National Football League Division One semi-finals: Tyrone - 1-16 Galway 1-16 Sport does not come much better than this. We should not have been surprised. There is something about the physical and philosophical make-up of these contemporary giants that promised as much. Tyrone bypassed Galway on their way to the All-Ireland championship last September and so this league semi-final felt weighted with added significance. So it proved.
When these teams took a fascinating and sternly beautiful contest into extra-time, they had both abandoned the pretence that a place in the league showdown was the chief motivation. By the end, with players out on their feet, it all hinged on the more primal and valuable need to preserve their pride. And when it finished, neither county had buckled. A rivalry that has immediately established itself the most fascinating of this season moves down to Galway next Sunday.
Mickey Harte learned much about his team in this game. For sure, the poignant absence of Cormac McAnallen loomed large at the heart of their defence yesterday. Perhaps they lacked a bit of poise with Peter Canavan still watching in the stands. But they are some side, mixing silken attack with the relentless attitude of bare-knuckle fighters.
They were matched in both these areas yesterday by Galway, the celebrated stylists of the modern game whose stubborn streak is often overlooked.
John O'Mahony's Galway team was unrecognisable from the one that folded so forlornly against Wexford a month ago. The manager identified these 100 minutes of football as the rehabilitation his players had sought. Down 1-3 to 0-0 after five minutes, Galway teetered on the abyss for a moment or two and then rediscovered what they are about.
Pádhraic Joyce tortured Tyrone with his singular brilliance. His brother Tommy wrote for himself an indispensable role in the game's narrative. Seán Ó Dómhnaill looked sharp and Michael Donnellan assumed the central role Galway require of him. When Kieran Fitzgerald was thrown into the equation, the visiting defence grew in confidence.
They were cleaned out in the first five minutes, with Tyrone operating on a higher and thrilling plane. Ryan McMenamin sent a shot crashing off the crossbar on three minutes after a classically Tyrone build-up featuring Kieran Hughes, Philip Jordan and Enda McGinley, backs and forwards operating in harmony. A minute later Seán Cavanagh cut through for a goal after another swift attack, this time involving Eoin Mulligan and McGinley.
And when Galway got on the scoreboard thanks to Pádhraic Joyce's first shot, they attacked with similar verve. On 11 minutes, Joyce fed John Devane who coolly struck a goal. Thereafter, the game settled into a hard and compelling shoot-out. There was not one cheap score to be had and all over the field, fascinating personal battles began. Seán De Paor and Mulligan skirted along the left flank all day. McMenamin and Joyce popped up all over the field.
Gary Fahey was the one defender not to yield a score. Donnellan and Brian McGuigan brought imagination and guile to the respective attacks. Brian Dooher and Matthew Clancy brought a work ethic that was little short of heroic. Ciarán Gourley was dispatched from the white-hot Pádhraic Joyce and a ferocious tussle with Conor Gormley began.
The score was tied at 1-7 each at half-time and after the break, the game became a hard-edged and slow-burning thing. The bookings - 12 in all - began to pile up as the hits went in and there was an element of roulette about the first double booking. It seemed a shame it fell to Pádhraic Joyce, the most creative presence on the field. He was sent off after 78 minutes for an incident that was messy: Gormley had the ball, Joyce blocked his path and both players went down. Joyce was disgusted at his dismissal and left his gloves on the field, symbolic of what Galway were missing.
Unhappy with the inconsistent officiating, Mickey Harte felt Joyce might have been whistled for several other personal fouls before he was walked. Although the foul count fell heavily in the champions' favour after normal time, he believed key decisions went against them. Mark Harte had a vital free cancelled when he was adjudged to have overcarried and Dooher was definitely fouled trying to kick the winning score at the close of extra-time.
But Galway were more explicitly punished with the loss of Joyce. Trailing 1-14 to 1-12 at this stage, they responded magnificently, with Donnellan levelling affairs with two frees before the turnaround in extra-time.
The scores came tiredly in the final act and each generated the feeling the other team must surely now buckle. But no. Micheál Meehan kicked a gorgeous score after 95 minutes. Cavanagh replied in kind. Galway went to Meehan again and the Caltra star once more had the nerve to restore Galway's lead. The All-Ireland champions came hunting, urgent and calm. The remarkable thing was their most important score came through new sources. Joe McMahon and Brendan Donnelly worked the ball up along Galway's right flank and then Colm McCullough took possession, slipped into space and deftly fired the equaliser.
Kevin Hughes was then sent off for his second yellow, practically the last act of a magnificent contest.
TYRONE: J Devine; R McMenamin, C Gourley, C Gormley; B Donnelly (0-1), G Devlin, P Jordan (0-1); K Hughes, S Cavanagh (1-1); B Dooher (0-1), B McGuigan (0-2), C McCullough (0-2); M Harte (0-4, frees), E McGinley; E Mulligan (0-3, two frees). Subs: J McMahon (0-1) for Gourley (59 mins inj); M McGee for Devlin (78 mins).
GALWAY: A Keane; M Comer, G Fahey, C Monaghan; D Meehan, P Clancy, S de Paor; S Ó Dómhnaill, J Bergin (0-1); M Clancy, M Donnellan (0-4, three frees), J Devane (1-1); M Meehan (0-3), P Joyce (0-7, two frees), T Joyce. Subs: K Fitzgerald for Monaghan (32 mins); D Savage for Devane (58); N Joyce for Ó Domhnaill (68); T Meehan for D Meehan (78 mins); J Devane for M Clancy (91).
Referee: M Monahan (Kildare).
