Tyrone boss Mickey Harte has backtracked on his assertion that teams from Division Two cannot win the All-Ireland Football title, writes Brendan O’Brien of the Irish Examiner.
Harte has gone on record before as saying only teams playing Division One football in the spring can hope to claim that particular prize come September, but the Tyrone manager was less emphatic about that declaration yesterday when reminded of it.
Harte’s Tyrone take on Cavan in the Allianz League Division Two final on Sunday and he made the point he doesn’t believe his side to be “a Division Two team” when asked if they could bridge the gap with the top tier’s best this summer.
“It all depends on (how) you interpret what I said,” he explained when appraising their All-Ireland chances.
“I said a Division Two team won’t win an All-Ireland. You could have a team playing in Division Two, but not of Division Two standard.”
Tyrone are likely to be without some valuable assets due to injury, goalkeeper Niall Morgan (broken hand), defender Ronan McNabb (cruciate), the versatile Peter Harte (AC joint) and forward Darren McCurry (ankle).
Morgan, for one, is also a doubt for their Ulster opener against Derry.
This article first appeared in today’s Irish Examiner.
