Reds Rory is raring to go

TOP quality ties throughout the top division of the Tyrone All-County League is whetting the appetite of both players and supporters as the race for success in this 2023 season gets underway with a full schedule of fixtures this Friday night.

It will certainly have been worth the months of preparations as the sixteen teams in Division One put their ambitions on the line.

There are so many intriguing stories for the newly promoted teams in the Senior ranks, the new boys hoping to consolidate themselves, and the long-established teams finally aiming to make the big breakthrough by winning the Brendan Dolan trophy as Division One champions.

One person who knows all about the joys of league glory is Rory Brennan of Trillick. Last year the famous ‘Reds’s clinched the Division One title with a final victory over Killyclogher. It was a game which lived up to its pre-match billing, and came after both clubs had been knocked out of the Championship.

The former Tyrone player is looking forward to the resumption of competitive action, and the prospect of those matches against the other top teams in the county.

“We’re all going into the leagues raring to go. It’s starting that bit later this year which has given teams a bit of extra time to gain momentum, but all the teams will now be chomping at the bit to get going,” said the Tyrone and All-Ireland SFC medalist.

“A lot of teams, including ourselves, will be in the same boat. They’ve put in a good block of work over the past few months. With the weather and the pitches, it has been difficult to get challenge games and we didn’t enter the Ulster League. It has been a struggle to get teams to play.

“Teams in other counties didn’t really play because their leagues began a little earlier. But we’ve got a good lot of work done, and a few games, so like a lot of teams we’re ready to go for the start of the season at this stage.”

There was no sense of fatigue when Trillick took on Killyclogher in the 2022 final, and there’s no doubting the enduring competitiveness of the competition for both the St Macartan’s and the other teams in the Red Hand county, according to Brennan.

“Our leagues are probably among the most competitive in Ulster if not in Ireland. There are league games week in and week out and especially in recent years a lot of teams have been concentrating on getting a good start. A good start to the league gets teams into a good way of going, and helps build up the relationship with teammates.

“The Friday night games in recent years have also brought things on a bit, so it’s definitely an exciting competition which everyone puts a lot of focus into it.

“From a personal viewpoint, the league final was in November last year so maybe it could be brought forward by a few weeks. If you’re playing football in good weather, then that’s what it’s all about.

“Having all the games finished in the league before the start of the Championship is good. Last year you had teams coming into the Championship having played a lot of football, whereas in years gone by you were coming into the Championship after Tyrone finished having only played two or three league games.

“The new format probably gives teams a little more time to build a settled side and gather a bit of momentum going into the championship. But then you’ve got the possibility of players picking up injuries, so it swings both ways.”

Whatever about the organisational arrangements in place, the focus from May to September will now be very much on the on-field action as Trillick and the fifteen other teams in Division One concentrate fully on winning those vital points.