By 
WHAT has been a season of mixed fortunes for the Tyrone hurlers in Division 3 of the National League reaches its climax at Garvaghey on Saturday when they take on old rivals, Armagh, in the final round of the competition.
Wins over Louth and Fermanagh combined with a draw that could and perhaps should have been a victory over Roscommon last weekend have provided plenty of positives for the Red Hands. Now they will be aiming to make the most from this last game in this round six clash.
Tyrone will look back on their games with a sense of satisfaction but also a realisation that more is needed as they prepare for the start of the championship next month.
Stephen McGarry and the players will be coming up against an Armagh team currently experiencing a severe enough downturn in their own fortunes following years of positive performances. The Orchard county have already lost to Louth, Wicklow, Roscommon and Donegal during the current campaign.
Those results mean that the best that they can hope for is four points overall.
Tyrone technically can still win promotion if results elsewhere go their way, but that’s an outcome of hope rather than expectation as their campaign reaches its climax.
Both teams have experienced a high turnover of players in this 2026 season. Armagh have had as many as 19 players leaving for travel and club commitments, giving some of their young players the chance to impress team manager and former Antrim star, Karl McKeegan.
Tyrone, too, have been encountering many personnel challenges since the league began at the end of January. Injuries to a number of key players have undermined their ability in key matches, but a positive has definitely been the gradual introduction of a host of new players.
Many of the county’s U-20 team, who reached last year’s All-Ireland B Final and have continued their impressive form into this year’s competition, have been getting their chance to taste the challenges of senior hurling.
Team manager, Stephen McGarry, has been viewing their introduction as a key factor in the development of a team capable of again reaching the heights of 2025 when they played in Division Two and the Christy Ring Cup.
A win over Armagh this Saturday would also provide the perfect morale-boost ahead of their first match in the Nickey Rackard Cup against Sligo on the weekend of April 11-12.
