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TYRONE manager Malachy O’Rourke has cautioned that every team in NFL Division Two is on an ‘upward curve’ heading into the new season, none more so than their first opponents this weekend Kildare.
While stressing that promotion has to be the number one goal for his side, the Red Hand boss dismisses the notion that this task will prove fairly routine for his talent laden squad in the coming weeks. And he used their last experience outside the top flight in the league a decade ago to underline his point.
“ There is no doubt we want to get promotion. There is no point hiding from that but we know it’s a really tough Division. All the teams are on an upward curve and they will all have the same ideas. There is a lot of new management teams so they all have their own reasons to try and keep developing. So it will be important for us to hit the ground running.
“ Somebody mentioned to me that the last time Tyrone were in Division Two they won a number of games by a point so it wasn’t a cakewalk by any means. It took top legendary players to get Tyrone over the line in some of those games so we are aware it won’t be easy.”
The Lilywhites head north to Omagh enduring something of an early season injury crisis, with key men like Ben McCormack, Colm Dalton and Darragh Kirwan all unlikely to feature, but O’Rourke isn’t dismissing the threat that the visitors could pose at Healy Park.
“ I suppose every team wants to get off to a winning start. We got a lot out of the McKenna Cup but now it’s a case of assessing where we are and really making sure that the boys are fully focused.
We have ten days work before the Kildare game and we have to be ready for the challenge.
“ Kildare have a young, fresh team. They had a couple of good victories in the O’Byrne Cup and will be coming up wanting the two points as well. So it should be a really good challenge for us.”
Kildare won the Tailteann Cup last season on the back of gaining promotion from Division Three. Yet while the level of opposition they encountered in 2025 no doubt lacked the calibre of a top tier team like Tyrone, O’Rourke stresses that the slate is now wiped clean for everyone.
“ The bottom line is that there is no Division between us now. You can’t go on the past, you just have to go on the reality in front of your face. Both of us are starting off with no points in Division Two so it’s up to both of us to put the best foot forward and try to get the two points which would be a great start to the league.”
Tyrone have a few injury concerns of their own, with doubts over the availability of the Canavan brothers, Darragh and Ruairi, as well as Niall Devlin, but the managers still expects to have a strong hand at his disposal in terms of a selection dilemma.
“ Darragh and a number of the boys are continually training. We’d be hoping to have a lot of them back on the pitch and have a strong hand going into the first league game.
“ Unfortunately we picked up a few injuries over this past few weeks and those boys won’t be available but we will assess what we have and go forward.
“ That’s the way football goes and that is what you have a panel for. It gives others fellas a chance to come in and make their mark.”
O’Rourke said he was especially pleased with the impact of some of the newcomers during Tyrone’s three McKenna Cup outings in early January, and added that even those who don’t make the cut will remain part of his plans going ahead.
“ A lot of fellas have put up their hands. Different fellas did well in different games but as I said hopefully we don’t lose any and they stay in the system, particularly the younger lads who can keep on developing and then come back in depending on how things go but certainly it’s going to be a tough job cutting the panel. But I suppose that is part of the process.
“ They are a great bunch of young lads and they are working very hard. Their feet are firmly on the ground. They have had great success coming through but that guarantees you nothing now. Things now move onto another level and they need time to develop. We just hope they are ready for the first game in the league.”
And though he was upbeat about the league campaign that awaits, O’Rourke cautioned that nothing could be take for granted.
“ You look forward to it with optimism but at the same time you are always realistic and know that nothing is handed to you.
“ You have to go out and earn it and the boys are well aware of that. If we go out and put in a real quality performance and work hard for each other then we can be a match for anybody.”
