New Tyrone hurling manager Michael McShane says he sees no reason why the county’s senior hurlers cannot be playing at a higher level.

McShane was appointed to a three-year term with the Red Hands last month, having steered Slaughtneil to an eighth successive Derry SHC title last September and also guided the club to three of the last four Ulster club crowns.

Speaking to BBC Sport NI, he also touched on the criticism from star forward Damian Casey at the start of 2021 of the Tyrone county board’s failure at the time to find a successor to former manager Mattie Lennon.

"The issues that were put out there by Damian and a few of the players are not big issues that can't be resolved,” stated McShane.

"As I said to a few of the players when I spoke to them, let's not look back at what's happened in the past. Let's look forward and see, what can we do?

"I'm under no illusions. Hurling is the second (if it's even that) in the priority list in Tyrone. Tyrone is a big football county, they're playing at the highest level and they have ambitions to win the Sam Maguire and football in Tyrone is a bigger sport by a long way than hurling is.

"But it doesn't mean the two can't exist. There's no reason why people in Tyrone cannot share success with football and hurling, and camogie and ladies' football. Why can they not go and win at everything?

"My communications with the country board so far tell me that that's what they want too.

"I'm looking forward to that and I don't see any reason why Tyrone can't win Sam Maguires and Nicky Rackards in Division 3 hurling, which is what my current project is."

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