ENDA McGinley says Mickey Harte may need to reconsider his assertion that a Division Two team will not win the Sam Maguire Cup.
The former Tyrone star, who won three All-Irelands under Harte during the noughties, believes the Red Hands will be leading challengers once again this season, despite their NFL status.
The Tyrone manager stated a couple of seasons ago that he believed that only teams playing at the top level in the League are capable of ultimate success in the Championship. Armagh, in 2002, were the last county to win the All-Ireland while operating outside the top tier.
But McGinley said: “Mickey Harte has previously said that a Division Two team wouldn’t be able to win the All-Ireland, just because they don’t have the match practice against the top level.
“I would guarantee that that’s not what is in his head at the minute, and probably the key factor is that I don’t think he sees Tyrone as a Division Two side.
“So maybe there’s a wee tweak that can be made to that assertion about Division Two sides competing for the All-Ireland title, as Tyrone don’t see themselves a Division Two side, and in fairness, I don’t think other teams out there see Tyrone as a good deal stronger than Division Two.”
Tyrone will once again play Division One football next year, having already secured promotion with two games to spare.
McGinley (above) wants to see them go on and win the Division Two title at Croke Park on April 24, in order to establish the perfect platform for a bid to win a first Ulster Championship title since 2010.
“They will be very happy if they can win a bit of League silverware, and a victory in Croke Park will always go down well for any group of players, and will sign off a very good and solid start to the year, if they can bring it home.
“And that will set them up well for what I know the players are really eyeing – a real strong and determined push for an Ulster Championship title, which will start with a tough game, obviously, with Derry in the first round.”
The Red Hands are unbeaten in 10 games in 2016, retaining the Dr McKenna Cup and winning five straight League ties with a refreshing blend of youthful and experienced players.
McGinley senses a resonance between the current team and that which came together around a decade-and-a-half ago on the back of All-Ireland U21 success, of which he was a part.
“I think it’s an exciting time, and it’s an exciting team that’s forming under Mickey Harte, and I suppose it’s not dissimilar in the likes of ’02 and ’03, where, off the back of All-Ireland U21 success, a new batch of players came through.
“At that stage, there was room within the senior team, because the established players from the ’95, ’96 era were moving on.
“For those U21s from last year, the same situation exists, because most of the established players from the ’03 to ’08 era have moved on, and so there’s room for them to come in.
“They have come on, and the players that are there have seemed to step up another level, and the team as a whole, over two to three years of development, seems to be in a place where their athleticism, their fitness and their speed are right up there with the top teams. And I think that is key for the modern game.”
The Errigal Ciaran man believes Tyrone are growing increasingly comfortable with their system of play, with a combination of well organised defensive structures and a fast, counter-attacking game becoming more effective week on week.
“They have got their defensive strategy, which they have been working on for the last couple of years, well enough nailed down.
“So they have a lovely balance now of experience and youth, they have a great mixture of pace and solidness in defence, so certainly, those are key components for a team that’s targeting to compete at the top level.”
