LAST NIGHT, TYRONE named only their third management team in 22 years, with Malachy O’Rourke being ratified by club delegates.
One of the most-prized roles in GAA management, O’Rourke has earned it off the back of bringing success and raising expectations wherever he has gone.
Here, we look at what he will be inheriting and the situation he will find himself in Tyrone, and also what he will bring to the role.
Hungry Playing Group
It’s somewhat unusual to see players openly getting giddy at the thought of a new manager, before they are announced. And yet over the past week, Niall Morgan popped up on ‘Off The Ball’ to tell an anecdote on how he has admired O’Rourke for years and how well received he would be as manager.
𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑮𝑨𝑵 𝑬𝑵𝑫𝑶𝑹𝑺𝑬𝑺 𝑶'𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑲𝑬
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 4, 2024
🗣️ ‘I played a charity game up in Donegal... I nudged Petey in the dressing room at that stage and said we need this man!'#Tyrone shot-stopper Niall Morgan was excited with the prospect of Malachy O'Rourke taking over his side. pic.twitter.com/JDk1IhO54x
Over the weekend, Matthew Donnelly was apprehended after Trillick’s win in the Tyrone championship by the BBC, and said, “You can’t get too committed to it until it’s done and dusted officially but obviously people of that calibre are few and far between.
“…If Malachy was to come to Tyrone, the panel of players there next year would surely look forward to it.”
It’s a fair comment to say that after producing some really daring, adventurous football in winning the All Ireland in 2021, the last three seasons have been dispiriting.
For players such as Morgan and Donnelly, there will be a curiosity factor to going in and playing under what would only be their third management at county level in 15 seasons for Donnelly, 14 for Morgan.
Trawling The Talent
There are some players out there that could clearly do a job for Tyrone, and boost standards at their training sessions.
We are thinking of names such as Trillick pair Rory Brennan and Richie Donnelly. Then you have the leading scorer in club league football this year, Paul Donaghy of Dungannon. Mark Bradley was always a spritely presence.
Then, you have the cream of the players who have are being harvested from the sides that won two of the last three All Ireland U20 titles. Such as Eoin McElholm, Shea O’Hare, Callum Daly, Michael Rafferty.
In fact, eight of the starting 15 that won this year’s All Ireland, are still eligible in 2025.
11 of the 2022 team have seen action already for the Tyrone seniors. Some of those are establishing themselves on the team, such as Ruairí Canavan and Niall Devlin.
And consider an approach made at some point to see if Conor McKenna might be tempted to give it one more push.
All things considered with their sporting culture of the 21st century, there are dozens upon dozens of potential county footballers in Tyrone.
Coaching Culture
O’Rourke, like any Tyrone manager, will be marked harshly.
Take a look around the first round of the domestic championships and you will realise that the standard of management teams for the clubs in the county is sky-high.
Loughmacrory St Theresa’s beat Galbally at the weekend. On their sideline was Down selector Ciaran Meenagh, former Derry All Ireland winning manager Marty Boyle and former Donegal minor manager Luke Barrett.
Trillick, managed by Jody Gormley and Peter McGinnity, were coming up against Eglish, managed by Mattie McGleenan. Ryan McMenamin manages Tyrone. Conor Gormley manages Beragh. Conleith Gilligan, the former All Ireland club winning assistant with Kilcoo and who was an Armagh selector this year, was running the line for intermediate side Edendork at the weekend.
The footballing culture in Tyrone is as strong and educated as it can be.
WHAT O’ROURKE BRINGS
First Year Bounce
The first job Malachy O’Rourke took was with Tyholland in Monaghan. They had never played senior football before, but his first season ended with celebrating promotion to the big show.
He took over Loup in 2003, and brought their first Derry championship sine 1936. They didn’t stop that season until they had the Ulster title too.
Such success inevitably brought a request from Errigal Ciaran to return as manager. He did so, for one year, and duly delivered the Tyrone championship.
The following year, he was at Cavan Gaels. And won a county title.
He took Fermanagh on for 2008 and not only did they beat Monaghan and the reigning league champions Derry to reach the Ulster final, he brought them to within a single botched free of landing their first Ulster title, losing the replay.
In his first year with Monaghan, they won the Ulster title, beating Donegal, who were at the time All Ireland champions.
His last job was with Glen and they won their first-ever Derry championship in year one. The following year brought their first Ulster title and in his third season, they landed the All Ireland title.
A Healthy Tension
There are very few people that would ever say a negative comment about O’Rourke. His sunny disposition and easy south Fermanagh charm is a great means of disarming people.
Yet inside the dressing room, he maintains a healthy distance from players. Former Monaghan player Paul Finlay describes it as a healthy tension.
“He rarely would have lost his shit with us. It’s measured. He gets you on board, by the way he delivers it,” says Finlay.
“But whatever way you thought you knew him, you didn’t know him that well. You always felt on edge.
“Myself, coming towards the end, I felt I had to prove myself and I think everybody was in the same boat, you couldn’t rest on your laurels.”
He continued, “Whereas Banty (Seamus McEnaney) might want to be all over you and be your friend, have his arm over your shoulder, with Malachy it was more of a standoff approach. Almost like a Headmaster, ‘Am I allowed to speak to him?’
“Even though he was very friendly and approachable, he still had an aura. Ask for a night away, or a couple of nights off, it was never straightforward.”
Master Of Themes
The day after Glen won the All Ireland title, Conor Glass was doing the rounds of Maghera, helping to bring the cup around the usual locations.
Because he was wearing a cycling top, some had the thought that Glass must have been really into his cycling.
Really, he was wearing it in homage to O’Rourke’s theory that winning an All Ireland club title was like the Tour de France; you would have to win stages, it was a series of mountains that had to be climbed, and in the end it all comes down to a mad scramble.
It sounded like a familiar story about O’Rourke. He isn’t huge into gimmicks, but he likes to put together a ‘Theme’ for a game, or even a season. It’s something commonplace for many years in other sports, popularised by the likes of former LA Lakers head coach, Pat Riley.
Whenever he feels a team might be finding themselves a little nervous before a big game, particularly a final, O’Rourke will conduct all the opposition analysis, he will touch again on what his own side need to do.
Then he will gently remind them that no matter how big they feel the upcoming game is, there will be millions of people in China who are blissfully unaware there even is a game at the weekend.
Then, there’s his yarn about the honey badger, an animal that has no comprehension of their size and will frequently attack foes much bigger, with its’ ferocity to get out of a tight spot. It’s a powerful metaphor.
On and on it goes. He tells the tale of Philippe Petit, the Frenchman who tethered a tightrope between the Twin Towers in Manhattan and walked across it (‘everything else is just hanging around,’ he effortlessly French enigma-ed afterwards).
He’s not above the staple, ‘Yiz writ us off’ approach, mind you. One time an O’Rourke team had scored one of their biggest wins in their history and had been completely unfancied prior to the game.
The day after, a player was blowing off steam in a pub when he took a folded A4 sheet from his back pocket. On it were the juicier segments by several opinion columnists stating that the underdog team had no chance whatsoever in the upcoming game.
Whatever happens in the season to come, the landscape of Ulster football has just gotten a good bit more cut-throat with the return of O’Rourke to the arena.
