By 
DR MCKENNA CUP
By Niall Gartland
A FRIDAY night clash under lights against their old rivals across the Blackwater is the perfect way to get the season underway, according to Tyrone skipper Brian Kennedy.
Tyrone travel to the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds tomorrow night to take on Armagh in their McKenna Cup opener – and while it’s unlikely to mean much in the greater scheme of things, it’s still a hugely appetising clash that will no doubt draw a bumper crowd.
Kennedy, who is entering his eighth season at senior intercounty level, is looking forward to the white heat of battle in their first competitive fixture of the 2026 season.
“It’s not far away now. It will probably be close to a full house.
“Everybody has got a good appetite for that fixture, especially after the long lay-off from the championship.
“It will be a great game to start the year off”, he added.
Talking to a few of the lads, they’re all in favour of it [the return of the McKenna Cup].
“This time last year, when it wasn’t there, you were going and playing friendlies anyway.
“So it’s good to get out and get good Ulster competition, there’s some quality teams there and you’re not going to get any better games, and you’ll get a good crowd, a bit of atmosphere, and it’s good preparation for the league.”
Manager Malachy O’Rourke is set to give youth its chance in the pre-season competition, and hopes are high within the county that a healthy number of the underage stars of recent seasons will go on to have successful senior careers with Tyrone.
Kennedy commented: “All the young lads are showing well, they’re all very eager to get that jersey and show well.
“And when they’re given their chance, they all are showing why they’re up there and what they can bring to the table.
“It’s going to be very competitive this year, a lot of jerseys up for grabs, and that new crop of young lads coming through will definitely bring us on.
“There’s great coaches throughout Tyrone youth development and throughout the schools as well, I think we’re the envy of a lot of places.
“Paul [Devlin] and Gerard [Donnelly] have put in serious work over the last couple of years, and it has been class to see them get their rewards with All-Irelands.”
The Red Hands were unfortunate to fall though the relegation trapdoor last season, but that’s no guarantee that their stay in Division Two will be a short-lived one. Among the competitors are last year’s Leinster finalists Louth and Meath, as well as a Derry side hoping for a renaissance under their new manager Ciarán Meenagh.
“You look at the fixture list in Division Two and there’s no games where you’d be going in expecting a handy day.
“It’s about getting in the right frame of mind from the get-go and setting out your stall.
“It’s going to be a massive task to get back up but it’s one we’re going to relish.
“Hopefully we’ll get into good form early on in the league and carry that on through to the championship.
“Armagh proved a couple of years ago, Dublin as well, that a good foundation in the league is paramount to how you perform in the championship as well.
“There’s very little between any of the top teams in the country, and on any given day, anybody can beat anybody, so it’s just about getting that momentum going early on, and putting together a few results.”
Three of the opposition teams are managed by natives of the Red Hand County: Derry – Ciarán Meenagh, Offaly – Mickey Harte, Louth – Gavin Devlin. Kennedy recognises that they’ll have the full low down on Tyrone, but is embracing the challenge.
“They know plenty about us, but the way the game is going now everybody knows so much about everybody else, so it’s probably a level playing field, I would say.
“The amount of in-depth analysis everybody goes into with each other is immense, but I’d say those boys have maybe a bit of an edge on us, coming from different clubs, and they know our boys inside out.”
Reflecting on the 2025 season, Kennedy says it was a pity that they didn’t play to their potential in the All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry. The Kingdom were full value for their surge to All-Ireland honours, and while everyone else has been left playing catch up, Kennedy doesn’t think Tyrone are a million miles away.
“We just couldn’t get over the line in a few games, and then ultimately, in the semi-final of the All-Ireland, we didn’t do ourselves any favours or show up to the level that we knew we could perform to.
“On reflection, Kerry played very well, but I just don’t think that we were at the level that we could have got to, and that’s totally down to ourselves.
“Kerry showed last year that they can give any team their fill of it on any given day, but I don’t think there’s a big massive gap between any county in the top five or six.
“Kerry hit form at the right time last year when they got to Croke Park, with their kicking game and their forwards hitting form, they were definitely hard to stop.
“But there could be a lot of teams chasing them down this year and hopefully the gap will close.”
