A DRAW will guarantee their Division One future, but Tyrone will be after both points against Armagh at Healy Park on Sunday, insists Kieran McGeary.
No matter what happens elsewhere in the final round of League fixtures, the Ulster rivals both have survival in their own hands. Victory will see Armagh avoid the drop unless Monaghan pull off another Houdini act in Castlebar against Mayo.
In Tyrone’s case, a draw will do but defeat could yet see them relegated if the Farneymen, Roscommon and Kerry all win.
The simplest way for the Red Hands to stay out of bother – and stay in with a chance of making the League final – is to beat their bitter rivals in Omagh and that’s what the intend to do.
“A point next week will do it but they’ll be going for two and we’ll be going for two and if we end up sharing the points then so be it,” said McGeary.
The Ulster Championship throws-in with Armagh versus Antrim in the preliminary round on April 8 and Tyrone meet Monaghan a week later. With little time for recovery between the end of one competition and the start of the next, form is crucial at this point of the season.
“It’s a sharp turnaround and there’s a different buzz in every county’s training camp come the Championship period,” said McGeary.
“I wouldn’t say that the intensity is raised or anything like that – you try and keep it the same the whole way through the year - but they’re bigger games in the Championship, they’re obviously more important, but we’ve a big, important game next week so we can’t look too far ahead. The Armagh game is the one that we’ll now be looking forward to.”
Tyrone’s eight-point win over Monaghan last Sunday enabled them to put a disappointing first half the League behind them. Since losing to Mayo by 10 points, Tyrone have beaten Kerry and Monaghan and making it three in-a-row against Armagh will leave them in good shape for the start of the Ulster Championship.
However, McGeary rejected the suggestion that their win in Clones had laid down a marker between them and Monaghan ahead of the Anglo-Celt quarter-final.
“Honestly, it won’t matter,” he said.
“They’ll know that and we know that. It was 13 (Monaghan had two men red-carded) against 15 and we got two goals – they were well worked but there’s a millimetre in (a defender) getting a hand to them and not getting a hand to them.
“Do you think we’ll get them that handy the next day? I wouldn’t think so, so by no means did we lay down any sort of marker and they’ll know that as will we.”
Emerging players Darragh Canavan (0-3), Cormac Quinn (a first half goalscorer) and midfielder Joe Oguz all played their part in Tyrone’s win in Clones. McGeary says the talent coming through his county’s underage ranks is encouraging.
“The conveyor belt is healthy and it’s about playing those boys and letting them show you what they can do,” he said.
“There’s a few men who have definitely put their hands up and said: ‘I’m fit for this level’ and that’s what you want, you want a nice, fit, healthy conveyor belt of players coming through and I think every county has showed that in the League, that’s probably one of the reasons why it’s so tight.”
Relegation issues and the identity of the League finalists won’t be decided until this final round of games and Tyrone have an outside chance of meeting Mayo in the Division One decider – and winning the title for the first time in 20 years – if they win and results elsewhere go in their favour.
