McKenna Cup Final/Tyrone 1-15 Monaghan 0-08: Understrength Tyrone easily swept away a disappointing Monaghan side yesterday to retain the Dr McKenna Cup for a third consecutive season on a comfortable scoreline at Casement Park.
The winners deserved their 10-point margin at the end of a lacklustre game before 8,546 spectators. Tyrone dominated the exchanges throughout and their second-half display left Monaghan without an answer.
Monaghan tried their best to stem the tide but they couldn't deal with the more experienced and better balanced Tyrone side, despite the absence of key players. Tyrone were without the services of Kevin Hughes, Owen Mulligan and Michael McGee with their captain Brian Dooher still on the injured list.
"It is the media who were saying that we were finished but we never thought that," stressed stand-in skipper Ryan McMenamin who began at right wing forward yesterday but went to his usual number two position for the second half.
"After losing two National League games to Dublin and Fermanagh it is a good way to come back. We needed that win as we have a big game with Cork next Sunday."
Monaghan were never in this game. They lacked cohesion and power up front and it wasn't until the 52nd minute that they got their first score from play through team captain Damian Freeman. He grabbed another point before the end with the only other Monaghan player to score from play being half-time substitute Shane Smyth.
In contrast, all but one of Tyrone's points came from play as Brian McGuigan, Seán Cavanagh and Stephen O'Neill combined beautifully to give the opposing defence a harrowing time.
A ninth-minute goal by Cavanagh, following a pinpoint crossfield pass from McGuigan sent Tyrone into a 1-1 to 0-1 lead and, after Hugh McElroy pointed a Monaghan free-kick, the winners tacked on four unanswered points to lead by 1-5 to 0-2 at the interval.
The introduction of Eoin Lennon and Shane Smyth who won Sigerson Cup medals with DCU on Saturday night made little difference to the losers as Tyrone turned in a superb second-half show.
Right from the throw-in Brian Meenan sent over a point and by the 51st minute Tyrone had surged 1-10 to 0-3 ahead. Even though Monaghan kept plugging away there was never a hope that they would wrestle the trophy from the holders.
On the hour, Cavanagh had a second goal effort blocked and three minutes later Pascal McConnell spread himself to deny McElroy at the other end. Points by McElroy (two frees) and Freeman came too late for Monaghan.
TYRONE: P McConnell; D Carlin, C Gormley, E Bradley (0-1); D Harte (0-1), G Devlin, P Jordan; B Meenan (0-1), C Gourley (0-1); R McMenamin, B McGuigan (0-2), S Kavanagh (1-2, 0-1 free); M Penrose (0-2), S O'Neill (0-5), M Murphy. Subs: A Ball for McGuigan (58 mins).
MONAGHAN: S Duffy; D Morgan, J Coyle, C Flanagan; D Freeman (0-2), D McArdle, K Sheeran; P Finlay (0-2, both frees), E Duffy; S Galloghy, K Tavey, H McElroy (0-3, all frees); T Freeman, R Woods, K Hanratty. Subs: S Smyth (0-1) for Hanratty (half-time), E Lennon for Tavey (half-time), K Hughes for Morgan (52 mins), V Corey for Sheerin (56 mins).
Referee: A McAlynn (Derry).
