Cathal McShane says Tyrone will need everyone fighting fit if they are to compete this season.
An injury crisis is beginning to ease as the Red Hands gear up for a relegation battle in the last two rounds of the Allianz Division One League.
McShane made his first appearance of the season against Kerry last weekend after missing the opening four rounds with a groin injury.
Kieran McGeary is also back in action, having come off the bench in the last two games, but there’s still no sign of 2021 All-Ireland winners Conor Meyler, Frank Burns, Mickey O’Neill, and Mattie Donnelly.
“I think you need everyone fit and fighting hard. I know myself, getting back out and getting minutes, and there will be a few others hopefully trying to do that in the next couple of weeks,” said McShane.
“You need a fit squad, you need to get everyone right, but you need to be right when you’re out there as well, and you want to be right when you’re out there.
“It’s just now about trying to train hard, and make sure we recover well and get every man available.”
McShane came off the bench in the closing stages of the defeat to Kerry at Fitzgerald Stadium, playing a part in Ciaran Daly’s goal as the Red Hands staged a late revival.
“It’s nice to get back in there and get a few minutes under the belt, coming on for the last ten.
“Personally it was good to get back out there, but obviously you’d like to be pushing on and getting two points for the team.”
For the third season in a row, Tyrone find themselves in a relegation scrap, and need to win at least one of their two remaining games – against Monaghan and Dublin – to avoid losing their Division One status.
“I’ve been saying that since coming around Tyrone squads, that every Division One game is a tough game and any team can win on the day.
“We just need to re-focus now for Monaghan, they’re a tough teams so we need to get back at it and see how next week goes
“We have two games left, and a game at Healy Park next week, and when we play at Healy Park we always want to win.
“We want to win any day we go out, but next week we will be looking to get back on track.”
Kerry, assisted by a first half breeze, were five points ahead at the break, and pushed further in front after the restart.
“Kerry obviously had a good start to the second half, putting on a few good scores,
“In the first half we had a good few wides, and then Kerry seemed to score with everything that they kicked.
“Maybe the breeze played a part in the second half, maybe died down a bit, but they were very clinical in the second half and that obviously helped them build up a bit of a lead.
“We did fight until the end, but they were just a few points better than us on the day.”
Tyrone did have their chances in the opening half, and were to pay a costly price for a rash of misses.
“I think, even from warming up at that side before the start, we knew that the breeze was sorta swirling and going in different directions, but obviously the boys were trying their best.
“We did rack up probably too many wides if we’re being honest. Even if you halve that, you’re going in at half-time in a lot better position.
“But we were still in it at half-time, and we knew that of we started well in the second half and get scores on the board. We could probably have got something out of it, but it wasn’t to be.
“We got a goal towards the end, and we had a couple of other chances in the first half. There were certainly goal chances there, and on another day you would hopefully take them.”
