Tyrone’s Ulster exit- Five Talking Points

Armagh physicality

At key junctures on Saturday, especially during the run-up to half-time, Armagh’s greater physicality and experience started to take its toll on Tyrone, with a number of vital turnovers forced. There’s no doubt that in this aspect of the game, the Red Hands missed Mattie Donnelly and Peter Harte, both unable to take their spot in the starting fifteen due to illness. The absence of Cathal McShane from the squad also deprived them of a muscular presence up front to throw on.

How good was McCurry

Darren McCurry was a deserving recipient of the Man of the Match award despite emerging on the losing side. The Edendork sharpshooter is playing the best football of his career right now, and has clearly risen to the challenge, with talk of his place being under threat coming into the new season. If Tyrone can get a regular tune out of one or two other forwards in the All-Ireland phase in the coming weeks, we could really be going places.

Nobody likes moral victories

Nothing will have irritated the Tyrone players more post-match than patronising guffe about them ‘not being that far away’. Moral victories belong to the minnows who push the big guns all the way, not a county which lifted Sam Maguire just four short years ago. Since 2021 the Red Hands have registered just three Ulster Championship victories- two against Cavan and one against Fermanagh. Therefore they really needed that win on Saturday to show they could get over the hump.

The Dubs demise in Leinster

If ever we needed evidence that no giant dominates the footballing landscape as was the case a decade ago, was with Dublin’s shock demise in Leinster at the hands of Meath. When you factor in too that that other traditional heavyweight Kerry were lucky to get past Cork a week earlier, and the All-Ireland does appear up for grabs. The two Ulster finalists Armagh and Donegal are probably the front runners, alongside Galway, at this stage. The picture can change quickly however.

Fans absent again

Apologies if we are bleating on about this but the discrepancy in terms of support was stark. An Armagh GAA Twitter account cheekily posted on Saturday night ‘wishing the 1,288 Tyrone supporters in the 21,288 attendance a safe trip home.’ An exaggeration of course but not by that much. There was at least four times as many Orange and white flags, as there was red and white being flown in the St Tiernach’s Park stands. The volume of stay at home Red Hand fans is off the scale these days.