Donnelly Vauxhall Tyrone SFC
DROMORE are looking to bridge a four-year gap since their last Tyrone SFC title and they feel this could be their season.
Installed as favourites to lift the O’Neill Cup after beating reigning champions Omagh in the last round, they face Killyclogher in Friday’s semi-final at Healy Park. It’s an intriguing tie between an experienced Dromore side and an emerging St Mary’s outfit, packed with exciting youngsters who have already made their mark at inter-county level.
Injury has ruled Ronan McNabb out of the game, leaving Cathal McCarron as the only current county player in the St Dympna’s side. But he teams up with former Tyrone men Ryan McMenamin, Seán O’Neill and Colm McCullagh. They have genuine firepower from the boots of Eoin McCusker, Niall Sludden and Conor O’Neill, the men who struck the vital scores in the defeat of the O’Neill Cup holders.
Killyclogher’s game plan depends heavily on the energy and strong running of the McCann brothers, Tiernán and Conall, but there’s a doubt over the fitness of ace attacker Mark Bradley, who missed the quarter-final win over Strabane due to a shoulder injury. Leo Meenan and James Carlin are capable of getting scores and they have a strong defence built around former Tyrone players Dermot Carlin and Martin Swift.
Dromore captain Seán O’Neill said the absence of Ronan McNabb will give the players an extra incentive to go all out for the win: “You don’t replace Ronan McNabb, but we have men coming in to counteract their strengths and we have to work around that," he said.
“Although Ronan is missing, a big part of the thing for us now is to try and progress for Ronan’s sake."
Dromore are brimming with confidence after toppling Omagh, but O’Neill insists they must be wary of a side that beat them in last year’s league final.
“This last two, three or four years, they have been really building and they deserve a lot of credit and they deserve a lot of respect because they have stuck at it," he added.
“They won the league last year, rightfully won the league, beat ourselves in the league final and they have really built on that. They have some outstanding players, young Mark Bradley, Leo Meenan, Dermy Carlin and Martin Swift. So it will be a massive task for us.”
Dromore have depth in their squad, as they showed in the last couple of rounds, with players coming off the bench to make serious impacts.
“We’re lucky because we won the reserve championship and it has kind of galvanised the squad, it has kept boys at it and there’s a massive competition for places this year, where we wouldn’t have had that in the past,” O'Neill said.
Killyclogher are also benefitting from the development of an extended squad, according to defender Dermot Carlin, who put last season’s Division One title success down to strength in depth.
“Over the past few years, our squad is growing. Four or five years ago, we mightn’t have got through that. We have a good squad now,” he said.
The last time they won the league, back in 2001, they followed up with appearances in the championship final in the next two seasons, winning the O’Neill Cup in 2003. Carlin is hoping they can make their latest cycle of success pay off.
“Every team’s ambition is to go out and win something," he added.
"There’s only two trophies. We won the league last year, but everybody in the last four is looking to win the championship and we’re no different.”
And the former Tyrone defender is hoping ace attacker Mark Bradley can win his fitness battle in time for Friday’s game.
“He’ll still be touch and go and we’re missing one of our midfielders, Niall McFadden, as well,” he added.
