McShane hopes for more game time as Tyrone return to action

WINTER football and pre-season competitions don’t always whet the appetite, but one player who’ll be looking forward to getting game-time under his belt in the McKenna Cup is Tyrone star Cathal McShane.

The Owen Roes attacker had to content himself with a substitute birth throughout last year’s championship following a lengthy recuperation from injury, but he made a hugely significant impact on Tyrone’s run to a fourth ever All-Ireland title – so much so that he was granted the rare distinction of an All-Star nominee despite not starting any games.

McShane’s a man for the big occasion and scored crucial goals in the All-Ireland semi-final and final, but he’ll want to nail down a starting berth this season so it’s highly unlikely that motivation will be an issue for the flame-haired full-forward.

Indeed, he excelled in last month’s charity match against Armagh – a sort of curtain raiser for the season – top scoring with six points at the Athletic Grounds.

He looked razor sharp, so his performances in upcoming McKenna Cup games against Cavan (next Tuesday) and Armagh (on Saturday week) will be a source of great interest to Tyrone fans.

He explains that a run of club football (Owen Roes reached the Tyrone Intermediate final) has helped no end in his battle to get back to full match fitness.

“My biggest downfall last year was that I didn’t get any club football. I came back from injury and was straight into playing at that top level with Tyrone. I probably lacked match sharpness.

“Whenever I got back playing with the club, it was a breath of fresh air and I used it well. I feel like a different player when I’m back playing regularly. At the same time there’s a lot of hard work to be done because there’s a lot of competition in the squad.”

Tyrone’s record in the McKenna Cup over the course of the last decade speaks for itself. They sit top of the overall leaderboard with 17 titles, and will be expected to get their campaign off to a winning start on the road against a Cavan side bracing itself for life in Division Four this season.

The pre-season competition has its detractors, but McShane says it was particularly useful for him when he first broke onto the Tyrone senior squad all the way back in January 2015 (the same year he won an All-Ireland U-21 medal).

“I’ve played in the McKenna Cup a lot and it’s definitely helped me,” said McShane. “I always played in it coming into the set up. I made my debut against St Mary’s in Healy Park, but I suppose a breakthrough game for me was against Armagh in the McKenna Cup, as I played well. It’s very useful for getting the season started. We’ll enjoy our holiday (the team are presently enjoying themselves in Orlando, Florida) and then the hard work begins when we get back.”

McShane, an immensely popular figure with fans, has done the rounds in local schools and clubs with the Sam Maguire trophy. He’s found it a rewarding experience.

“It’s good to see the enjoyment in communities and clubs. Back when I was a young boy I remember the excitement when the likes of Brian Dooher and Stephen O’Neill came into my school. The children today are getting a similar experience, it’s brought a smile to their faces during a tough time for everybody with Covid. It’s class and hopefully it’ll inspire them going forward.”

When McShane lined out in a charity match against Armagh prior to Christmas, it was actually his first start for Tyrone since he suffered a serious ankle injury against Galway in February 2020.

However, he featured prominently for his club Owen Roes in last year’s Tyrone Intermediate Championship. They embarked on a memorable run to the final, where they fell short on the day against Moortown.

“It was such a competitive championship, the Owen Roes lads really stood up this year and I was very pleased with the effort they put in, they’ve progressed a lot in recent years.

“Obviously things didn’t go our way in the final, but we had only six days to prepare as our semi-final against Gortin had to be rescheduled. We didn’t produce our best in the final, but we gave it a good shot and we’d a few lads out with injuries. Hopefully we can one go step further this year.”

McShane also said he hopes that Tyrone will do themselves justice this year as they attempt to achieve something unprecedented for the county – back-to-back All-Ireland titles.

“I think what’s good about Tyrone is that every man puts their shoulders to the wheel and has great confidence and trust in what we’re about. Last year was very good but it’ll be a big disappointment if we don’t go out and achieve something worth talking about.”