SLIGO boss Niall Carew says his players are in search of redemption against Tyrone this Saturday – and the only way to achieve that is by beating the Red Hands.
The Yeats men were left reeling from their 26-point hammering to Mayo in last week’s Connacht final. Carew was critical of his side’s lack of desire and work-rate against Mayo – but is of the firm belief Sligo will be better for the chastening experience.
Asked if Sligo had suffered any injuries in their provincial decider, Carew said: “No, we didn’t and we weren’t going to pick up any injuries because we never laid a glove on Mayo. So we’re quite fresh.
“It was one of those games where we conceded very early and that’s what can happen. That Mayo team can do that.
“They did it to Donegal in 2013 and Donegal were All-Ireland champions. We’re far away from that level.
“But we have to regroup quickly and reset and just try and put all that went wrong aside and try and put some of it right.”
Mayo full-forward Aidan O’Shea bagged 3-4 in the slaughter of Sligo – but Carew has reminded the players of their good performances this year, particularly their fine semi-final win over Roscommon.
“From the Roscommon to the Mayo game, our performance and energy levels were way down, our tackling was way down, our good pressure was way down.
“We just didn’t work hard enough – full stop. So that’s the first thing we’re going to try to get right [against Tyrone].
“Every gameplan requires a massive amount of work. It requires desire and work rate and we didn’t have any of that. Now, individually, a few lads did have it but collectively it wasn’t there.”
Carew has gathered invaluable sideline experience over the last decade, working with Kieran McGeeney in Kildare before taking on the Waterford post and now Sligo.
“The only way to get back on the horse is to train hard,” said the Kildare native.
“And we have to get it into our heads what got us to beat Roscommon, what got us to finish off the League with three wins… You can sometimes forget what served you well – the work-rate, the desire.
“They are the two things Tyrone won’t be short of next Saturday. We have to make sure we have work rate and desire every day we go out.
“Against Clare, we conceded 22 points [in Division Three] because of the same thing and it was similar against Mayo.”
He added: “We simply had to regroup and get ready for Tyrone. There are two things we can do: we can climb under a rock or seek redemption.
“Redemption, for me, would be victory – redemption is not just a performance. Redemption has to be winning the game.
“It’s a good challenge for us, but in the last 12 of the All-Ireland it’s always going to be a big challenge. No matter who you were going to be playing it was always going to be tough. So it’s a massive game for us and we’re looking forward to it now.”
After exiting Ulster to Donegal, Tyrone have steadily improved through the All-Ireland Qualifiers with wins over Limreick, Meath and Tipperary.
Sligo will have had 13 days to recover from their Connacht final defeat – but playing at Croke Park and facing a “top eight side” in Tyrone will, Carew believes, motivate his charges.
“Playing at Croke and playing Tyrone are certainly boosts for your energy levels. In Leinster you get to play at Croke Park, but when you’re from Sligo or even teams from the north you don’t really get a lot of opportunities to play at Croke Park. So it’s a big energy boost.”
