You would have been hard put to guess that Tyrone had just won the county's first senior national title, going by reactions at Clones yesterday. Eugene McKenna, the victorious - rather than triumphant - joint manager was cautious in his response.

"Any day you win a national title has to be a good day," he said. "It was another game, one we needed to win but not by any means a classic game or one that will live long in the memory in terms of the quality of football. But it was a statistic that needed a line drawn under it and that's the line. We'll pick up again in a week's time after the club championships."

Desperate for the upbeat, a reporter ran an old one up the flagpole. Would it be safe to say there'll be celebrating around Ardboe and other areas of Tyrone? McKenna's demeanour suggested it might be safe but it would also be wrong. "I don't think you'll see too many of our fellas celebrating. They're fairly abstemious." Right so. Try one of the younger players. Stephen O'Neill, already an All Star, had another forceful day in the attack. Maybe he'd be full of youthful exuberance.

Nine-point winners. Never troubled. Is there anything to stop this Tyrone team? "Armagh."

In the Cavan dressingroom at least manager Matt Kerrigan has reason to be downcast. "We knew we were up against a very good side. But we would have felt that we would have given them a better game than we did. We've been together for about six months and it will take a little time to assess what happened out there. We're going to have to learn and if we do, we'll come back a better team." But at last some optimism. "I think Galway lost the League final last year."

Cue nervous laughter.