BRIAN DOOHER is hoping All-Ireland U21 football champions Tyrone can use their Shamrock Cup success as a platform for a strong first defence of the Ulster U21 title.
The Red Hands scored a 0-16 to 0-10 win over Monaghan in the final of the tournament run by the Cremartin club last weekend. Double Sam Maguire Cup-winning captain Dooher, a member of the U21 management team, was pleased with the attitude of the players as they came from behind to retain the trophy last Sunday.
“We can learn about our own team, see can they handle the pressure. In the first-half, they were asked questions and, in the second-half, they answered some of them,” he said.
“We know there’s a lot more work to be done and we’ll see more of that from the video. We’re by no means the finished article at this stage, but it was good to win it, good to be in the competition. Now, we move on and, in another few weeks, we face Cavan.”
The annual early-season tournament stood to the Red Hands last year, when they collected the Cremartin silverware before going on to score a memorable All-Ireland triumph: “It is a good tournament, and very worthwhile, for it’s hard to get meaningful games,” said Dooher.
Tyrone have several survivors from last year’s All-Ireland winning squad, including senior panellists Cathal McShane and Lee Brennan and skipper Frank Burns. But Dooher insists an entirely new approach is required in order to mould an effective unit capable of challenging once again.
“It’s a completely different team this year. We have lost a big share of last year’s team," he added.
“Surely, people will say 'you’re the champions', but we wouldn’t be looking at it like that. We have a very tough day out at Breffni Park and we’re not looking any further down the road.”
The Ulster and All-Ireland champions face Cavan in the first round of the Ulster Championship at Kingspan Breffni Park on Wednesday, March 16, arguably the toughest draw they could have been handed. Cavan are the modern-day force at U21 level, having won four provincial titles in-a-row, and the Clann na nGael man expects them to be driven by the disappointment of last season’s shock defeat by Donegal.
“Cavan have been the team in Ulster over the past few years. Last year, they were nipped by Donegal when they were going for five in-a-row," Dooher said.
“The year before, the last one they won, they could have beat Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final. They were very unlucky and they would have won the final if they had got through. It’s fine margins. You need a wee bit of luck along the way and they didn’t get the rub of the green last year, but I’m sure they’ll be out to make amends for last year.”
Tyrone had to work hard in difficult conditions to overturn a four-point deficit and get the better of the Farney men at Shamrock Park last Sunday. When they got the wind in their backs in the second-half, they started to find their range, with McShane and Brennan landing some magnificent scores.
“Conditions weren’t good, there was a big strong wind and, in the first-half, we struggled badly with that," Dooher said.
“But it was the same for both sides and, in the second-half, Monaghan struggled with it. In the second-half, we got our scores at good times and got it back fairly quickly after Monaghan went ahead. Cathal hit a few good points at the start of the second-half. We just chipped away at it and eventually got level and then got a couple more scores.
“And once you get a couple of points in front on a day like that, you’re always going to be hard to reel back in again, unless they get a goal. It was a tough match and not much in it.”
