2020 Bank of Ireland?McKenna Cup Section B round 2: Tyrone v Cavan (Healy Park, 2pm Sunday)
McKENNA Cup matches are always ‘must-win’ in Mickey Harte’s eyes but that is indubitably the case for the visit of Cavan.
Several factors feed into that: the new competition format (which has less room for error), Cavan’s own difficulties, the usual desire to start the season with a win – but most of all the absence of Cathal McShane.
The Owen Roe’s clubman may well not have featured anyway but with strengthening speculation that last year’s attacking Allstar is set to move to Aussie Rules then the Red Hands need a morale- boosting beginning to the new year.
In some senses Cavan are almost the best available opposition for Tyrone, having lost arguably their three best players - Killian Clarke, Dara McVeety, Conor Moynagh – until the Championship at the very least. Indeed the versatile Clarke is away for the year while wing-back Moynagh and attacker McVeety are travelling, with undefined return dates.
The understrength Breffnimen struggled badly at home to Armagh last weekend, initially anyway, trailing by 12 points at one stage, but at least they showed spirit and fight before eventually losing by 2-17 to 1-13.
Manager Mickey Graham, in his second senior season, would have been hoping to build on an overall positive 2019, but instead is engaged in a re-building project.
He was content with the effort from the many fresher faces he was forced to field against Armagh and he will need a strong team showing if they are to avoid yet another defeat by Tyrone.
The latest came in round four of the qualifiers last summer, a 16-point hammering at Clones. Although Killian Brady only came on for the final quarter, with the game effectively long over, he admits:
“The manner of defeat to Tyrone was crushing, it obviously hurt… it’s happened a couple of times in the last number of years and it’s something we need to address and get over as well.”
Tyrone are a real bogey team for Cavan, who haven’t beaten them at senior level in League or Championship since 1983, something that Mullahoran man Brady finds it hard to get his head around:
“I don’t know what it is, we would’ve got the better of them at underage level, U21 level, you’re playing the same players now.”
The differing turnover rates in the panels may play a part, he reckons: “If you look at those U21 teams, they probably have more of their lads playing than we do.
“Maybe that’s something that has to be addressed in terms of how our panel has been turned over three or four years in a row, a couple of different managers in that time, and every manager seemed to have a different panel every time. That’s challenging, and this year is no different obviously.”
Having said that, he insists Cavan have to be positive: “I’ve been on the pitch when there’s been hammerings like that and it’s not a nice feeling, it definitely does hurt you and makes you question what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
“But then this time of year comes around and you have to hit the ‘reset’ button and you’re mad to go again.”
That will surely also be the mindset of the half-dozen promising young players called up by Tyrone boss Harte, although it’s unlikely that all will start tomorrow as his policy is always to surround newcomers with experience to help their adjustment to a higher level of football.
Galbally’s Conor Quinn will be hoping for game-time in defence, along with fellow 2019 U20 Allstar Conal Grimes of Loughmacrory and Errigal Ciaran’s Niall Kelly. In the middle third there could be run-outs for Ardboe’s Michael O’Neill and/ or Conn Kilpatrick of Edendork, son of former county star Adrian.
Daniel Kerr, also of Galbally, is an option up front, where most of the question marks are for Tyrone. McShane’s absence adds to the loss of Conor McAliskey, who has stepped away from inter-county football.
On the plus side, Mark Bradley and Ronan O’Neill are back after missing last season, but for all their talent neither is a target man, certainly not one capable of benefitting from the new ‘advanced mark’ rule in the manner that McShane surely could have. Captain Mattie Donnelly is also missing, recuperating from an operation, so it will be interesting to see who is deployed at the forefront of the home attack.
Harte, and his new backroom men of Kevin Madden and Jonny Davis, will be keen to show the Red Hands remain a force and ensure they travel confidently to take on neighbours Armagh on Wednesday night.
