McGarry seeking a much needed boost for Tyrone hurlers

THE Tyrone senior hurlers will be aiming to gain an injection of confidence from the success of the U-20s when they aim to end what has been a difficult season on a positive note with just two matches remaining in the Christy Ring Cup.

Heavy defeats have been the order of the day for the Red Hands in 2025. But hope springs eternal for Stephen McGarry and his players as they prepare to meet Derry at Dungannon on Saturday lunchtime before finishing with a trip to London later this month.

Another big incentive for them will be to recover from the setback of losing heavily to Donegal two weeks ago. That 5-18 to 1-10 defeat was one of the worst ever against their north-west rivals, and means that victory in the final two games is absolutely essential if they are to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

“Our loss against Donegal was very disappointing. We started poorly in that game and Donegal took advantage and continued to do that until the end of the game,” said Ballycastle native McGarry.

“We were poor at doing the basics skills such as lifting the ball, striking, catching and retaining the ball. They were first to the breaks, stronger in the rucks, and that’s disappointing.

“Every game is must win for us now. We will be huge underdogs against Derry but we will fancy ourselves to go and be competitive against them. But we need a reaction from the Donegal game and that’s something we’ve been waiting on and it hasn’t happened yet.”

Defeat to Derry in the first game of the National League back at the end of January was the start of the 2025 losing streak for Tyrone. But they will, of course, be entering this penultimate Christy Ring tie with renewed hope.

“The players are very honest about their performances and the younger players are doing well.I thought Aidan Woods was great against Donegal in the last match, so that’s one of the positives.

“Our transition is moving ahead, even though that hasn’t been very evident from the results. This is the highest division that we’ve ever played in. There has been nineteen players retired or have stepped away in the past two years.

“We had to work hard this year to bring players through and get that transition, otherwise we’d never be able to sustain things at this level. It has been a tough learning curve against established counties. But the younger players will be all the better for this and Tyrone will see the benefits in the course of the next three or four years.”