Mickey Harte knows what it took then and he knows what it takes now.
Tyrone defeated Monaghan in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final but the Monday that followed was a lot different to the Monday after the county’s previous All-Ireland semi-final victory over Wexford way back in 2008. For the players anyway.
The Monday club sessions stretched onto Tuesday and Wednesday for some of Mickey Harte’s players ten years ago and they certainly do now too, but the type of sessions are a whole lot different this time around.
Where Tiernan McCann, Colm Cavanagh and co. went from Croke Park to the swimming pool, the class of 2008 in Owen Mulligan, Brian McGuigan and their teammates reminisce about the days when they went on the lash for a few days after a game. Any game.
Back in the day it was often tradition for teams to sink a few pints side by side and let the hair down as a group win, lose or draw. Nowadays with the science of physical recovery suggesting that players would be better off in a gym or out on the pitch rather than in the pub, players let off steam after a game in an extremely different way.
Indeed, on the back of the Red Hand county’s victory over their neighbours and rivals the Farney Army in the weekend’s last four clash, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte was quizzed by the BBC about the efforts and the levels of sacrifice required by his current players to make it to the Sam Maguire decider in comparison to their predecessors.
“These players deserve to be in an All-Ireland final. I have seen the work they’ve put in,” he said.
“I’ve seen the dedicated athletes that they are and I have to say, and I suppose this is to do with the times we live in, but they are definitely more committed gaelic football athletes than some boys who have won All-Irelands in the past with us, and that’s not to be disparaging towards them,” he added with a laugh.
“Monday clubs were a different thing then to what they are now. Monday clubs are an extra training session now, in the past, it was a different kind of a club,” he added.
Owen Mulligan is a Tyrone legend. Mugsy played in a different era to the heroes of today and he knows just as well as any of us that lifestyle and commitment levels change as time passes by.
The culture is different from his playing days, but he had the perfect, tongue in cheek response to Harte’s comments, suggesting that the Monday sessions often stretched into the middle of the next week.
“We still have reputations to protect,” he insisted.
Totally insulted and let down by Micky Harte’s comments on commitment and the Monday Clubs. We still have reputations to protect, so please stop making these false allegations. It was the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, club we went on. @hubhughes @brianmcguigan7 @PhilipJordan7
— Owen Mulligan (@owen_mulligan) August 13, 2018
Fellow musketeers Kevin Hughes, Brian McGuigan and Philip Jordan joined in on fun too.
They still made the training of a Tuesday said Hughesy. He was still winning the bleep tests too.
And still made training on a Tuesday!! #commitment
— Kevin Hughes (@hubhughes) August 13, 2018
@hubhughes still winning the bleep test on a Tuesday night too 💪
— brian mc guigan (@brianmcguigan7) August 13, 2018
Philip Jordan brought Sean Cavanagh into it all.
I’m not going near this 10 year reunion for the 2008 team, no loyalty anymore. I blame @SeanCavanagh14 for starting all this!
— Philip Jordan (@PhilipJordan7) August 13, 2018
It’s far from a drinking session the inter-county gaels of today, but sure what harm did a few* pints ever do to any man?
