Harte’s forward thinking for life after McShane

THE record books tell us that Mickey Harte takes the McKenna Cup seriously, but that does not mean he ignores its educational value.

Tonight, the Red Hands will feature in the final of Ulster’s pre-season competition for the 11th consecutive season when they take on Monaghan at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds, while hoping to make it a ninth win in ten years.

But it will count for little if Harte, on the final year of his current term, cannot guide Tyrone back to the top in Ulster when it really matters, and beyond that to at least an All-Ireland final.

That is a tall order given the long-term fitness concerns of Mattie Donnelly, and Cathal McShane’s ongoing flirtation with a career in the AFL.

However, Harte has busied himself in the past couple of weeks in planning for the worst case scenario that his All-Star full-forward will not be available.

The relocation of Frank Burns to full-forward in a thrilling shoot-out win against Armagh last week may have raised some Tyrone eyebrows, but also raised hopes that Harte can manufacture another ace target-man full-forward.

After all, had McShane departed for Australia at this time 12 months, his departure would have elicited disappointment, but hardly the grave concern which has consumed Tyrone over the last few weeks.

Harte’s decision to send him into the full-forward line — partly because he recognised the need for a change in game-plan and partly because the introduction of an advance mark promised to make it profitable — transformed McShane into a star that shone so brightly it was spotted in another hemisphere.

He ended the summer as the Championship’s top scorer, racking up 3-48, numbers few thought were within the realm of a player who was celebrated in his first four seasons for his versatility.

But pretty much the same can be said of Burns, who just happened to be McShane’s midfield partner when Tyrone defeated Tipperary to win the 2015 All-Ireland Under-21 championship.

Burns’s role has perhaps been more defensively nuanced — he was regularly utilised as Colm

Planning ahead: Mickey Harte Cavanagh’s partner in a double sweeper role — but he has the technical and kicking skills to play a more advanced role.

Indeed, Burns has regularly played in his attack for his club, and his Under-21 coach Peter Canavan rates him so highly that he fears he may be too versatile for his own good.

‘His talent was obvious to begin with,’ said Canavan last year.

‘He’s a superb athlete and covers a lot of ground. In terms of skill he has the full repertoire. He’s strong off either foot and he has a good pair of hands on him.

‘At that stage it was a case of finding his best position and there was a time I felt he was going to be like a few players, thrown into a number of different positions but would maybe struggle to nail down one position on the county team because, from minor football up, he was playing the role of sweeper. He also played midfield for a number of underage teams and in the halfforward line as well. ‘And on some occasions he would have been used as a target man at full-forward.’

The latter might just be his place, with the 25-year-old excelling in that game against Armagh, albeit against an experimental full-back line, and while he was moved out the field before the end of the game, his movement, ball-winning ability and set-up play caught the eye.

He may have only managed one point, but others benefited from his presence, not least Ronan O’Neill who stung for 2-3.

Harte might take a look at what Burns may offer to his inside line tonight against Monaghan.

And if Harte finds further evidence that Burns is a live option to fill a gaping hole, the McKenna Cup really will be his cup of cheer.

11 This is Tyrone’s 11th consecutive appearance in a Dr McKenna Cup final