Early season progress pleases hurling boss McGarry

A HIGH profile clash in the Division 2B National League final represents another major step forward for the Tyrone hurlers who are bidding to end their campaign on the highest possible note with the decider against Derry on Saturday evening in Owenbeg.

It has been a real roller-coster journey for the Red Hand hurlers. Promotion to the newly restructured Division Two has been secured or 2025, thanks to a marvellous victory over Wicklow. Then, last weekend’s semi-final win over Donegal has set up an intriguing final clash with the Oak Leafers.

Team manager, Stephen McGarry and the players will enter the tie in determined fashion. Although Derry defeated them comfortably in the league and are hot favourites to take the title, Tyrone remain optimistic of causing what would be a surprise win.

But it’s the performance and the chance of another highly competitive outing prior to the start of the Christy Ring Cup which is the focus for them. Those are the priorities, but the opportunity of taking the title at Owenbeg is a major incentive.

“We demand high standards of ourselves and hold ourselves to those standards. We’re coming along, it’s only half way through the season with a relatively new group of players. But what an impact they’ve made,” said Stephen McGarry.

“There’s players who maybe haven’t lifted a hurling stick in two or three years and they’re starring for Tyrone in Division 2B. That’s a great credit to them, and they’re only going to get better the more hurling that they get.

“Our players just love hurling, they want to play hurling so they’re happy to go and do a job for Tyrone,” he added.

Derry dropped just one point in their league campaign, courtesy of a drawn clash against Wicklow. Nevertheless, the county has upped the tempo dramatically in 2024 and fully merited their top placing in the Division.

Both counties have met regularly in recent years, most notably in the first round of the Christy Ring Cup last year. On that occasion, before Tyrone’s Ulster Championship clash against Monaghan in football, the Red Hands fought back brilliantly to earn a draw.

Unsurprisingly, then, all are well aware of Derry’s credentials, especially Stephen McGarry, who is in no doubts about what’s going to be required for Tyrone to pull off an historic win this weekend.

“This week will just be spent on recovering and then we’ll do our due diligence on Derry. But everyone knows that they are just that wee bit ahead of us and they’re the team that we have to catch,” added the Ballycastle man.

“They have fantastic hurlers within their ranks. But we’ll just go and be the best version of Tyrone that we can be.

“Derry have got a wider array of players from different clubs and some are key clubs such as Slaughtneill. You have lads who played in All-Ireland semi-finals and they’re a terrific outfit.

More of the same level of determined hurling produced in last weekend’s win over Donegal will suffice for Tyrone.

This is probably their most important league clash for almost thirty years. The only time previous to this that they played Division Two hurling was in 1997.

Now there’s one eye on preparations for their return to that higher level in 2025. But first there’s this final appearance to look forward too after a marvellous win over their north-weast rivals from Donegal on Saturday past.

“It was helter-skelter and great credit to Donegal for the way that they started the first half against a huge breeze,” added McGarry.

“They really out us on the back foot, but eventually we worked our way back into the game and stuck to the processes. But as regards our boys, I said it previously that I don’t think we’ve put 70 minutes together so far this year.

“Obviously the semi-final was a bonus and we have secured promotion. There’s a lot of sore bodies because this league has been relentless.

“But if we weren’t playing in a league semi-final or final, we would be playing a challenge game somewhere.”

Instead of that, a Division 2B final brings with it the chance to really test themselves and perhaps beat against opponents recognised as being a team with the ability to reach the Joe McDonagh Cup in the coming years.