Tyrone
New blood: Lee Brennan. That’s the long and the short of it, and he is not exactly a rookie. He came on at the tail end of the Red Hands’ wins over Derry and Down last summer, but he has yet to start a Championship game. Mickey Harte’s trust issues with the Trillick ace seem to have been parked; he started in Tyrone’s last six games of the campaign, racking up 230,
2-6 of which came in open play.
Who misses out? The smart answer is most likely one of Tyrone’s nine corner-backs but it is hard not to believe that Darren McCurry’s decision to quit the panel mid-campaign was in part down to Brennan’s promotion. What impact will it have? Potentially huge as it could mean a change in mindset.
Last August, Harte opted for a one-man strike force against Dublin in Mark Bradley with disastrous consequences, but with Brennan in place he could opt for a more conventional attacking formation.
Playing two inside strike forwards who can score would double their threat, and if they become infected with ambition, Conor McAliskey could be added to the mix. Transformative value: Signals a new direction and one which Harte has to choose because he simply can’t afford to lose in the same way again – 9/10.