Ulster SFC Preliminary Round: Fermanagh v Tyrone ( Saturday, 6.30pm, Brewster Park)
Brian Dooher says survival is Tyrone’s goal as they open their Ulster and All-Ireland defences against Fermanagh at Brewster Park this weekend.
Tyrone are coming off the back of an “okay” League where Dooher says they “didn’t set the world alight.”
The Red Hand men required back to back wins over Mayo and Kerry to stave off the threat of relegation following defeats by Armagh, Dublin and Donegal, and a draw with Monaghan.
Read more: Mixed injury news for All-Ireland champions Tyrone ahead of Fermanagh clash
Joint boss Dooher points out both wins come with caveats but he says Tyrone’s performances were on the up.
Meanwhile, Fermanagh retained their Division Three status.
Double All-Ireland winning skipper, Dooher said: “Complacency is a big thing and it’s a big thing any day that you go out, particularly when you are All Ireland champions.
“We were a bit like that at the start of the League so you hope that you are training hard and generating competition at training. I think that is the most important thing.
“You could look at them two games (Mayo and Kerry) in two different ways.
“Mayo probably didn’t come to us with a full strength team. I think that anybody would probably say that.
“Kerry were in a League Final. It was still a very good win to get and we needed it.
“I’m not taking anything away from it. They could have been two harder tests but they were just the right progression for us at that stage.
“We were steadily getting better. We still have another step or two to go up yet, I think anyway.”
Dooher was part of three All-Ireland winning Tyrone sides which couldn’t manage to defend their title.
The closest they came was 2009, when they lost to Conor Counihan’s Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final.
In 2004 John Maughan’s Mayo ousted them at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage, and in 2006 Mick O’Dwyer’s Laois knocked them out in the early rounds of the qualifiers.
“You hope to take the learning from that to be better prepared or whatever,” said Dooher.
“You have to make sure that training is at the right level and is competitive and you will hopefully play the way that you train.
“You just aren’t going to turn up on the day. The preparations have to be right and hopefully we can then translate that into a performance.
“That’s what you want to do and if you play to your best you can’t ask for anything more. See where it takes you and see what happens.
“There are a number of reasons, not just one, why we perhaps didn’t retain it.
“All the wee things add up to being a big thing at the end of the day so it’s trying to get all those wee things right and hopefully you will take learning from it.
“Collie (Holmes) is there (as a coach). Joe (McMahon) is there. Peter Donnelly is there so they all had that experience along with myself so there is combined learning there that can be shared.
“That is the challenge that we have and you just hope that you can take it on and deliver.”
Fermanagh have traditionally struggled to compete against neighbours, Tyrone in the Championship over the years and at underage level.
“You never know what can happen on any given day and there is always a step up between League and Championship no matter what,” said Dooher.
“The pace just moves up to another level. Pitches are firmer and everything is moving better and we hope that we are moving better.
“You just never know what to expect sometimes in the Championship.
“You just hope that you can survive to an extent and just get on with it and get through. It’s a matter of taking it day by day.
“You have to approach each game and treat it on its own merits whether that’s the Championship or League.
“Obviously the Championship is more or less do or die.
“It’s the competition that everyone looks forward to and that’s where you really test yourself.”
Read more: Armagh will bounce back from Roscommon rout insists ‘Sambo’ McNaughton
Read more: Kerry come from behind to deny Armagh promotion in Division Two decider
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