Tyrone’s preparations won’t be sufficient for All-Ireland semi-final clash with Kerry due to COVID outbreak

"There is no doubt that they aren't going to be prepared properly."

Playing Kerry in an All-Ireland semi-final is a daunting task in any normal situation, but to do it in the midst of a COVID outbreak only makes it 10 times more difficult. Several Tyrone players have contracted the virus, which has had a knock-on effect with other players having to isolate, also disrupting their preparations physically, mentally and tactically. Speaking on the GAA Hour, Colm Parkinson discusses the challenge that currently faces the Red Hands. 

"It's just whether or not they can make it at this stage, but again we're speculating, we don't know how many lads might take two or three days to get back right, and how many won't. "How many lads are laying in bed, and how many are drained of energy? You don't want a lad to go out in Croke Park in front of 40,000 people if he's not fully right, from a player welfare point of view.

"Tyrone wouldn't do that. They either have lads, or they don't have lads, that's going to be the reality of it. "There is no doubt that they aren't going to be prepared properly, because half the team are training at the moment, they will have to be doing video sessions, and tactic sessions over Zoom, it's massively disruptive. "No matter what way you look at it, even if they're all fit and healthy by next week, they still won't have done the work that they would really deserve to have done, going into an All-Ireland semi-final." Kildare legend Johnny Doyle was also on the show, and he pointed out that the physical and tactical elements of their preparations aren't the only elements that will suffer. 

"The other aspect of it is, while physically it affects players, mentally it affects players as well in regards to any sickness, where it is what it is and you get over it, but with other people it plays on their minds a little bit.

"It totally depends on the individual, but it is the preparation, and even though you go into a game feeling that you have prepared the best you can, you go into it with a different frame of mind. "We all know the importance of being mentally prepared for battle, and Tyrone have had plenty of battles down the years.

"No county has probably suffered as much with different setbacks and tragedies, and they have always bounced back."

You can listen to the full discussion on the GAA Hour now.