Red Hands dominate the Dubs but are still relegated

Tyrone 2-20  Dublin  1-16

A DAY of mixed emotions for Tyrone! Yes their relegation out of the top flight for the first time in a decade was confirmed as a consequence of results elsewhere, but they should enter the Championship arena with a spring in their step nonetheless.

They put Dublin to the sword with a scintillating attacking display at O’Neills Healy Park on Sunday afternoon, a sequence of late consolation ‘two pointers’ taking the bad look off the final scoreline from the visitors perspective.

Coming on the back of encouraging outings against Galway and Donegal, and with a spate of key campaigners hitting their straps, Tyrone will quickly consign the league chapter of their season to the memory bank, and look ahead bullishly to the business end of the year.

Even with Mark Bradley ruled out through injury, Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan took stewardship of the scoring stakes, and led the Dublin rearguard a merry dance, while further back team captain Brian Kennedy was immense around the middle, and Michael McKernan, Kieran McGeary and Peter Teague also stood out.

Acutely aware that they had their own business to take care of, whatever about the permutations elsewhere in the Division, Tyrone made the full use of the strong breeze at their backs in the first half to build up a ten point cushion by the break.

Darragh Canavan, who was on fire throughout, latched onto a brilliant delivery inside by Ciaran Daly to tuck over the opener in the third minute, though there was an early momentary scare when keeper Niall Morgan suffered a nasty fall in an aerial collision with Sean MacMahon, but fortunately he was able to brush himself down and carry on.

Despite playing against the elements, the Dubs went close to goal in the ninth minute, after Cormac Costello cut inside and looked to find Con O’Callaghan on the edge of the square, but the back-tracking Peter Teague pulled off an acrobatic block to thwart the danger.

The lively Niall Scully did slot over the opener for the visitors and in the 13th minute they swooped for a goal. David Byrne’s pass from deep deceived Morgan who had advanced to his 20m line to try and collect, and the loose ball was collected and calmly dispatched to the empty net by O’Callaghan.

Matthew Donnelly responded with a score for the hosts, and in the 16th minute they raised a green flag of their own. McCurry speared a ball in from deep which caught the Dublin rearguard on the hop, and Canavan was the grateful beneficiary as he pounced on the pass and showed admirable predatory instincts to finish to the net.

While Scully blasted over another score, it was Tyrone who started to assert their authority on proceedings, Brian Kennedy, Kieran McGeary and Matthew Donnelly winning ample primary possession and threatening a series of kickouts by Dublin netminder Gavin Sheridan.

McGeary sent over a thunderous two pointer from play, after some razor sharp approach work, and though Sean Bugler reduced the gap to the bare minimum- 1-4 to 1-3- in the 20th minute, it was the home side who shifted through the gears in the run-up to the interval.

McCurry and Peter Harte put the seal on enterprising build-up with accurate finishes over the black spot, though Tyrone fans were left scratching their heads when experienced referee David Coldrick blew up for a foul on Donnelly instead of playing advantage, with the Red Hands surging clear on the Dublin square (to compound their angst the subsequent free was missed).

Still Tyrone were purring at this juncture as McCurry saw a piledriver tipped aside by Sheridan, after Donnelly carved out the opportunity.

Morgan drilled over the resultant ’45’ and McCurry then atoned for his early miss with a sublime two point conversion, from outside the ’40’ arc. Darragh Canavan also got in on the scoring act as his skier dropped over the Dublin bar.

A ‘three man indiscretion’ by the Dubs (one too many dropping back inside their own half) enabled McCurry to land a two point free, and while Bugler raised a Dublin white flag, the Red Hands coasted into a 1-14 to 1-4 half-time lead as McCurry and Canavan knocked over a couple of pearlers.

The third quarter was fairly scrappy, with a lethargic Dublin lacking the potency and cohesion to mount any sort of fightback. Morgan steered over his second ’45’ , while in the other square he was quickly off his line to turn Scully’s close range effort behind.

Bugler did manage to plant a two pointer for Dublin but their finishing was wayward for the most part, and with the action fairly insipid much of the crowd attention was on how other counties at the bottom of the table were faring.

They found their voices again when McCurry released McKernan to drill a low shot across Sheridan into the far corner of the net midway through the half to ease Tyrone way ahead 2-16 to 1-8.

A brace of Cormac Costello two point frees handed the Jacks some hope, but two McCurry pointed frees and sharply taken scores from sub Ruairi Canavn had Tyrone home and hosed.

With Tyrone’s relegation confirmed the match ended in fairly farcical circumstances, a mini pitch invasion from young home fans on the hooter, causing a hold up in action, before Costello could send over a consolation two point free.

 Scorers

Tyrone: Darren McCurry (0-9, 3f, 1tp, 1tpf), Darragh Canavan (1-3), Michael McKernan (1-0), Kieran McGeary (0-2,tp), Ruairi Canavan (0-2), Niall Morgan (0-2,2 45s), Matthew Donnelly, Peter Harte (0-1 each)

Dublin: Cormac Costello (0-8,3tp, 1tpf), Sean Bugler (0-4,1tp), Con O’Callaghan (1-0), Lorcan O’Dell (0-2,tp), Niall Scully (0-2)

 Teams

Tyrone: Niall Morgan, Aidan Clarke, Peter Teague, Niall Devlin, Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary, Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick, Ciaran Daly, Matthew Donnelly, Aodhan Donaghy, Peter Harte, Darren McCurry, Darragh Canavan. Subs used: Seanie O’Donnell for M Donnelly (41mins), Ruairi Canavan for P Harte (52), Michael O’Neill for D Canavan (57), Shea O’Hare for A Donaghy (64)

Dublin: Gavin Sheridan, David Byrne, Theo Clancy, Conor Tyrell, Cian Murphy, Sean MacMahon, Greg McEneaney, Brian Howard, Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Ross McGarry, Sean Bulger, Niall Scully, Killian McGinnis, Con O’Callaghan, Cormac Costello. Subs used: Ciaran Kilkenny for K McGinnis (41mins), Lorcan O’Neill for R McGarry (43), James Madden for P Byrne (45), Davy Keogh for N Scully (56), Eoghan O’Donnell for G McEneaney (60)

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)