Dooher warns victory will be hard ‘Erned

REIGNING champions Tyrone must guard against complacency if they are to avoid a back alley mugging at Brewster Park this Saturday night, joint manager Brian Dooher has cautioned.

The Sam Maguire kingpins are expected to launch their Ulster and All-Ireland SFC title defences in winning fashion against unfancied Fermanagh at Enniskillen in the provincial preliminary round this weekend.

However Dooher is warning his troops that their mentality and aptitude must be on point when they venture west into the Erne county, otherwise they could emerge on the wrong side of an almighty shock.

“ Complacency is a big thing and it’s a big thing any day that you go out particularly when you are All Ireland champions. We were a bit like that at the start of the League so you hope that you are training hard and generating competition at training and I think that is the most important thing.”

The competitive nature of the National League, with Tyrone surviving on the last day after securing victory against Kerry down in Killarney, underlined how firecely fought the Championship is likely to be in the coming months. The wily Dooher though was refusing to look beyond their opening day assignment.

” You never know what can happen on any given day and there is always a step up between league and championship no matter what. The pace just moves up to another level, pitches are firmer and everything is moving better and we hope that we are moving better!

“You just never know what to expect sometimes in the championship, you just hope that you can survive to an extent and just get on with it and get through.

“ You have to approach each game and treat it on its own merits whether that’s the championship or league. Obviously the championship is moreorless do or die, it’s the competition that everyone looks forward to and that’s were you really test yourself.”

While Tyrone will have their focus set on the major prizes again this summer, Dooher is aware how much Saturday’s fixture will mean for the hosts, who won’t lack certainly in terms of motivation.

“ Fermanagh will look forward to the game and rightly so. They are a good team and we certainly won’t be underestimating them. People may think that we are and people will say that we are favourites because we are All Ireland champions but on any given day it’s a one off game and if you are not right and you are not prepared you will be in trouble.

“They have some very good footballers, the likes of Jones and Quigley as well as lads who have won Hogan Cup medals so they have quality footballers throughout the team and they will take a bit of beating. Derrygonnelly got to the Ulster Club Final last season and they have been there or thereabouts for the last few years and that doesn’t happen by accident. That’s the backbone of their team as well you know so they aren’t to be underestimated, they are a strong big team.”

As a player Dooher won three Celtic Crosses with Tyrone but in the season subsequent to those triumphs they were unable to defend their All-Ireland crown. He hopes that the squad can tap into his own painful memories of 2004, 06 and 09 as they set out on their quest for back-to-back titles.

“ You hope to help and take the learning from that to be better prepared or whatever. You have to make sure that training is at the right level and is competitive and you will hopefully play the way that you train. You just aren’t going to turn up on the day, the preparations have to be right and hopefully we can then translate that into a performance. If you play to your best you can’t ask for anything more, see where it takes you and see what happens.

“ There are a number of reasons, not just one why we perhaps didn’t retain it. There is usually a number of factors, all wee things add up to being a big thing at the end of the day so it’s trying to get all those wee things right and hopefully you will taking learning from it. Collie (Holmes) is there, Joe (McMahon) is there, Peter Donnelly is there so they all had that experience along with myself so there is combined learning there that can be shared.”