Tyrone footballer Kieran McGeary.
**By Orla Bannon **
** **
There are days when everything goes right and no matter how hard they try, Kieran McGeary accepts Tyrone may not be able to emulate every facet of their sparkling semi-final display in tomorrow's Ulster SFC decider.
A nine-point victory over Donegal was more than anyone in the Tyrone camp could have imagined and now they face pressure of a different kind, hot favourites to retain the Anglo Celt Cup when facing Down at Clones.
Mickey Harte's teams usually handle pressure and expectancy very well, so will that be the case this time? "We know ourselves what we are capable of and I think that we showed that last day out," says McGeary.
"We all clicked as a team that day and not every time that you go out onto the field that is going to happen. You are going to have your misses and thankfully most of what we kicked that day went over the bar, although perhaps not as many went into the net as we would have liked.
"Take your points and the goals will come - that's the message we've been told.
"Some day there's going to be a day when we hit the net a lot of times and there will be a lot of happy people out there."
McGeary talks and plays like a Tyrone senior captain in waiting. He is shaping up to be a lucky general, with a glut of medals already safely tucked away.
Asked whether he'd like to emulate three-time All-Ireland winner Sean Cavanagh as Red Hands skipper, he says: "it would be every young lads' dream, but big Sean is doing a good enough job!"
"To be honest you have 30 leaders within our squad and it doesn't matter who walks up the steps."
Kieran McGeary won an Independent.ie Sigerson Cup with St Marys, Belfast in February.
The Pomeroy wing-forward has been doing a lot of that in the last few years. It seems wherever he goes, whoever he plays for, he usually comes out on top.
Captain of the Tyrone U21 team that stormed to Ulster and All-Ireland glory in 2015, he followed that up with a Sigerson Cup triumph with St Mary's and Intermediate Ulster club success.
And tomorrow he could seal back-to-back Ulster SFC titles. All by the age of 23. "There is no magic formula," he says, "I've been lucky to come out on the right side of those big days, and I hope to be on right side of the hurdle this weekend as well".
"That is what keeps you going, that winning mentality. If you get a slight glimpse of it you always want it, you want it more and more.
"Thankfully I have been on the right side of those results but I have been playing alongside great players which is a help too.
"2015 is a year I'll never forget. I loved everything about that year with the Under 21s but whether it's the U21s, the club, St Mary's or Tyrone seniors, they are all full of great players who all want the same thing. That helps drive you over the line.
"I'm just enjoying the build-up to another Ulster final.
"Last year in my debut season was brilliant and to be back in the same position twelve months later with a few more games under my belt and a bit more playing time, is even better again."
