2 days ago
'If you aren't on it on the day, it's goodbye' - Errigal Ciarán coach Horisk on cutthroat Tyrone championship
Errigal Ciaran are getting ready to defend their Tyrone and Ulster titles, but coach Paul Horisk has warned that both will be gone in a flash if they are not at the top of their game at all times.
The beaten All-Ireland finalists face an in-form Ardboe side in the opening tie of the county championship, with the losers to be the first to exit the 2025 series – no second chances in Tyrone's traditional knock-out format.
'It's all about where you are on the day, and if you aren't on it on the day, it's goodbye,' said Horisk.
'That's where everybody is, and that's where we are as well.'
Ardboe's league form has been impressive, and includes a 1-21 to 2-14 win over Errigal back in June. The lough shore side will fancy their chances of dethroning the champions at O'Neill Park in Dungannon on Thursday September 11.
'We played them down in Ardboe, and I thought their pace was just electric. They have a very energetic and lively middle third, and we'll have a tough enough challenge, but we're there to give it a good rattle.'
A busy league schedule has been cranked up this week, with each team in action three times in the space of nine days, placing heavy demands on players and raising concerns over the potential for injuries in the run-up to the championship.
Errigal lost midfielder Eoin Kelly to a season-ending cruciate ligament rupture in their clash with Moortown on Tuesday evening, carving out a 1-17 to 2-8 win despite opting to rest a number of first choice players, including Darragh Canavan, Peter Harte and Ben McDonnell.
'It's very unfortunate for Eoin, he has been going really well, and I'm really disappointed for him,' said Horisk.
'But players in general prefer to be playing football than training, so whilst there are two or three games in the space of a week, it's better than training. It builds a bit of momentum for everybody, and it's about getting through them and getting the legs going and get the bodies right.'
The most competitive club championship in the country is just four weeks away, and Horisk feels the anticipation and excitement building ahead of what is expected to be another thrilling festival of football.
'It's amazing to think that it has come around so quickly. I suppose everybody was in the Tyrone bubble for a long time, and now we have a number of league games and we're now coming down the strait towards championship.
'It's what everybody trains for all year, and everybody is well and truly ready for it, or as ready as they can be.
'From a supporters point of view, they're all looking forward to it around the whole county, everybody is talking about it, any club you go to, it's the first thing off their lips, even at under-age games we have gone to.
'We're as ready as we can be, but it will do no harm to get another few league games under the belt.'
It's 20 years since any club has successfully defended the O'Neill Cup, a chilling statistic that highlights the enormity of the task facing champions Errigal.
'It hasn't been done in a long time, and that's all about the competition there is in Tyrone, and that's why people travel from all over to watch Tyrone football.
'We definitely don't take it for granted, the boys are just looking forward to getting back out again.
'They had a bit of a break over winter and back to the grindstone. We're lucky to be where we are, and we have Ardboe in the first round, and that's as far as we can look.'
