Date with Donegal in the semis next up for the hurlers

ACTION in a newly restructured Division Two of the National Hurling League will provide fresh challenges for Tyrone as they reflect on a 2024 campaign which still has some ground to run with two more matches a possibility.

Victory over Wicklow last weekend provided an impressive double benefit for the Red Hands. For not only did it see them win promotion, but it also set up a semi-final clash against Ulster rivals Donegal this weekend.

That game takes place on Saturday afternoon at 1pm in Letterkenny and provides both counties with a golden opportunity to reach the decider. Derry await the winners, and Tyrone are relishing the chance to make their mark and prolong their league season with two more quality matches.

Team manager Stephen McGarry and the players returned to training at Garvaghey this week with a spring in their step. He was delighted with the win over Wicklow and is certainly relishing this shot at reaching the final, and with it the prospect of early-season silverware.

“I’m delighted with the performance against Wicklow. There were stages of the game where it maybe looked like it was starting to slip away, but we reacted really well and it was hugely positive.

“To gain promotion this year after losing so many players is an incredible achievement. It’s testament to the players and the work that they have put in on the training field and away from the training field.

“Going up into Division Two will bring its down challenges. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it – we have a league semi-final to look forward to and we intend to go for it.”

Donegal and Tyrone drew when they met last in the league proper at Omagh a few weeks ago. Another close contest will be anticipated, as Tyrone bid to upset the odds with a victory on Donegal’s home ground of Letterkenny.

Whether or not home advantages makes a huge difference remains to be seen. But the fact is that Tyrone are entering the game with a strong degree of confidence.

“We’re essentially in bonus territory and we’ll treat it like that,” added the team manager.

“We’ll be going into the Donegal game as huge underdogs. I know they were very disappointed with the draw at Healy Park, and essentially believed that they were hard done by.

“But we’ll go in and enjoy the game, enjoy the underdogs’ tag and maybe a wee chip on our shoulder and try and put in as good a performance as we can.

“I have maintained from the start of the year that we’re performance driven. We just focus on what we do, how could we beat Wicklow and be better than we were last week. I was delighted to see them getting the result that they deserved.”

Now, the clash against Donegal is focusing the attentions, and Tyrone will be seeking more big performance from the key players who have been making their mark throughout 2024 to date.

“We have warriors there like Aidan Kelly and older hands like Ruairi Devlin, Bryan McGurk and Fionn Devlin,” he added.

“They set the standards and we’ve seen how much it means to them. When they’re on the field, you know you’re going to get a performance from them and I’m delighted for them.”

More of the same will do nicely indeed for Tyrone as they bid to reach a final clash against Derry, and the guarantee of perfect preparations ahead of the start of the Christy Ring Cup next month.