Tyrone Masters demolish Dubs to make All-Ireland Final

TYRONE 2-11  DUBLIN 0-3

TYRONE Masters sent out a warning that they aren’t going to give up their title easily after easily disposing of Dublin at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday afternoon in the semi-final of the All-Ireland Over-40s tournament.

Tyrone looked the better and fitter side from the word go and in truth they were already well on their way to the decider by half-time having established a 1-6 to 0-0 lead.

In the second half it was all about keeping their opponents at arms length and they managed to do that with the minimum of fuss to ease their way into a final meeting with Kerry.

Man-of-the-match Conor Gormley controlled things from his customary centre half back position and he was well-supported by Martin Brannigan, Ciaran Gourley, Colm McGurk, Gary Coney and team captain Aidan Brady.

At midfield Barry Collins and Martin McGrath dominated proceedings while up front Stephen O’Neill led matters on the forty with Damien Kelly, Martin Grimes and Niall Gormley causing the Dublin defence problems with their pace.

It was Tyrone who opened the scoring in the fourth minute through Niall Gormley after a good build-up involving O’Neill and Eoin Bradley. Three minutes later Dublin almost got in for a goal when Kevin O’Carroll played the ball inside to Tommy Brennan who got past a couple of challenges but Conor Gormley got in a timely challenge that led to a ‘45’ that came to nothing.

It was an early warning for the holders but they certainly heeded it and that was to be the one and only time that Dublin looked like penetrating them again.

Good work from O’Neill saw him offload for full forward Michael Anderson to lob over a neat score as Tyrone began to settle into the game.

The holders should have been further in front but their shooting let them down at times as they kicked eight first half wides.

It took until the 22nd minute for their next score to arrive but it was well worth the wait with a slick ten-pass movement that finished with McGurk playing the ball to Niall Gormley who split the posts with a brilliant effort from a narrow angle out on the left wing.

Even at this stage it was evident that Tyrone had the legs on their opponents and going into the closing stages the winners made their dominance count. O’Neill found Grimes whose perfect pass put Gormley in behind the Dublin defence and the Trillick man did the rest with a thumping shot to the roof of the net past keeper Jimmy Keogh in the 25th minute.

Tyrone now turned the screw with McGrath charging through from midfield to point and in the 30th minute they could have had another goal but Grimes blasted over when put in by Anderson. It still kept the scoreboard ticking over and there was still time for Kelly to register with a fine score from out on the left wing.

To have any chance Dublin needed a good start to the second half but the opposite happened as Tyrone picked up where they had left off.

The move of the match saw Bradley point and moments later Anderson offloaded for attacking half back McGurk to get his name on the scoresheet.

Dublin were in big trouble and, while Brendan McManamon finally opened their account in the 41st minute, it was only a damage limitation exercise.

Grimes converted a free from the left after he had been fouled himself before McGrath drove through for his second score of the afternoon to leave it 1-10 to 0-1 at the three quarter mark.

Ian Clarke got Dublin’s second point after a neat dummy but it was goals that they required at this stage and they never looked like getting through a well-marshalled Tyrone defence. In the 52nd minute the Red Hands got their second goal when a shot from Bradley for a point was half-blocked and Karol McQuade got on the end of it to palm the ball to the net.

McQuade then added a point from a free after Conor Gormley had been fouled and, while Dublin had the final say from a Brennan free, Tyrone at that stage were already focusing on the final.