Owen Mulligan backs Tyrone newcomers to spur them on in 2019
Friday 25 January 2019 12:02, UK
Owen Mulligan says Kyle Coney and Darragh Canavan can help Tyrone progress in 2019.
Memories of last September may be painful ones in the county, but Mickey Harte knows that there is much to build on from 2018. The Red Hands reached their first All-Ireland final in ten years, and stormed into an early four-point lead against Dublin before ultimately succumbing to the Sky Blues.
"I think Tyrone supporters were just happy enough to get to the final last year and I don't buy into that," reflected former Red Hands ace Mulligan. "If you get to the final, you have to win it, it's as simple as that, but everybody still fears Dublin, no matter what you say. We're talking about them year in, year out, even trying to change rules and things. It's up to other teams to try and catch up and at the end of the day, Tyrone for 15 minutes matched everything that Dublin did, but it's that last 15, and in the 15 after the half, you just have to keep pushing them.
"I just thought Tyrone buckled too easy in the All Ireland final and accepted defeat. I played under Mickey Harte, that's not Mickey Harte's style. Maybe the players need to toughen up mentally, and hopefully they can do that, but supporters as well need to accept that this Dublin team is exceptional, but you have to believe that you're going to win the All-Ireland."
However, Mulligan is encouraged by the early signs this year after his native county scooped the McKenna Cup title.
"They're flying fit at the minute, I know when we were playing McKenna Cup we were still coming back with the turkey and ham bellies from Christmas but it doesn't seem to be that way anymore," he laughed. "They're lean and they're flying.
"The players they've brought in like Darragh Canavan and Kyle Coney.
"I'm buzzing to see [Coney] back in because I know he's a classy footballer and what Tyrone need in attack, someone who can change the game.
"I got the honour of playing with him in my last year and I noticed he's a match winner and a game changer and Tyrone need that in there. It's going to take him time to adapt because of when you take that long out of county football but as I said, even his physique is much, much stronger now. When he came onto the setup he was only a lad, skinny, needed to bulk up and he's done that. I am hoping now that he can add to that Tyrone forward line.
"He is an exceptional footballer and look, he was the next great hope coming out of Tyrone and it went kind of wayward for him but he's back."
The former Tyrone and London forward is also anticipating that Canavan, son of former All-Ireland winning captain Peter, will make a splash: "He got some welcome coming on against Derry. I think Peter and his wife will keep him grounded. He's a grounded lad anyway. I only chatted to him a few times over the years but he's an exceptional footballer and an exceptional talent. You only have to look at his underage scores on social media, he's very like the father.
"He's an exceptional talent and hopefully he can emulate his father."
