No O'Neill or Harte for Tyrone and Armagh in 2026
The Ulster SFC preliminary clash between Armagh and Tyrone is set to be shorn of a few big names with Rian O'Neill and Peter Harte set to sit out the 2026 season.
Speculation about 35-year-old Harte’s future in red and white had been swirling in recent weeks, and after their McKenna Cup opening round win over Armagh on Friday night, manager Malachy O’Rourke confirmed that he wouldn’t be involved in the forthcoming campaign.
His counterpart Kieran McGeeney also confirmed after 0-17 to 2-13 loss for his side that O’Neill was not part of the Orchard County squad currently.
Older brother Oisín did pick up the player of the match award and Aaron scored a point on debut off the bench, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Tyrone earning a morale-boosting win despite resting a lot of their key players.
A crowd of 7,180 watched Lorcan McGarrity and Mattie Donnelly score the crucial goals in either half at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.
Meanwhile, Armagh’s clash with Down, scheduled for Newry on Wednesday, has been switched to Burren as the Paírc Esler pitch is not in good enough condition to host.
