Key duo likely to have part to play in League, insists Harte
LONG-TERM injury victims Cathal McCarron and Conor McAliskey could yet play a part in Tyrone’s bid for survival in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League. Mickey Harte’s team picked up their first League point of the spring on Sunday when they came from seven points down in a wind-assisted revival to secure a draw with Roscommon, and the Tyrone manager is confident that he will have a stronger squad to pick from for the concluding rounds. Veteran defender McCarron has not featured since he dislocated his left knee in last summer’s Super 8s clash with Roscommon, in the process also straining his cruciate and medial knee ligaments. Meanwhile, there were fears that McAliskey, who missed all of 2017 with a ruptured cruciate ligament, would miss a large chunk of this season when dislocating his ankle playing for Clonoe in the Tyrone championship last October. However, Harte is confident that the cornerforward could play a part in the latter rounds of the League, which will see Tyrone travel to Croke Park to take on Dublin and host Galway in Omagh in their final two games. ‘Cathal McCarron is on the way back, he had a knee operation after the Roscommon game last year and he has not played since,’ said Harte. ‘Cathal will probably return to full training while Conor is very near to coming back to training. ‘He has made a great recovery from the ankle injury he suffered. He has worked hard at it and he should be back in full training soon. ‘I would like to think that they will have some gametime in the National League before it is finished but that depends on how they respond when they return to full training.’ Harte also expects his two-time All-Star midfielder Colm Cavanagh to return to action for the final rounds of the League, but has ruled out a return in time for Saturday week’s Ulster derby against Monaghan. The veteran midfielder missed last year’s League campaign with a quad muscle injury and is currently battling his way back to full fitness. ‘We don’t know for sure yet when he will be returning but he won’t be back for the Monaghan game and it could be into the last couple of games before we have him,’ admitted the manager. Meanwhile, Harte has dismissed a suggestion that reaching last September’s All-Ireland final has left his team and champions Dublin behind the curve in the Allianz League. Between them, the two All-Ireland finalists have won just one match in six attempts, with Dublin having lost two of their opening three games for the first time in four years. But Harte believes the champions are still the team to beat in this year’s League. ‘Dublin were in the All-Ireland final for the last four years and it did not bother them at all so I don’t think you can read too much into that. ‘They are probably trying a little more experimentation than they have in the last few years and they are probably keeping their powder dry for the big drive they are on that everyone knows about. ‘I would not write them off in the League either,’ added Harte.