Tyrone Masters secure the All-Ireland for the fourth year running

Tyrone 4-8 Roscommon 0-9

TYRONE’S grip on the All Ireland Masters title shows so sign of slipping after a polished display at Kingspan Breffni Park saw them comfortably get the better of Roscommon to complete four in a row.

It was a contest that the holders were always in control of from the moment Mark Donnelly found the net in the third minute. And when Michael Anerson added another major a quarter of an hour later, you felt that the writing was already on the wall for Roscommon. Tyrone’s fitness levels were on a different level to their opponents’ as was their use of the ball with Stephen O’Neill rolling back the years with a man of the match display.

This was a fine all round display from the entire squad with team Captain Conor Gormley getting in on the act with a clinical goal to demonstrate that perhaps he should have been a forward throughout his stellar career.

The holders set the tone after only 20 seconds when a flowing move saw full forward Michael Anderson split the posts to open the scoring. In the third minute the Roscommon defence was sliced open again and this time the first green flag of the afternoon was raised when Donnelly found the net in his first Masters Final. Ger Heneghan opened Roscommon’s account in the 6th minute before Leo Meenan, another first time master, and Sean Fahy swapped points from frees.

Fahy then knocked over another dead ball but despite playing against the wind it was Tyrone who dominated. Gormley, O’Neill and Donnelly combined for Barry Daly to mark his first final at this level with a point and the Carrickmore man followed that up by converting a free. Damian Kelly then got his name on the scoresheet before O’Neill brilliantly disguised a pass to find Anderson who fired to the net in the 18th minute. Fahy had the final say of the half from another free but it was Tyrone who were in control at the short whistle leading 2-5 to 0-4.

Meenan and Heneghan exchanged points from frees on the restart before a truly outstanding pass from the maestro O’Neill cleared three Roscommon defenders to put Meenan through for a goal but he blasted over. Fahy responded with another free but that man O’Neill then scored a trademark point from out on the right wing to ensure that all six starting forwards for the holders had scored. With both sides using the bench at every opportunity, a good pace to the contest continued.

Captain Gormley then found himself in an advanced position to benefit from a long delivery in and as he ran through on goal from thirty yards out, he had time to think about what he was going to do and he finished with aplomb to the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Heneghan converted a long range free as well as one from close range and it was a measure of Tyrone’s defence that Roscommon only managed two points from play in the entire game.

Tyrone missed a few chances to add to their tally but fittingly they had the final say when Kelly placed Martin Taggart for a well taken goal.

This was a fine all round display from Tyrone with the hard work of the players and their management team once again paying dividends. The introduction of new players each year reinforces the squad and no doubt in the next week or two there will be players getting the phone call to invite them into the panel for 2025 as they attempt to make it five in a row.

The Scorers

Tyrone
Michael Anderson 1-1, Leo Meenan 0-3 (2F), Conor Gormley 1-0, Mark Donnelly 1-0, Martin Taggart 1-0, Barry Daly 0-2, Stephen O’Neill 0-1, Damian Kelly 0-1

Roscommon
Sean Fahy 0-4 (4F), Ger Heneghan 0-4 (3F), Ronan Cox 0-1

Tyrone team

Colin Tuohey, Damian McDevitt, Aidan Brady, Liam Patterson, Colm McGurk, Conor Gormley, Gary Coney, Martin McGrath, Barry Collins, Barry Daly, Stephen O’Neill, Mark Donnelly, Leo Meenan, Michael Anderson, Damian Kelly. Subs: Martin Brannigan for Kelly, Johnny O’Neill for McGrath, Ryan Quinn for Anderson, Emmet McFadden for Donnelly, Niall McFadden for Daly, Martin McGrath for Collins, Donal McAnallen for Emmet McFadden, Peter Clarke for McGurk, Kieran O’Kane for McDevitt, Adrian Harley for Coney, Peter Donnelly for Johnny O’Neill, Barry Collins for Gormley, Martin Taggart for Quinn, Plunkett Tuohey for Meenan, Declan Coyle for McAnallen, Karol McQuade for Niall McFadden, Cathal Nicholas for Patterson, Peter Ward for Colin Tuohey, Mark Donnelly for Stephen O’Neill