Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I must stay positive for team
INJURED TYRONE ACE HOPEFUL
LEE BRENNAN will miss Tyrone’s SFC qualifier clash with Meath on Saturday week and it will be another month before he can think of a comeback.
The 22-year-old marksman made his eagerly-awaited Championship debut against Monaghan in the Ulster Championship quarter-final.
But he was called ashore after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring problem and is out for four or five weeks.
“It’s disappointing, obviously, especially because we’ll hopefully have a run of games now,” Brennan said.
“So it’s very disappointing.
“I felt fine coming up to the game, I hurt it beforehand as well in a club game and was out for two or three weeks up to the Monaghan match.
“But I had recovered and felt fine going into the match, and then obviously it happened again.
“It’s not ideal. I was more taken off for precautionary reasons. It was just when I came off I was kind of feeling it then.”
The Trillick forward must hope that Mickey Harte’s side remain involved in the qualifiers until his return.
“You have to stay positive because you know that it’s obviously key to getting back, and to strengthening the hamstring again,” he said.
“It’s obviously frustrating that you don’t get to play but it’s something you have to get on with, stay as positive as you can for the rest of the team.”
Brennan, however, enjoyed his first senior championship experience.
“It was amazing,” he said. “It’s something you dream of as a kid.. especially against one of the big teams against Monaghan. It’s just an experience you’ll never forget.”
Meanwhile, Joe Mcmahon says Tyrone need to draw on the spirit of ’08 if they are to turn their season around. Ten years ago, the Red Hands suffered an first round defeat to Down in a gripping Pairc Esler replay, but re-grouped to embark on an epic journey via the Qualifiers which ended in a third All-ireland title.
“A massive part of it was the belief, knowing that we had the panel of players that we did, and that we could come back,” Mcmahon (inset) said.
“We had a meeting down in Carton House, and we invited in Brian Cody.
“That was something that kickstarted our season, and we were lucky in a sense of the draw that we got and it just built up that bit of momentum.”