SLUDDEN: WE’RE NO MONKS IN TYRONE

NIALL SLUDDEN is adamant that this summer is proof that the Tyrone players have been given the space to express themselves as footballers. In mid-spring, RTÉ pundit Joe Brolly claimed that he had been told by a player that the team were ‘bored’ because of the rigid nature of their defensivebased game-plan. But that claim did not sit well with 25-year-old Sludden, who insists that it was well wide of the mark. ‘It is certainly not a joyless experience every time that you put on that jersey. We really enjoy it,’ insists the Dromore clubman (below). ‘A lot of things are put out there, like that it is a monk’s life but it is certainly not like that. I am certainly enjoying the experience. ‘Maybe he (Brolly) is trying to say that we don’t like playing that system but I disagree. That is just the modern game is and you have to really evolve. We get plenty of opportunities to express ourselves. We are not just stuck to some structure, we can adapt as well,’ added the Tyrone centre-forward. The proof of that has been there for all to see; while they have been criticised for their lack of goals, their attack has racked up 1-43 on the way to this Sunday’s final with Down. There has also been evidence of a more attacking game-plan, not least in a restart strategy that has seen them profit from a more direct approach. Sludden is adamant that Tyrone have merely adapted to an evolving game, one which he concedes is giving him more space as a creative force. ‘The modern game is about breaking down the massed defence and you can’t be keeping men behind the ball all the time,’ Sludden added. ‘The mark seems to be working well too, a lot of teams are pushing up on kick outs. ‘One kick and that defence is opened up. When you’re getting that ball in space and you have corner-forwards like Darren McCurry and Mark Bradley and Ronan O’Neill and Sean Cavanagh, it’s a matter of getting the ball in and make sure they do the damage on the scoreboard.’