captain under Peter Harte last year, is a guaranteed starter and is a grounded, articulate lad in the prime of his career. Arguably unlucky to miss out on an All-Star award in 2021 – it was always going to be a coin-toss between himself and Conn Kilpatrick – he’s sits comfortably as one of the very best midfielders in the country.

Manager: Malachy O’Rourke
A NEW man at the helm this year, and he needs very little introduction. Malachy O’Rourke’s appointment was gleefully welcomed by Tyrone fans in the knowledge that he’s been there and done that with various teams down the years, most recently enjoying a remarkable tenure in charge of Watty Graham’s, Glen. He’s brought with him Ryan Porter and Leo McBride, two men he’s soldiered alongside on the sidelines for many years, while he’s also recruited former Tyrone footballers Chris Lawn, Colly McCullagh and John Devine.