For Stephen O’Neill and Tyrone the expectations usually laden upon a side fresh off a good league season have been dampened somewhat by virtue of all eyes being on their first round opponents, Donegal.

With a poor league campaign and the controversies surrounding the biting incident during a game between Dublin and Donegal dominating the public discourse on Donegal GAA for the past few months, it means Tyrone will travel to Ballybofey on May 26 with all eyes on their opponents, and that is something that Stephen O’Neill is confident suits the Tyrone side.

“They’re the all-Ireland champions and I think that’s the most important thing. They’re the best team in the country and we’re going into their backyard and I suppose all the talk will be about the champions and we’re just going in to try our best and hopefully create a few problems for them,” O’Neill said, in an interview with Newstalk’s Oisin Langan.

“We want to win, we’re not going down there just to make up numbers…every county wants to win their provincial championship,” he added.

Tyrone are a side looking rejuvenated, with some young players making names for themselves while O’Neill has found a fresh lease of life at 32 years of age, culminating thus far in him winning this year’s GAA/GPA Opel Player of the League award.

“It’s a team award. I’m just very lucky to be selected to collect it on their behalf.”

“We’ve a lot of new players in. It’s good to have them ether…We’re trying to build and trying to compete with the bigger teams. We’re playing the bigger team from last year in two weeks,” he said.

Listen to the full interview with Stephen O’Neill via the player below

Image: Tyrone's Stephen O'Neill with his GAA/GPA Player of the League Award Sponsored by Opel
©INPHO/James Crombie