TYRONE manager Paul Devlin has seen two versions of the Down U20 team, and he knows which one to expect at Loughmacrory on Saturday.
The Red Hands eased past the Mournemen in the pre-season Leo Murphy Cup, but a transformed Down side sparkled in its demolition of Fermanagh in the Championship preliminary round last weekend.
Devlin was at Pairc Esler to assess his Ulster Championship opponents as the home county began its defence of the provincial title with a convincing 2-13 to 0-7 victory.
“Down have that competitive game under their belt, and we have to adapt to that,” he said.
In crafting a game plan, the Tyrone boss will target the opposition’s strengths, but his primary concern is the effectiveness of his own group of players.
The Development League was a mixed bag, and while they reached the Leo Murphy Cup final, a flat performance saw them come up well short of opponents Donegal at Letterkenny.
“We were making basic mistakes, and any day you’re making basic mistakes, you’re going to get punished. Hopefully the lads will respond to that.
“The bounce of the ball a lot of the time that day fell for Donegal, and they worked hard and punished us for it.”
However, the pre-season competition served a useful purpose for the management team in identifying flaws and finding solutions, along with the more immediate task of assessing players and establishing a squad.
“The good thing about the Leo Murphy competition is that it gives you an opportunity to look at lads and see them in competitive games.
“We had good performances and poor performances, and we have been able to see who is performing and who is going to be up to it come Championship time.
“The Development Competition was very important in that way.”
Now in his fifth year in the U20 post, along with assistant Dermot Carlin, Devlin has added former Tyrone star Owen Mulligan to the backroom team.
Ulster titles were won in 2019 and 2020, but success at this level is not the primary objective.
The manager feels he should be judged on the basis of his contribution to the future success of Tyrone at Senior level.
“It’s about developing these lads to be senior footballers. You see the facilities here in Garvaghey, and how often do they want to come here and commit themselves to that type of lifestyle.
“We have seen in the senior panel already there have been four of five drop-offs of lads who feel they have achieved their goal.
“It’s about having the next batch of lads who are ready to step in there. That’s the main goal for ourselves.
“Yes, we want to win silverware along the way, you want to be at the top of the podium all the time if you can possibly be there. It’s a great feel for the people, for the lads and their families, but the main goal for the lads is stepping forward to senior status.”
