Tyrone teeter on the brink, desperately needing to beat the high-flying Dubs to avoid relegation, and even a victory at Omagh on Sunday may not be enough to keep them in Division One.
Centre back Rory Brennan says they must put on the blinkers, ignore the permutations and get the job done.
After that, it’s a case of hoping for the best as news of results from elsewhere filter through to decide their fate.
Read more:
- Tyrone v Dublin: Match details, throw-in time and how to watch as it’s win or bust for O’Rourke and Co
- Brian Kennedy: Championship edge to Tyrone relegation date with Dublin
- ‘There’s definitely a feeling of envy': Captain Kennedy hoping to lead Tyrone back to top table
“You can only control what’s in your own grasp,” said Brennan.
“It will be a case of putting the heads down, control the controllables, focus on ourselves, make sure that we get the two points, and then see what happens elsewhere.
“We can’t control what’s going on in other games, so it’s full focus ahead to Dublin.”
Retirements threatened to decimate the Dublin squad, but Dessie Farrell has mounded ready replacements into an effective unit that’s challenging for a place in the league final.
“We have seen over the last couple of weeks, the so-called inexperienced players, they’re coming, they’re looking for a jersey, and I’m sure they’ll be coming up looking the two points.
“So we’ll just have to knuckle down, focus on ourselves and make sure we’ve put in a good week’s work and get another performance.”
But the so-called new boys in blue are not so new, having spent a few seasons on the fringes, waiting for their opportunity to break through and hit the big time.
“They have all been in there in feeder squads, they’ve been getting their S&C, they’re getting all that stuff,” said Brennan.
“Those players are happy to be getting their opportunity now and they’ll be coming to prove a point, following in the footsteps of the boys that went before them.
“Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen the quality that they have inside, and in the half-back line, the running power they have.
“So it will be similar to Dublin of old, they’ll be well set up, they’ll be fit, strong, so it’s just up to us to counteract.”
The return of one of the county’s most accomplished defenders after two years away from the set-up has added steel, guile and experience to the Tyrone squad.
Having stepped away following the 2022 season, Brennan (30) felt he was ready to respond positively to the call from new manager Malachy O’Rourke.
“It’s good to come back in here, to the freshness, new management, new set-up and new players.
“There’s a lot of players that have been drafted in from the success of the U20s in the last couple of years, so it’s a good group. Everyone is pulling in the one direction, so far so good.”
O’Rourke has entrusted the Trillick man with the number 6 jersey, and while it has been a difficult league campaign for the Red Hands, he has maintained a consistently high standard at the heart of the defence.
“I have come in and he has backed me this last three or four games.
“I’m using my experience, using my form from the club season in trying to repay him.”
Niall Morgan laid on a man-of-the-match performance in last weekend’s win over Donegal, despite the tightening of restrictions on attacking goalkeepers.
But the new rule demanding that four players must remain in their own half at all times demands increased attention to organisational detail.
“The communication is key,” said Brennan. “It always has been, but now, with the new rules, it’s important that the ones at the back are calling that, and that you’re not getting punished for silly infractions.
“They’re costly to a team, so it’s important that you nail those small things. It’s just part of the game – talking – but there’s good men behind me there and good men around me.”
