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A SECOND defeat from the opening three matches of their campaign mean that the Tyrone hurlers have little room for error as they put the focus on addressing the improvements needed following last weekend’s clash against Wicklow in Garvaghey.
There had been high hopes that the Red Hands would be capable of maintaining their momentum following victory over Louth, which was their first since 2024. But those plans didn’t materialise, leaving them anxious to make the most of their fourth match against Fermanagh on Sunday week in Brewster Park.
Team manager, Stephen McGarry, says that he is dealing with a number of injuries to key players which are undermining efforts to get back on track. But he is also intending that they return to action sooner rather than later. It is also expected that key player, Cormac Munroe, will be back in the panel soon as well.
“We were pushing them hard coming near the end and maybe going for goals when it might have been better keeping the scoreboard ticking over,” said the Antrim native.
“This is a very honest bunch of players. There was good momentum against Wicklow and got their lead down to five points at one stage. But this is a learning curve, and they have lofty ambitions of getting promotion as well from this division.
“Games like this will definitely stand to us in the long run. But the two teams that have beaten us, Donegal and Wicklow, have been playing at Christy Ring level as well. We go out and try and win every game and want to be getting players as much experience as possible.”
While the Tyrone seniors endured last Sunday’s loss to Wicklow, the county’s U-20 team defeated the Garden county the previous day, also at Garvaghey.
The challenge of ensuring that some of those young players are able to gain experience with the senior squad, as well as lining out for the U-20s is a constant one for the senior team management as they look ahead to the remainder of the league.
“It is about balancing and juggling the twin demands of the seniors and U-20s,” added McGarry.
“There are seven of the U-20s on our panel, and we have a number of quality players injured at the moment. But you have to ensure that the U-20s, who had two games in 24 hours, are looked after and don’t end up breaking down.”
