Dublin 2-14 Tyrone 1-11:MAYO'S COMFORTABLE win in Cork meant that Dublin were never in contention for a place in the Allianz NFL Division One final, but Pat Gilroy's team ended the season on a high note by recording an emphatic win over their serial tormentors Tyrone in Omagh and condemning the Ulster champions to the indignity of relegation.
The win was also achieved at the end of a league campaign, which has seen 32 different players fielded with only five of yesterday’s starting 15 featuring in the dismal rout at the hands of Kerry in last year’s championship.
More than the league points, the third-place finish and the six-point victory, Dublin will be encouraged by the ability to go and win a match that Tyrone needed more badly than they did.
The attack had arguably the most impressive outing of the campaign whereas the new-look defence played as enthusiastically as ever with the spine of Rory O’Carroll and Cian O’Sullivan maintaining sharpness and shape and Philip McMahon also doing well at corner back, where he had been moved because of the continuing unavailability of Ross O’Carroll.
Gilroy acknowledged afterwards that Tyrone had looked more nervous as the match unfolded but in the opening minutes the home team moved smoothly enough and led after 10 minutes by 0-3 to 0-2, courtesy of two fine long-range points from their rising star Kyle Coney.
In sunny weather and championship conditions, the visitors produced a blistering opening 35 minutes, registering 2-10 (all but a point from play) and no wides.
What tipped the momentum the other way was simply – yet again for Dublin – the interventions of Bernard Brogan. Virtually every time the ball was fed into him he was able to work an opening and in the five minutes between the sixth and 11th he shot three from play, en route to a tally of 0-8, all but two from play.
He had support from the inventive Kevin McMenamon who linked the play well and scored a nice point himself as well as Eamonn Fennell.
For good measure Bernard Brogan set up the two goals in the space of a few minutes before half-time. The first, in the 32nd minute, came about just after the arrival of brother Alan for his inaugural run of the season. Bernard took possession in the right corner and flighted a great ball into the middle where with his first touch Alan caught the pass, swivelled and scored.
In injury-time a well-constructed movement from Fennell and Alan Brogan placed Bernard close to goal. He looked up and picked out Niall Corkery whose booming finish sealed a nine-point half-time lead, 2-10 to 0-7.
Tyrone hit swiftly after the restart. Kevin Hughes came in at centrefield to assist Aidan Cassidy, who maintained his solid league form in the middle, and the pressure paid off in the space of a couple of minutes. Within a minute Michael Savage had flapped at a high ball from Peter Harte, regained control only to lose it again and Martin Penrose capitalised on the error for a goal.
Harte, who played well in the second half, added a point almost immediately and the margin was down to five.
The steam went out of the Tyrone revival and Dublin had the opportunity to play on the break without too much risk given Tyrone’s curious lack of penetration despite plenty of territory. They only added four points in the second half but it was more than enough to preserve the lead.
Asked what he had learned from the league, Gilroy pointed to developmental achievement. “We’ve played 32 different players. We’ve probably learned to be a bit better defensively when we’ve concentrated on it. We still know that there is a gap between us and the top guys but certainly when you see something like today you feel we’re making progress and closing that gap.”
Harte was reflecting on a different outcome. “It’s very disappointing to leave this division after being in it so long but we’re going to have to come to terms with it and move on. You want to be in the top division, we always strive to be there, in fact we strive to win it. We’re far from that position at the minute so we’re not happy but we have to make the best out of it and if can do that by winning the Ulster title it will be a start.”
DUBLIN: M Savage; P Conlon, R O’Carroll, P McMahon; P Casey, C O’Sullivan, D Bastick; E Fennell (0-1), R McConnell; P Flynn, D Henry (0-1), N Corkery (1-0); A Hubbard, K McMenamon (0-2, one lineball), B Brogan (0-8, 2f). Substitutions: M Macauley (0-1) for McConnell (26 mins), A Brogan (1-1) for Hubbard (29 mins), B Cahill for Bastick (35+ mins), D Connolly for Flynn (50 mins), E O’Gara for Macauley (63 mins).
TYRONE: J Curran; D Carlin, J McMahon, R McMenamin; D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan; C Cavanagh, A Cassidy; K Coney (0-2), B McGuigan (0-1), P Harte (0-1); M Penrose (1-1), S Cavanagh (0-5, 3f), M Donnelly. Substitutions: C McCarron for McMahon (15 mins), K Hughes (0-1) for Donnelly (ht), R Mellon for McGuigan (57 mins), Seán O’Neill for D Harte (59 mins), N McKenna for Coney (62 mins).
Referee: D Fahy (Longford).
