![]() ![]() They went on to win Sam Maguire for the first time. Mickey Harte celebrates Tyrone’s Ulster Championship win in 2003. Winning an All-Ireland is incredibly difficult, but breaking through the psychological barrier of achieving it for the first time in your county’s history is an even steeper incline. And as an opposing manager, he made you think. He developed a collective approach to defending, harnessed the power of the group and was fearless in taking the big guns on and, crucially, beating them. Tactically, he was a trailblazer, implementing everything from scoring full backs where tacklers like Joe McMahon played further up the field, to tactical substitutions – the Peter Canavan switch has become part of GAA folklore. Harte was a pioneer and he moved the needle in terms of how we think about football. ![]() I knew in my heart that if we could beat Tyrone we had a great chance of winning Ulster, because they were the kings of the province at the time. In those first few years in charge of the Donegal seniors, there wasn’t a day I didn’t think of him or Tyrone. As a young manager starting out, Harte was the barometer for me. ![]()
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