Tyrone 2-20
Dublin 1-16
TYRONE HAVE BEEN RELEGATED to division two despite this encouraging win over Dublin in O’Neill’s Healy Park.
Results in Salthill with Kerry winning, and Castlebar with Mayo beating Donegal, meant Tyrone now go to the second flight for the first time since 2016.
Not the sort of league campaign Tyrone felt they were getting when they appointed Malachy O’Rourke as manager, but it might also be borne in mind that they are the first side to be relegated from division one with a total of seven points, since the leagues were streamlined into a merit-based system in 2008.
Still, they will point to how their performances certainly had an uptick in the second half of the league campaign.
Though some teams barely tried a leg once they knew safety was within their grasp. Perhaps the best way to see it was that it was a scratch league. A competition of little or no consequence.
That’s the attitude Tyrone will take anyway before they face Cavan here in the Ulster championship on 13 April.
For all the riches that Tyrone have as a county, you still wonder what shape they would be in without Niall Morgan, Mattie Donelly, Darren McCurry and Peter Harte.
All four were immensely active in a first half when they enjoyed the stiffest of breezes while playing towards the Killyclogher end.
Morgan in particular as he fell foul to an accidental collision with Seán MacMahon who was anticipating a dropping handpass from Cian Murphy when he had his backed turned to Morgan who was coming to claim the ball.
The goalkeeper claimed the ball but came down heavy on his head. After extensive medical attention he was allowed to continue.
However, he then missed two high balls played in, in the eighth minute when Tyrone managed to smuggle the break to safety, but he also came for another delivery from Davy Byrne, missed the flight and Con O’Callaghan collected and drilled to the net.
From that point Tyrone took control in the middle with Brian Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick taking either wing to great effect.
Tyrone’s first goal came from a Kennedy pass to Darren McCurry on the wing. Inside, Darragh Canavan pointed for him to lace it over Byrne’s head and he produced a sumptuous measured pass to reach Canavan who did a quick spin to leave goalkeeper Gavin Sheridan on the turf and slot home.
Two-pointer efforts duly arrived from Kieran McGeary and McCurry with two – one from a dead ball.
Struggling with the conditions, a brace of points each from Sean Bugler and Niall Scully kept Dublin in touch, but within the 20th and 30th minutes Tyrone notched five single points and a double-point free that came from a three-man infraction on the Dublin team that referee David Coldrick awarded after being altered by one of his linesmen.
With the final play of the half, Byrne attempted another delivery with a shot on the hooter. Instead, Morgan came and bravely claimed, playing on and worked the ball through Mattie Donnelly and Canavan, the move getting the wonderful finish from Canavan it deserved to leave Tyrone 1-14 to 1-4 ahead at the break.
Throwing on the likes of Ciaran Kilkenny and Lorcan O’Dell meant the visitors made a far better fist of things in the second half. But by then there was more concern about how events were unfolding across the other grounds in the country as the possibility of Kerry, or Mayo going down emerged and then receded, only to re-emerge again as spectators were constantly refreshing their phones for more score updates.
A rash of wild shooting from Dublin undone a lot of their early effort in the third quarter, Cormac Costello and Sean Bugler having poor efforts while they were also guilty of hunting for two-pointers rather than chalking off a few single pointers.
Their hopes of a revival were all but killed off with a Michael McKernan goal, a miscalculation for the three man infraction leaving the Dublin player closest to him having to scurry back into the other half as the Coalisland man raced in and picked his spot in the net.
Four two-point efforts converted by Cormac Costello took the bad look off it for Dublin. The final one was a particularly amusing one as the pitch had to be cleared twice with children running onto the pitch and a buzzer-beater free having to be taken.
Scorers for Tyrone: Darren McCurry 0-9 (3f, 1x 2pt free, 1x 2 pt score), Darragh Canavan 1-3, Michael McKernan 1-0, Kieran McGeary 0-2 (1 x 2pt score), Ruairi Canavan 0-2, Niall Morgan 0-2 (2x 45), Peter Harte and Mattie Donnelly 0-1 each.
Scorers for Dublin: Cormac Costello 0-8, (2 x 2pt scores, 2x 2pt frees), Con O’Callaghan 1-0, Sean Bugler 0-4 (1x 2pt score), Niall Scully 0-2, Lorcan O’Dell 0-2 (1 x 2pt score)
Tyrone
1. Niall Morgan (Edendork)
2. Aidan Clarke (Omagh) 3. Peter Teague (Dromore) 4. Niall Devlin (Coalisland)
5. Michael McKernan (Coalisland) 6. Rory Brennan (Trillick) 7. Kieran McGeary (Pomeroy)
8. Brian Kennedy (Derrylaughan) 9. Conn Kilpatrick (Edendork)
10. Ciaran Daly (Trillick) 11. Mattie Donnelly (Trillick) 19. Aidan Donaghy (Loughmacrory)
13. Peter Harte (Errigal Ciaran) 21. Darren McCurry (Edendork) 15. Darragh Canavan (Errigal Ciaran)
Subs:
23. Seanie O’Donnell (Trillick) for Donaghy (41m)
18. Ruairi Canavan (Errigal Ciaran) for Harte (54m)
25. Michael O’Neill (Ardboe) for D Canavan (57m)
24. Shea O’Hare (Ardboe) for Donaghy (64m)
Dublin
16. Gavin Sheridan (St Brigid’s)
2. David Byrne (Naomh Olaf) 3. Theo Clancy (Kilmacud) 4. Conor Tyrrell (St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh)
5. Cian Murphy (Thomas Davis) 6. Sean MacMahon (Raheny) 7. Greg McEneaney (Skerries)
8. Brian Howard (Raheny) 9. Peader Ó Cofaigh Byrne (Cuala)
10. Ross McGarry (Ballyboden) 11. Seán Bugler (St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh) 12. Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge Street)
22. Killian McGinnis (Skerries) 14. Con O’Callaghan (Cuala) 15. Cormac Costello (Whitehall)
Subs:
19. Ciaran Kilkenny (Castleknock) for McGinnis (41m)
23. Lorcan O’Dell (Templeogue Synge Street) for McGarry (43m)
21. James Madden (Ballyboden) for Ó Cofaigh Byrne (44m)
18. Davy Keogh (Thomas Davis) for Scully (57m)
24. Eoghan O’Donnelly (Whitehall) for McEneaney (60m)
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)
Delighted tyrone went down to D2 were day belong know all Ireland for dublin this year
@Alan Moloney: have bit respect great football county goalie took a awful slsp too hel be sore tonight..
@Alan Moloney: in English?
@Paully kells: respect for who?
@Alan Moloney: What happened to Dublin winning the lot this year, Alan.
@Ray Ridge: if they unable to beat Tyrone who are a D2 side, it must say a lot about their all Ireland chances
@Alan Moloney: Tyrone obviously…don’t be bitter..
@Paully kells: lm not never did like that team
@Ray Ridge: will have to settle for another leinster title as we are a few year’s away from winning the all Ireland
Two poor Teams