TYRONE boss Mickey Harte is convinced his team can compete at the top level if they get past Sligo this Saturday.
Victory at Croke Park this weekend would take the Red Hands into an All-Ireland quarter-final against either Ulster champions Monaghan or their Connacht counterparts Mayo.
Tyrone have only reached the last four twice since last lifting the Sam Maguire Cup, losing out in the semi-finals to Mayo two years ago and to Cork in 2009.
Yet Harte feels his team can reach that penultimate stage again this year. The long-serving boss made it clear last week that he is not under-estimating Sligo – but nor is he undervaluing his own squad, saying:
“I believe that there’s a lot of belief within the side and there are a lot of players who believe in themselves. People on the outside looking in will only take that on board when they see certain results, when they see teams winning a game at a high level.
“I suppose that’s the way of it, that other people have to be convinced – but I think our players believe they can deliver big performances at any level. I think that they’re not lacking in confidence and I hope that will be seen as they progress.”
While he spoke last week about the quality of players Sligo have, notably up front, he remains confident that Tyrone can defeat the Connacht finalists, commenting:
“Hopefully we can do the best we can in this game. It always comes back to the same thing: if we perform to our top level then I believe we will win this game. If we don’t perform to our top level then anything can happen.”
Harte remains wary of Sligo bouncing back from their 26-point humiliation by Mayo in the western provincial decider, having noted how they shocked Roscommon at the semi-final stage:
“If they turn in the kind of performance they produced against Roscommon, they know that takes them past most teams in the country, except for the top bracket people – and they don’t consider us in the top bracket at the minute, so there you are.
“Sligo are bound to consider this is a great chance for a bit of redemption for them. From time to time we find ourselves in this position, that we’re the team somebody envisages taking as a so-called ‘bigger scalp’. That leaves us in a place that’s precarious, so we have to be careful.”
Having said that, Harte is happy with the blend he has at his disposal now, saying: “There’s been quite a transition in the team over the past few years. There are still obviously a few good, experienced heads there, the type you always need in any team.
“Then there’s a mixture, from the 2008 minors, a number of very solid players from that team, and then some of the young men of the [All-Ireland winning] U21s [this year].
“We have got people from across the age bracket, from U21 to 30-something and that’s not a bad mix to have on any team.
“People get a chance, they come in and show that they can do something at this level, which keeps the heat on those who are maybe starting ahead of them. That is a challenge for everybody but it’s a positive challenge.”
The Red Hands have also had a helpful gap between games recently, with two weeks between their round 3B win away to Tipperary and this Saturday’s clash, following a run of three matches over four weekends, which Harte has welcomed:
“It is good to get a break when you play two weeks in a row. If you’re going week after week all the time it gets very difficult. In the past we’ve had to play four weeks in a row, so it’s not been so bad”.