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It’s already touch and go
IT’S a bit early to reach for the calculator but Tyrone’s promotion chances are already in a precarious state. Having taken a nosy at league tables in previous years, it seems like teams need at least 10 points to finish in the top two (and sometimes that isn’t even enough). To put it blunty, Tyrone have little choice but to embark on a run of five straight victories – which would mean finishing their campaign on 11 points – to spring back to the top flight. With teams like Meath in the pipeline, it definitely won’t be easy.
At least we’ve Cavan up next?
IT’S nearly 43 years since Cavan have beaten the Red Hands in a championship match. It’s a truly torrid record and they haven’t fared much better in their league encounters down the years. There does seem to be some sort of psychological barrier, and let’s be honest, it would be a shock if Tyrone don’t pick up their first league win when the two teams meet in Omagh on Sunday week. I probably shouldn’t tempt fate.
Failing to fire
AFTER Michael McKernan fired over a cracking two-pointer in the 44th minute against Derry, Tyrone mustered only two more scores for the remaining 25 plus minutes of the contest – an Eoin McElholm point from play and an Ethan Jordan free. It’s little wonder that the result didn’t go our way, and a number of decent chances late on came to nothing. It’s a curious one – there’s ample attacking talent in the team but when it came to the crunch, Derry were the much more potent outfit and could’ve finished the game with three or four goals. Things just aren’t really gelling like they should be but in saying that, it’s still early February.
Are Derry back?
THE last two Ulster finals have been contested by Armagh and Donegal, but there won’t be a repeat this year, whatever happens. Donegal, Armagh and Tyrone are all in one side of the draw, and it’d be no surprise if Derry come through with the other side (with no disrespect to Cavan/Monaghan or Antrim). It’s hard to believe they didn’t win a single game all season in 2025 and their impressive performance against Tyrone suggests that our neighbours over the Sperrins could be in line for a resurgence.
A big change’s coming
THIS season, there will be seven starred rounds (an increase of two from previous years) but it’s the change to a weighed points system that carries the most intrigue. The remaining games with county players available will see three points on offer for a victory. The idea behind it is ease the pressure load on both clubs and their county players, though the flipside is that teams may find themselves with an ‘easier’ league schedule depending on how things pan out in any given year. I suppose time will tell how it all pans out.
