Red Hands must try and reverse the recent trend

THE backdrop is the same, the venue is the same, the vast majority of the playing personnel is the same- so what’s to suggest there will be a different outcome this time around.

Roll the clocks back exactly one year to Saturday May 25th 2024 and the then newly installed Ulster champions Donegal played host to Tyrone in the All-Ireland SFC round-robin opener at Ballybofey. The result was an emphatic 0-21 to 0-14 triumph for the hosts, who held their bitter local rivals relatively comfortably at arms length throughout.

Ominously for the Red Hands the parallels heading into this latest meeting are fairly similar. Last season Tyrone produced a dogged but ultimately losing effort in the Ulster semi-final (vs Donegal after extra-time in Celtic Park). This time around Tyrone once more gave it their all in a titanic provincial last four clash (vs Armagh) only to come up short again with the last kick of the game.

And in Donegal, as was the case twelve months ago, they are meeting a Jim McGuinness side buoyed by their dramatic Anglo-Celt victory over Armagh a fortnight ago, and keen to carry the momentum from that success onto the Sam Maguire arena.

So what’s the odds that Malachy O’Rourke and his charges can script a fresh narrative heading to MacCumhaill Park this Saturday evening.

With the management and players deciding to keep their own counsel this week, the intention is clearly on doing their talking on the pitch.

A month on from having their hearts broken by Rory Grugan’s last gasp (and controversial) pointed free at St Tiernach’s Park which earned the Orchard County a 0-23 to 0-22 epic victory, Tyrone have had plenty of time to digest their provincial disappointment and turn thoughts to their All-Ireland bid.

The unexpected departure of Cathal McShane from the panel came in the subsequent aftermath of that loss, and since then the squad have ploughed along in their preparations away from the limelight, as other counties locked horns in some pulsating provincial finals.

While it’s commonly accepted that Tyrone are on an upward trajectory, the apathy in terms of match going support was still clearly evident against Armagh, and no doubt Ballybofey will again be awash in green and gold colours this Saturday, with only a sprinkling of red and white dotted about the place.

Cavan’s stunning victory on the road against Mayo last weekend has already thrown a degree of unpredictability into the ring in terms of Group 1, so whose to say that Tyrone can’t follow suit

Since the 2021 All-Ireland triumph, the county’s win percentage in all competitions stands below 50 per cent and perhaps it will take a seismic Championship result against a genuine big hitter to get the fans truly believing again. Saturday would be a good place to start!