2007 didn’t go to plan for Owen Mulligan, but the Cookstown man has recharged his batteries and is raring to go once again. He tells Brendan Crossan that he is looking forward to scaling new heights with his beloved Red Hands this season...
TAFTER Tyrone lost to Meath in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final, Owen Mulligan’s player rating in the Irish News read: ‘So much required of him as the attack leader, but unable to deliver when it mattered. 1-1 aside, missed numerous chances especially in the crucial last quarter.’
Mulligan scored a rating of five out of 10. It was a withering analysis of Mulligan’s performance.
Fast-forward six months and, unprompted, Mulligan brings up the subject of his performance against Meath. Although there was a host of Tyrone players who played below par in Croke Park, Mulligan looked no further than his own performance.
In fact, his self-assessment is more withering than proffered by the Irish News last August.
The Cookstown man said: “We were pretty confident about going all the way last year, but that game against Meath, I had enough chances to win it myself.
“I missed a lot of frees and chances from open play that probably ended up costing us and I take responsibility for it. We definitely had as good a chance as any to win the All-Ireland last year.”
The Red Hands might have won an Ulster title last summer, but the overwhelming feeling was one of underachievement. Tyrone’s reputation suggested they should have performed better.
“It was a frustrating year for everyone last season,” added Mulligan.
“We got off to a flyer in the McKenna Cup and there were a lot of good new boys coming in.
“Then we began to struggle in the latter part of the League, but I think people forget we won Ulster last year.”
For better or worse, Monaghan took the plaudits after losing to Tyrone in the provincial final, while Mickey Harte’s men quietly made their way to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Stephen Bray, Shane O’Rourke, Brian Farrell and Anthony Moyles were cutting a dash in the Qualifiers for Meath, but Tyrone were still expected to end the Royal County’s run and progress to an All-Ireland semi-final.
But injuries to key men took their toll. Brian Dooher’s season ground to a halt in Croke Park and Brian McGuigan and the recently retired Stephen O’Neill were sorely missed.
“We’d players missing in other years and we did okay,” said Mulligan.
“Raymond Mulgrew has come in and is a great plus, Sean Cavanagh’s brother, Colm, is in too. But, at the end of the day, you’re never going to replace Brian Dooher, Stevie O’Neill or Brian McGuigan.
“Players like them only come around once every 10 years. You definitely need players like that and maybe they were too big a miss last season.”
Some people would argue that Tyrone’s vintage years are behind them.
Stevie O’Neill’s shock retirement last week only reinforces that view.
Brian McGuigan was named in Harte’s NFL panel on Monday afternoon, but it’s debatable if the gifted Ardboe playmaker can reach the heights of three years ago. And then there is skipper Brian Dooher who still isn’t 100 per cent.
But then you sift through the senior squad and there are many players on the cusp.
Niall Gormley, Tommy McGuigan, Raymond Mulgrew, Justin McMahon, Shaun O’Neill and Colm Cavanagh.
It’s in these names that Mulligan draws his optimism for the season ahead.
“Some of the new players have really impressed me,” he said.
“These lads coming into the county team are looking to make a name for themselves and they’re looking to push the older players all the way.
“There’s nothing won in January. I think Tyrone can go all the way this year, but it’ll be very tough.”
Mulligan rejects the notion that power has shifted away from Ulster over the last couple of seasons with Dublin and Kerry now ahead of the Red Hands in the All-Ireland betting for the coming year.
“You only have to look at Monaghan last year. They were very, very unlucky to lose to Kerry last summer.
“I thought they should have won the game. Monaghan gave us deadly bother in the Ulster final.
“But you can’t write off Ulster’s chances. Fermanagh, Donegal, Armagh, they’ll come good and I still think Ulster will give it a big push this year. And when you’re wearing a Tyrone jersey you have to be confident.”
Mulligan added: “Tyrone teams are always looking to win All-Irelands. We won the All-Ireland in ‘03 and 05; we thought we could have won it another couple of years, but hopefully we can bounce back this year and win it.”
Tyrone’s pathway to the start of the Ulster Championship couldn’t be any tougher. All the big guns have been crammed into the NFL’s top flight in 2008: Kerry, Galway, Laois, Donegal, Derry, Mayo and Kildare will provide stiff opposition.
Tyrone endured a disappointing Dr McKenna Cup campaign, losing to UUJ and Donegal in the group stages. Mulligan turned out in Tyrone’s opening McKenna Cup game against Jordanstown earlier this month before jetting off for a two-week break.
For ‘Mugsy’, January is no time to be running around a mucky field. He prefers the firmer ground and he’ll look to reach peak fitness in the latter stages of the National League.
Stevie O’Neill’s hunger may have been sated over the last few years, but Mulligan insists he still has the appetite and drive to win more things with Tyrone.
“I suppose I have been around for a while and as every year passes you get more experience. But it’s hard to beat the feeling of winning. If you keep winning there is no better feeling and you’ll just keep playing.
“I just want to keep winning and winning, especially with the new lads that have come into the panel this year. Mickey [Harte] just keeps freshening things up and these new players push you on, and that’s what you want.”
With each passing year, the pressure to lead Tyrone increases on established inter-county players like Owen Mulligan. And with O’Neill disappearing from view, the spotlight will be inclined to linger on the Cookstown man. Tyrone need an attack leader. Tyrone need Owen Mulligan...
THE CAPTAIN
Captain: Brian Dooher Brian Dooher has been handed the captain’s role once again by manager Mickey Harte, and the Clann na nGael ace will want to make up for an indifferent 2007 campaign. His best game by a distance was against Donegal in the Ulster semi-finals, but he was disappointing in Tyrone’s other Championship outings. Of course, Dooher was badly hampered by injury last season and his decision to line out against Meath in Tyrone’s ill-fated All-Ireland quarter-final backfired.
