Donegal vs Tyrone SFC- Five Talking Points

Well that was unexpected

AH we really do take things for granted sometimes. Mayo would beat Cavan, and whatever happens in the next few weeks, Tyrone would do what they always do and overcome the Breffni County in the third and final round. Well, fair dues to Cavan for their brilliant win over Mayo last weekend, a result that’s blown the group right open. Tyrone’s second round encounter against Mayo in Omagh could be huge…and on that note, the group stages aren’t half-bad in terms of entertainment so it’s a pity that they’re being replaced next year by a qualifier series – change for change’s sake?

Absorbing the lessons

Tyrone’s one-point defeat to Armagh in the Ulster Championship semi-final was a curious sort of game. We lost by a single, solitary point to the All-Ireland champions, and in that respect there were plenty of positives to be taken, from the game but there was one particular area where we seemed to struggle – from Ethan Rafferty’s restarts. It’ll be interesting to see if we fare better in the middle this weekend, but it won’t be easy – Shaun Patton’s kick-outs are superb and they have plenty of heft around the middle in the likes of Ciaran Thompson and Michael Langan.

Can we do it?

TYRONE’S record against Donegal in championship football since the turn of the decade reads two wins and two defeats. One leading bookmaker has us 9/5 to win on Saturday, so we’re underdogs without being total rank outsiders. It still feels like a big enough ask to go to Ballybofey and to pick up a positive result, but if it happens, it would be the most significant win for this Tyrone team since landing the All-Ireland in 2021. Tyrone haven’t played second fiddle to anyone this year since losing to Armagh back in round two of the league, so at the very least we’re hoping for a seriously competitive performance.

Sending our best wishes

NEXT Wednesday evening, Tyrone U20s will bid to retain their All-Ireland title at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, where they will take on Louth. It’s been one hell of a journey to this point from that very first provincial group stage outing away to Down, to their All-Ireland semi-final win over Kerry. Best of luck to all involved, and the same applies to the Tyrone minors, who will battle it out with Cavan for the Ulster Minor Championship title on Sunday evening at Brewster Park. In the long-run, hopefully quite a number of players from both teams go on to star for Tyrone at senior level.

Club action on hold

DIVISION One of the All County Leagues has been placed on hold until the first round of June, leaving club players sitting on their hands. Likewise, it’s been quiet enough in Division Two, with a number of games postponed due to Intermediate players involved in Tyrone’s run to the All-Ireland U20 final. There’s two sides to it – it’s a frustrating wait for club players, but the CCC have looked at ways of condensing the season and there will be particularly significant changes introduced for the 2026 season. Tyrone prides itself on the competitiveness of its leagues,  rightly so, and it’s hard to find an answer to suit everybody.