Tyrone weakened by panel departures - McShane

Tyrone are in a weaker position to defend their All-Ireland SFC title with half a dozen players opting out of the panel, according to 2021 All Star Cathal McShane.

It has been a mixed bag in the league for the Red Hand this year, and with two games remaining, they are level with Kildare on three points, one point ahead of bottom side Dublin.

With the championship on the horizon, joint Tyrone managers Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan have a much changed panel to work with after a number of players on the periphery of the team opting out of 2022.

Tiernan McCann, Mark Bradley, Ronan O'Neill, Hugh Pat McGeary, Michael Cassidy and most recently Lee Brennan have decided to depart the scene, with Darren McCurry questioning whether they had taken the "easy decision".

"Maybe they're think more about themselves than the Tyrone team and the people of Tyrone," he told the BBC.

Speaking at the launch of the once-off Allianz retro GAA jerseys which will be worn on St Patrick's weekend, McShane said there was no doubt the loss of the strength-in-depth will be keenly felt.

"Some of the lads who have stepped away would be very competitive Gaelic footballers," he said. "They have done a lot for Tyrone over the last few years.

"Everybody has personal issues they have to deal with in life. I have no doubt that if they had stayed in place this year, we’d be in a much healthier position, the competition within the team would have been serious.

"I’m not saying it’s not now – in Garvaghy on a Tuesday and Thursday night the lads are pushing each other on – but the experience that some of those guys had, it definitely would have added to what we are about this year."

Who is to say a few of those guys won't be back next year?

While none of the sextet were