There are concerns surrounding the physical condition of Conn Kilpatrick and Conor Meyler of the Tyrone team, as they could potentially not be available for the inaugural match of the Ulster SFC against Monaghan or Cavan.
Brian Dooher, the co-manager, acknowledged that it is yet unclear if either of them will be fit in time for the match on the 21st of April, as the team continues to grapple with a spate of injuries. Kilpatrick has not been playing since an ankle injury he incurred during the game with Kerry in Killarney on the 3rd of March.
Meyler, on the other hand, has been unable to play this year as he works on his recovery from a chronic injury. Dooher conveyed that both are working hard on their rehabilitation, with Conn gradually healing from his ankle injury and Conor diligently rehabilitating with the medical staff.
Frank Burns is most likely to sit out the Ulster championship quarter-finals due to his recent knee surgery. Current injuries also plague Michael O’Neill, Michael McKernan and team leader Peter Harte. Potentially, the champion team of 2021 All-Ireland could be missing six crucial players for the match against the winner of the preliminary round.
Despite Monaghan’s demotion from Division One of the Allianz League and Cavan’s failure to ascend from Division Two, Dooher asserts that either would provide a challenging contest for his team. He recalls a close match against Monaghan a few weeks ago, and despite turning the tides this time, he remembers how Monaghan defeated them last year. He also acknowledged that Cavan held their own against Armagh and Donegal, two favourites for the Ulster championship from the beginning, indicating the strength of the Cavan team.
Dooher admits that Tyrone has numerous problems to confront after suffering a loss of 21 points to Dublin in their last league match of the season. “We hope to learn from our game against Dublin, make efforts to rectify the shortcomings we displayed, and prepare as effectively as possible for our impending match with either Monaghan or Cavan.”, he stated.