By 
Donegal 3-13 Tyrone 3-13
(Donegal won 4-3 on penalties)
Donegal goalkeeper Luke White was the hero of the night after saving four penalties and then hitting the decisive score as Tyrone’s Dean Rafferty missed his shot in a sudden death shoot-out in the Ulster GAA Hurling Conor McGurk Cup quarter-final in Convoy on Thursday.
White scored two of his sides four penalties with Conor Gartland and Gerard Gilmore also on target, while Conor O’Grady (saved) and Dan Donnelly (wide) the remaining Donegal shooters.
For Tyrone, Aidy Kelly, Ciaran Magill and Dean Rafferty hit the net first time around, while Shea Munroe and Mickey Little saw their shots saved and Rafferty couldn’t convert at the second time of asking.
Otherwise, a draw was a pretty fitting result that was marred by a shambolic penalty shootout which is nothing but a form of Gaelic Roulette.
In a real slow burner that ignited into a hotly contested second half, the home side put in a strong finish after trailing by 3-5 to 1-6 at the break.
The Tyrone full-forward line had the better of their Donegal opponents in the first half with the impressive Munroe (a nephew of former Tyrone dual star Raymond Munroe) netting twice and Liam Griffiths also finding the net.
For an outgunned Donegal, debutants Dan Donnelly and John Kealy showed up well.
Tyrone looked to be in control as they led by 3-6 to 1-7 at the start of the second half.
However, a timely Donnelly goal and a cracking 21 yard free rifled to the Tyrone net by Gilmore garnished a gutsy Donegal comeback that saw them lead by 3-13 to 3-12 with time almost up.
Team captain Conor Gartland, playing in an unusual full forward role could have put two points between the sides but instead tried to find John Kealy with a handpass.
The ball was cleared and Tyrone sub Eunan Campbell brought this tie to penalties. It could have went either way at that stage but Wexford native White was superb in goal for Mickey McCann’s men.
Tyrone had a much brighter start and raced into a 1-4 to 0-0 lead by the sixth minute through points from marksman Kelly, the bustling Ciaran Magill and a goal and a point from the rampant Munroe.
They had a chance of another goal but full-forward Mickey Little lost control of the sliotar in front of an open goal.
Donegal needed a response and they got it when a sparkling six man moved started by Donnelly ended with John Kealy tapping the ball to an empty net.
He followed this up with a point as Dungloe’s Conor Diver and Kelly swapped points.
Kealy and Gilmore pointed as did Donnelly as Donegal eased into a 1-6 to 1-5 before Munroe bundled the ball to the home net to put Tyrone into a 3-5 to 1-6 lead at the break.
A Kelly free made it a six-point game for the Red Hands on the resumption.
Donnelly and Kelly exchanged points and then Sean MacCumhaills teenager Donnelly hit a cracking goal to leave Tyrone leading by 3-8 to 2-7.
Munroe added two more points and Gilmore replied for an improving Donegal as they stayed within touching distance.
Two more points came from Kelly as exchanges hotted up on the pitch and on the line.
A Gilmore pointed free made it Tyrone 3-11 to 2-10.
The intensity grew in a hard-fought final eight minutes as Donegal gradually filleted Tyrone’s lead and a point from sub Russell Forde left a goal in it as Magill made it 3-12 to 1-11.
And then Gilmore rammed home a 21-metre free to the net to leave a point in it and set up a frenetic finish
He levelled the match from a free and Brian MacIntyre put the home side in front by a point before sub Campbell brought the game to penalties.
It was a dramatic conclusion on a cold night but Donegal prevailed.
Their good fortune didn’t just end there as they also won a coin toss against Ulster University and that sees them progress through to the Conor McGurk Cup Final next week.
Teams & Scorers
Donegal: Luke White; Peter Grant, Gavin Browne, Oisin Kelly; Ryan Hilferty, Gerry Gilmore (1-6, 6fs), Donal Farrelly; Conor O’Grady, Conor Diver (0-1); Brian MacIntyre (0-1), Kevin Kealy, Dan Donnelly (1-3); Peter Kelly, Conor Gartland, John Kealy (1-1). Subs: Caolan O’Neill for Browne (Half-time), Russell Forde (0-1) for C.Diver (43 mins), Fearghal Delaney for Peter Kelly (50 mins).
Tyrone: Conall Molloy; Cillian Kerr, Cian McGuigan, Sean Paul McKernan; Dean Rafferty, Fionn Devlin, Anthony Crossan; Feargal Donnelly, James McCann; Niall McGarel (0-1), Ciaran Magill (0-3), Aidan Kelly (0-5, 5fs); Liam Griffiths (1-0), Mickey Little, Shea Munroe (2-3). Subs: Pierce Mullin for J.McCann (16 mins), Francie Hurson for Crossan (Half-time), Eunan Campbell (0-1) for Griffiths (50 mins), Cahir Munroe for C.Kerr (58 mins).
Referee: Kevin Parke (Antrim)
