2023- Primed for a Red Hand revival?

Despite a disappointing defence of their Ulster and All-Ireland crowns this season, Niall Gartland outlines five reasons why brighter times lie ahead for Tyrone.

1 The introduction of the latest batch of underage stars

Tyrone won the All-Ireland u-20 title in style this year and four members of that team – Ruairi Canavan, Niall Devlin, Michael McGleenan and Steve Donaghy – were parachuted into the senior panel in the week leading up to their first round qualifier against Armagh. They weren’t the only stand-out individuals from the u-20 squad so there could be more names making the big step up when Tyrone reconvene ahead of the new season. Tyrone were hit by the departure of highly experienced players like Tiernan McCann, Mark Bradley and Ronan O’Neill and the introduction of a few more talented younger players could provide a real jolt of energy. Tyrone are also faring well at minor level, it would be remiss not to mention.

2 The batteries will be recharged

It goes without saying that the Tyrone players are fit as fiddles, but the demands of the modern game are exceptionally high and it’s likely that at least some of the team felt mentally drained after the rigours of the last 12 months or so. After winning last year’s All-Ireland, they turned their attentions to the club scene which didn’t get wrapped up until the middle of December. A fortnight’s holiday in Florida was well-deserved, but it was another reason why their league form left a lot to be desired, barring a super victory over Kerry in Killarney. Next time around it should be different – the club action will be done and dusted by late October and the players should, in theory, be refreshed when it’s time to don their Tyrone jersies again.

3 Logan and Dooher are still learning their trade

IT was always going to be difficult to hit the heights of last year, so we can chalk Tyrone’s ill-fated All-Ireland defence as a learning experience for all involved.

Feargal Logan and BrianDooher led the county to an All-Ireland u-21 title in 2015 and backed that up with the biggest prize of all in 2021, and they should be as re-engerised as the players nextyear.

It’ll be interesting to see how they got on – Jim Gavin’s Dublin bounced back and then some after the shock defeat to Donegal in the 2014 All-Ireland semi-final (it was probably the best thing that ever happened to them, in hindsight) and while life is an unpredictable beast as the best of times, they should only benefitfrom some spent away from the coalface.

4 Motivation shouldn’t be an issue

There was a school of thoughtthat Tyrone’s poor form this year could be attributed to a lack of motivation – that some of theplayers were content with their All-Ireland medal after years of hard slog.

But these are elite intercounty footballers at the end of the day, and a second Celtic Cross would put the mainstays of the team firmly in the legendary category.

That aside, Tyrone have traditionally thrived when they have a point to prove and there’ll be plenty of points to prove in 2023 – Armagh and Derry are rising up the ranks and Tyrone will want to put them back in their box.

Some of the elder players are in the twilight of their careers and will want to make the most of their remaining seasons on the intercounty scene as well.

5 It’s ultimately there for the taking

Dublin basically had a monopoly on Sam during the Jim Gavin years, but the lay of the land has changed and any number of teams will fancy their chances of going all the way next season. Tyrone will certainly be among them and if you look at the quality throughout the team, there’s no logical reason why they can’tspring back after a forgettable2022. The age profile of the team is favourable, they know they have the mettle to succeed on the big day and the management will know what pitfalls to avoid.

Let’s hope it will be a lot more like 2021 than 2022 anyway.