Dooher has been struggling to reach match fitness this year and could miss the opening stages of the National League, but his dedication to get back into the team will be an inspiration to the new players who have recently entered the demanding world of inter-county football.
THE VERDICT
IT was a pity Conor Gormley (right) couldn’t be in two places at once for Tyrone last year. The Carrickmore defender was arguably Tyrone’s best performer and was often tasked with nullifying the opposition’s best attacker. But therein lies the problem.
Manager Mickey Harte needs someone else to step up and share the defensive burden. Someone like Cathal McCarron or PJ Quinn could help plug the holes that were shown up against Monaghan and Meath last year. Sean Cavanagh was at his imperious best for Tyrone last year and Mickey Harte will be demanding more of the same.
Up front, Raymond Mulgrew is one of the most naturally gifted footballers to come Tyrone’s way for some time and while he performed well last season, he perhaps needs to up his scoring tally, especially now that Stephen O’Neill has vacated the team.
It is assumed that all Brian McGuigan has to do is put on the red and white jersey again and Tyrone’s ills will be remedied. The Ardboe playmaker hasn’t played for almost two years and Tyrone supporters would do well to be patient in this regard.
Tyrone have lost a marquee forward in O’Neill and it’s a big ask of McGuigan to get back to his best this year. Harte needs someone like Mulgrew to fill the void. He needs a fit and hungry Owen Mulligan and he needs Ryan McMenamin to rediscover his form of a couple of seasons ago.
Harte also needs one or two of the new recruits to make a real push for a jersey rather than content themselves with a place on the bench, for there are places up for grabs. More shirts than usual despite the familiar look to the squad.
There are major questions in defence and attack to be answered in 2008. Tyrone have it all to do in Division One this year.
2007 NFL SQUAD
Dermot Carlin, Colm Cavanagh (left), Sean Cavanagh, Jonathan Curran, John Devine, Peter Donnelly, Brian Dooher, Conor Gormley, Niall Gormley, Ciaran Gourley, David Harte, Colin Holmes, Kevin Hughes, Philip Jordan, Cathal McCarron (Dromore), Damian McCaul, Pascal McConnell, Colm McCullagh, Mickey McGee, Enda McGinley, Brian McGuigan, Tommy McGuigan, Joe McMahon, Justin McMahon, Ryan McMenamin, Ryan Mellon, Raymond Mulgrew, Owen Mulligan, Shaun O’Neill, Martin Penrose, PJ Quinn, Martin Swift
ONES TO WATCH
THERE were a few encouraging signs from the new boys last year until injury ruled them out of contention. The versatile Colm Cavanagh, Niall Gormley and Tommy McGuigan looked excellent prospects in the early stages of the Championship and Tyrone fans will look to this trio of forwards to break into Mickey Harte’s starting line-up during the League.
In fact, McGuigan is a likely starter at centre-forward, while the younger Cavanagh can play as a target man or at midfield. Niall Gormley showed his sharpness and eye for a score against Fermanagh last summer, but injury cut short his season.
Another forward, Dromore’s Shaun O’Neill, may have a few rough edges to his game, but given time he might push for a starting slot in Tyrone’s full-forward line in 2008 now that Stevie O’Neill has left the panel.
O’Neill’s club-mate Cathal McCarron also showed during the McKenna Cup campaign that he deserves a crack at the full-back role – a problem position for Tyrone last season. The highly-rated PJ Quinn will look to nail down a defensive berth, while Martin Swift also showed encouraging signs in the side earlier this month.
2007 RESULTS
2008 FIXTURES
National League Round One: Dublin 0-10 TYRONE 0-11
Round Two: TYRONE 0-14 Fermanagh 0-8
Round Three: Cork 0-15 TYRONE 0-7
Round Four: TYRONE 1-8 Donegal 2-11
Round Five: Limerick 0-9 TYRONE 1-8
Round Six: Kerry 0-9 TYRONE 0-9; Round Seven: TYRONE 1-11 Mayo 4-7
Fourth place finish in Division 1A
Championship May 20, Ulster SFC, (Clones):
TYRONE 0-13 Fermanagh 1-9
June 17 Ulster SFC, (Clones):
TYRONE 2-15 Donegal 1-7
July 15 Ulster SFC, (Clones):
TYRONE 1-15 Monaghan 1-13
Aug 4, All-Ireland SFC (Croke Park):
TYRONE 2-8 Meath 1-13
Allianz NFL Division One
Sat Feb 2: Kildare (h)
Sat Feb 16: Kerry (a)
Sun March 2: Galway (a)
Sat March 15: Laois (h)
Sat March 29: Donegal (h)
Sat April 5: Derry (a)
Sun April 13: Mayo (h)
That’s why they call him the leader of the attack
TAFTER Tyrone lost to Meath in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final, Owen Mulligan’s player rating in the Irish News read: ‘So much required of him as the attack leader, but unable to deliver when it mattered. 1-1 aside, missed numerous chances especially in the crucial last quarter.’
Brian Dooher has been handed the captain’s role once again by manager Mickey Harte, and the Clann na nGael ace will want to make up for an indifferent 2007 campaign. His best game by a distance was against Donegal in the Ulster semi-finals, but he was disappointing in Tyrone’s other Championship outings. Of course, Dooher was badly hampered by injury last season and his decision to line out against Meath in Tyrone’s ill-fated All-Ireland quarter-final backfired. 
Antrim
Armagh
Cavan
Derry
Donegal
Down
Fermanagh
Monaghan
Tyrone
