Tyrone finish with a flourish to see off the Dubs

Tyrone  0-23 Dublin  0-16

THE CHAMPIONSHIP rounds they refer to them in boxing- those last nine minutes of fistic action when everything is on the line. It tests the resolve and moral fibre of the best of them.

With 65 minutes on the clock on Saturday at Croke Park, Tyrone were heading into their equivalent of the Championship rounds. Leading Dublin by a point the outcome of this scrappy but compelling quarter-final was hanging in the balance.

Were we to see the same familiar script we have witnessed against the Dubs in the All-Ireland series dating back to 2008 continue to unfold or could Tyrone end that depressing six game Championship run of losses to them?

Thankfully the latter story was penned and how some. Tyrone broke clear like a foal let loose in a field for the first time, hitting their shell-shocked opponents with an explosion of scores down the home stretch to deliver a decisive knockout blow.

It was a fully warranted victory. Apart from a brief spell between the 21st and 23rd minutes of the first half, Tyrone never trailed in this encounter. However while the Dubs are a pale (blue) shadow of the team they used to be, they kept clinging around and up until the latter stages would have remained confident about claiming the Red Hand scalp yet again.

Yet on this particular occasion the likes of Mattie Donnelly, Ciaran Daly, Kieran McGeary and Niall Morgan were not going to be denied. That quartet were among the shining lights for the victors, though mention to must go to the second half subs, with Ben McDonnell, Ruairi Canavan and Eoin McElholm each weighing in with vital scores as the match became more and more stretched.

Tyrone hit the Dubs with a spree of early two pointers, Kieran McGeary, Peter Teague and Peter Harte the players doing the business with composed strikes all inside the opening ten minutes. Cormac Costello, who looked sharp for Dublin in attack throughout, slotted over two early scores at the Hill End (one free and one with the fist) while he had a looping effort tipped behind by Morgan for a ’45’ which Stephen Cluxton converted.

By the midway stage of the first half the Dubs had restored parity at 0-6 apiece, barrel chested inside targetman Brian O’Leary banging over two, and Costello grabbing the other.

On a drizzly evening at Croke Park, the ball handling of both teams let them down at times, with turnovers leading to several dangerous attacking raids. The end product though left a bit to be desired and a pattern of the night was the errant shooting from normally reliable marksmen at either end.

Darragh Canavan and Costello traded scores, before Dublin took their one and only lead of the night when the hard-working Niall Scully swung over a fine effort.

That advantage was short-lived as Harte hoisted over his second two pointer, while it took a superb block from Dublin defender Sean McMahon to deny Rory Brennan a goal.

There was still little to separate the sides after a generally cagey first period, Costello and Darren McCurry tagging on frees, but after Dublin midfielder Killian McGinnis struck over the latest leveller, it was McCurry with a trademark finish to hand Tyrone a narrow 0-11 to 0-10 half-time lead.

The Red Hands had an early second half reprieve when Costello dragged a low goal chance off target, an incident which saw Brennan having to go off injured.

That was one of several lengthy stoppages which stymied the flow of the action, while a mis-firing Dublin attack was giving their fans on the Hill little to get animated about.

The impressive Daly registered a point and teed up others for Canavan and Niall Devlin, but scores by Paddy Small and Costello again meant it was still all to play for.

It remained nip and tuck as Morgan steered over a ’45’ but only for Dublin sub Con O’Callaghan and hard-working captain Ciaran Kilkenny to split the posts leaving it 0-15 to 0-14 with just under a quarter of an hour remaining.

The gap remained at the bare minimum with Daly and Small swapping scores, but it took a superb interception by Morgan to deny Costello a near certain goal, after Luke Breathnach cut in along the endline and handpassed across.

Both sides were racking up the wides much to the frustration of their supporters, but subs Eoin McElholm and Breathnach led by example with tidy finishes over the black spot.

With Cluxton then missing a two point free which would have leapfrogged the Dubs ahead, instead it was Tyrone who finished with a flourish. The Errigal Ciaran contingent – Ben McDonnell and the Canavan siblings (sub Ruairi with two) each knocked over efforts with real conviction which helped put the issue beyond doubt, even before Morgan belted a two point free with the last kick of the game.

Scorers

Tyrone: Peter Harte (0-4,2tp), Niall Morgan (0-3, 1tpf, 1’45’), Darragh Canavan (0-3), Ciaran Daly (0-2), Kieran McGeary (0-2,tp), Peter Teague (0-2,tp), Ruairi Canavan (0-2), Darren McCurry (0-2,1f), Niall Devlin, Ben McDonnell, Eoin McElholm (0-1each)

Dublin: Cormac Costello (0-6,2f), Paddy Small (0-2), Brian O’Leary (0-2), Killian McGinnis, Ciaran Kilkenny, Niall Scully, Luke Breathnach, Con O’Callaghan (0-1 each), Stephen Cluxton (0-1, ’45’)

Teams

Tyrone: Niall Morgan, Cormac Quinn, Padraig Hampsey, Niall Devlin, Peter Teague, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary, Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick, Seanie O’Donnell, Matthew Donnelly, Ciaran Daly, Darren McCurry Peter Harte, Darragh Canavan. Subs used: Ben McDonnell for R Brennan (43mins), Eoin McElholm for D McCurry (51), Aidan Clarke for C Quinn (55), Conor Meyler for P Teague (58), Ruairi Canavan for P Harte (62), Michael O’Neill for K McGeary (67)

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton, Eoin Murchan, David Byrne, Sean McMahon, Brian Howard, John Small, Lee Gannon, Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne, Killian McGinnis, Sean Bugler, Ciaran Kilkenny, Niall Scully, Paddy Small, Cormac Costello, Brian O’Leary. Subs used: Cian Murphy for K McGinnis (43mins), Con O’Callaghan for B O’Leary (49), Luke Breathnach for N Scully (57),Tom Lahiff for P O Cofaigh Byrne (58), Ross McGarry for S Bugler (64), Theo Clancy for E Murchan (67)

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)