Gormley: Red Hand will rise!
CONOR GORMLEY expects a new-look Tyrone team, reinvigorated with fresh talent, to rise again in 2023.
The treble All-Ireland winner is confident that the Red Hands will quickly put this year’s collapse behind them and reclaim their place among football’s elite.
“There’s definitely talent in Tyrone, the club scene is fantastic, with some top-class footballers. It’s just about getting those boys, and gelling them in, and going at it again,” he said.
Tyrone’s defence of the All-Ireland title disintegrated in spectacular fashion with sound beatings by Ulster rivals Derry and Armagh.
A combination of systems failure and loss of form by key players contributed to the Championship implosion.
“They’ll be disappointed with the way they performed individually, never mind collectively.
Heads
“But they have Brian (Dooher) and Feargal (Logan) and an experienced backroom team to get the boys’ heads right again and drive on again.”
A post-Christmas squad holiday to Florida meant the Red Hands were playing catch-up in rushed preparations for the new season.
And Gormley believes they never managed to make up the ground lost in those early weeks.
“Last year they were starting late with the holiday and maybe were playing catch-up, and it looked as if they were playing catch-up all the time.
“I think that with a bit of a rest, and the club championship, they can come back again.”
Now, with a sevenmonth chasm between their All-Ireland exit back in early June and the new season, rest and reflection will whet appetites for what
2023 holds in store.
“So they’ll get refreshed now, enjoy the club championship, see what happens for them there and hopefully get new talent in to freshen the thing up and go on again,” he added.