Harte calls on new names

Gaelic Games News:  Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has named a 27-man squad for the Dr McKenna Cup campaign. Nine new players have been drafted in, many of them All-Ireland medal holders from underage triumphs in the past few seasons.

The reigning All-Ireland champions begin the pre-season competition with a Healy Park clash with Down, followed by games against St Mary's and Donegal.

Harte has included 18 members of his 2005 Sam Maguire Cup winning squad.

Among those missing are the retired Peter Canavan and Chris Lawn, injured skipper Brian Dooher and a handful of players who will represent their colleges in the competition.

Two players who were involved when Tyrone won their first All-Ireland in 2003 - Cormac McGinley and Dermot Carlin - make a return, while there are also call-ups for former underage stars Adrian Ball, Brendan Boggs, Paul Quinn, Raymond Mulgrew, Colm Donnelly, Aidan McCarron and Tommy McGuigan, younger brother of Brian, who is currently in Australia.

Absent because of injury are Enda McGinley and Gavin Devlin, while Mark Harte has committed himself to regaining full fitness by playing club football, following a groin operation, and Colm McCullagh has resumed his Irish League soccer career.

Joe McMahon, Leo Meenan, Mickey Murphy and Peter Donnelly will be representing their colleges in the McKenna Cup. Conor Gormley and Philip Jordan have been named in the McKenna Cup squad but are unlikely to feature. Both will be on standby.

Harte will name his squad for the National League in late January.

Dave Keane, who steered Limerick to a hat-trick of Munster and All-Ireland under-21 hurling titles from 2000 to 2002, before spending 12 months in charge of the county senior team, has returned to management with the Blackrock club in Cork.

TYRONE SQUAD (for McKenna Cup): Pascal McConnell, John Devine, Ryan McMenamin, Cormac McGinley, Eoin Bradley, Adrian Ball, Ciarán Gourley, Dermot Carlin, Shane Sweeney, Michael McGee, Brendan Boggs, Paul Quinn, Brendan Donnelly, David Harte, Conor Gormley, Philip Jordan, Brian Meenan, Colin Holmes, Raymond Mulgrew, Colm Donnelly, Seán Cavanagh, Aidan McCarron, Stephen O'Neill, Owen Mulligan, Tommy McGuigan, Martin Penrose, Ryan Mellon.