Morale among the players is a key concern for Tyrone captain Mattie Donnelly as he tailors his leadership skills to meet a new challenge in extraordinary times.
Despite the separation imposed by strict Covid-19 guidelines, he has been doing what he can to maintain spirits and help squad members cope with the public health emergency that has enveloped their personal and sporting lives.
Donnelly has also issued an appeal to all members of the public to adhere strictly to the advice issued by government and health authorities to halt the spread of the deadly virus.
“I have been in touch with boys, seeing how they’re getting on and looking out for them.
“It’s about picking up the phone, having that optimistic outlook that this will subside and we will be back playing football again. At some stage our normal life will resume, and it’s about seeing that light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
“It will have hit some harder than others, and ironically when you’re told to stay at home and isolate, that’s when you need to come together.
“It is a big change, and you just have to keep your ear to the ground to make sure that boys are coping all-right with it, and that they’re still ticking over, because hopefully there will be football played this year when this subsides, and we want to keep them ready.”
Individual training programmes have helped the Tyrone players maintain fitness levels, and while they fall far short of collective sessions, they represent a vital ad to the pursuit of optimum physical and mental health.
“It’s the same whether you’re an inter-county footballer or you just exercise as a pastime.
“It has great benefits for mental health and keeping you positive.
“Those boys are ingrained in a routine of being active, and they’re not going to be sitting on the sofa for two or three months.
“You have to get out and about, but stick to the guidelines, do what you can, and that’s essential from a mental health perspective.”
The former Allstar, currently working from home as an accountant with PWC, issued a message to all members of society.
“You have to look at things that must be prioritised, and we have to prioritise the health and safety of everyone on this island.
“Each household must look after their input to the situation in adhering to the guidelines in place, and clear guidelines they are. I would be disappointed if anyone was straying from that unnecessarily.
“But it’s not just within each households. We have been given restrictions and guidelines very clearly, and it’s about how we use them.
“Every single persons’ normal routine has been affected, and from a player’s point of view, we’re no different than anyone else.
“We have been working nine to five, and seeing each other practically every night of the week.
“But that has been put on the back burner. The priority now is the health and wellbeing of society. But we have had to adjust our day-to-day life as well.”
A return to sporting action seems a long way off, but the Red Hand skipper is hoping to see some sort of competitive football before the year is out.
“I don’t think anyone knows what’s going to unfold from this current situation, but you have to be optimistic and hope that there will be football played this year.
“I think it’s ominous that the Championship structure is going to be restructured, with the League as good as gone.
“If you offered me a restructured Championship now, and told me that we would get Championship football for club and count in 2020, I’d take it, no problem.”
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