Tyrone Ladies chasing a win against Wicklow

Tyrone Ladies return to action at Lannleire near Dunleer against Wicklow on Sunday in their first group game of the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship series as they try and shake off the headache of a heavy Ulster Final loss to Antrim a fortnight ago.

For the Red Hands it can’t be a case of licking their wounds as they try and kick start their All-Ireland campaign in a four team group which alos includes Offaly and Clare.

The loss to the Saffrons was a shock to the system. Tyrone manager Sean O’Kane has been in similar situations in the past and it was a case of quickly refocusing and getting back on the horse.

He will also hope to get several injured players back in the mix. Wth the departure shortly to the USA of Chloe McCaffrey there’s added pressure on the attack although Aoife McGahan has been a real find this season, while Slaine McCarroll has made a welcome return.

“ Slaine got twenty or thirty minutes game time and she has worked to get back” confirmed the Tyrone boss as he gave an honest appraisal of the Antrim loss. He felt it showed where his side actually are at, and that’s not perhaps where many feel they should be.

“Tyrone are a proud footballing county. They have expectations but have been in intermediate now for a couple of years,” affirmed Sean whose players have returned to training focused on this All-Ireland series.

Wicklow come into the series after a tough time in Leinster when they claimed just a single success in Group B finishing bottom team of four, that success coming on the last day against Offaly after defeats to Louth and Westmeath.

With a handful of new faces in the Wicklow line up this year coupled with many of the All-Ireland junior winning side of 2021, they are ambitious to do well, but captain Sarah Jane Winders if fully aware of how how difficult it will be.

“It will be very competitive. There’s no doubt about it but I feel we can do well, that’s what we are training for. It’s about getting silverware.”

There’s been underage success for Wicklow through the past few years and while Tyrone lost their Minor championship to a rampant Monaghan, they too have shown progress in their youth ranks. Yet both counties are still reliant on the older hands, the likes of Niamh Hughes, Meabh Mallon, McCarroll, Grainne Rafferty and Emma Hegarty among the Red Hand big names.