Jordan: Donegal have mental edge

May 17, 2015

Donegal's Michael Murphy and Tyrone's Mattie Donnelly. INPHO

Philip Jordan fears the apparent psychological advantage Donegal hold over Tyrone could derail the Red Hands' Ulster SFC ambitions.

Donegal have dominated this fixture since beating Tyrone in the 2011 Ulster SFC semi-final and writing in his Irish News column, Jordan acknowledged:

"They hold a major mental advantage over Tyrone, having beaten them in their last three championship matches and that edge was only reinforced by their easy league victory this year.

"Mickey Harte will have been working on building the belief of his team, but the real test will come in the crucial moments of Sunday's game."

The former Tyrone star would like to see Joe McMahon - who isn't named to start - given the task of man-marking Donegal captain Michael Murphy.

"Joe has all the attributes to nullify Murphy - he has the height and physicality to win the aerial duels, he will be equally comfortable on the square or out the field, and he has experience of marking him before.

"Tyrone would be happy if Murphy plays deep, but I expect the trend of the league to continue, when he played inside on a more regular basis."


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