Dublin ... 0-12 Tyrone ... 0-11Like an average movie with a good ending this one trundled along for the longest while with bungled lines, poor plotting and jumpy edits, only to be saved by the chase scene at the end. Tommy Lyons said it was a seven out of 10 performance with a nine out of 10 finish. As it was for the Dubs so it was for the game itself. If it had all been as exciting as the ending it might have been a classic.
Tyrone will have driven home in both frustration and hope. They deserved a draw and would have nicked one if they had not become fascinated by the process of wide-making in the second half. Nine wides was an extravagant total to chalk up, but the consolation lay in the fact that with their full playing contingent available Tyrone are as unlikely to be as profligate.
Yesterday they paid the price though. They'd gotten themselves two points ahead going into the final 10 minutes and it looked as if a little intelligent play would usher the points towards the final whistle and on across the Border.
Instead, the blood was thundering in their heads and they decided to play like the cavalry. They ended up getting picked off by three kids. Bryan Cullen, Dublin's teenaged forward, scrapped one over the bar on 65 minutes. Declan O'Mahony sprung from the bench and trundled in to fist another point. And finally and most surprisingly, a well-weaved play right up the wing brought another sub, Liam Óg Ó hEineachain, into play. Bam. Dublin had filched a win.
Tyrone started strongest, with two fine points from frees both kicked by their generally impressive full forward Owen Mulligan. Dublin fought back in spurts, the resistance springing up in different parts. Mossy Quinn had a fine take and a sublime pass into the path of Darren Magee, who might have taken a goal but settled for the point. Next it was Collie Moran. Dublin were playing fine stuff.
Tyrone went ahead again with a Brian Dooher point, but Dublin had found their mojo. Quinn, Moran and Goggins then stitched three points into a little period of dominance. While Whelan was the eye-catching force in midfield, Tyrone were making progress with Ryan Mellon and Kevin Hughes, and their half back and half forward lines were generally brave and acquisitive after the loose ball. Three of the final four points in the first half were Tyrone's. Cavanagh had a good score. Mulligan had two frees. In between, Alan Brogan scored for Dublin with a nice catch and turn. Dublin led by a point going in for their cocoa.
Tyrone should have wrapped the game up early in the second half. Owen Mulligan rampaged toward the Dublin goal and seemed to be felled by a combination effort from Paddy Christie and Paul Griffin. The resultant penalty was athletically saved by Stephen Cluxton, however, and Dublin swept down the field, where Quinn fed Brogan and the latter scored. Dublin were two points up instead of two down.
That miss undermined the confidence in the Tyrone attack. They still had plenty of possession but Mulligan seemed to shrink a little and they seemed to doubt if they could finish the job. Even though the next three scores were Tyrone's the malaise of bad kicking had begun to set in as well.
Dublin made a series of substitutions designed to override the poor delivery system from defence with an enhanced receipt mechanism up front. The game grew more and more frantic. Mulligan pointed a free with perhaps 10 minutes to go and Tyrone briefly held that two points again. Lyons had still to reap anything from his subs. They were about to pay out with a point each.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry, P Christie, P Griffin; P Casey, J Magee, C Goggins (0-1); C Whelan (0-1), D Magee (0-1); J McNally, C Moran (0-2), S Connell; A Brogan (0-2), B Cullen (0-2), T Quinn (0-1). Substitutes: S Ryan for Moran (46 mins), D O'Mahoney (0-1) for Quinn (56 mins), L Og O hEineachain (0-1) for D Magee (62 mins), E Crennan for McNally (67 mins).
TYRONE: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Holmes, C Gormley; P Jordan (0-1), G Devlin, D McCrossan; R Mellon, K Hughes; B Dooher (0-1), B McGuigan (0-2), S Mulgrew; F McGuigan, O Mulligan (0-5, 5f), S Cavanagh (0-2). Substitutes: D Carlin for McCrossan (22 mins), G Cavlan for Cavanagh (60 mins), C McRory for Gormley (64 mins).
Referee: S McCormack (Meath).
