Sport

Transformed Tyrone record first victory over off-colour Dublin since 2013

Jim Gavin was bitterly disappointed with Dublin's performance against Tyrone
Jim Gavin was bitterly disappointed with Dublin's performance against Tyrone Jim Gavin was bitterly disappointed with Dublin's performance against Tyrone

Allianz National Football League Division One: Dublin 1-11 Tyrone 1-14

WHEN Cormac Costello pressed on the accelerator and breezed through the Tyrone defence to grab an early goal, a familiar narrative was expected to unfold at Croke Park on Saturday night.

Just as they did in last year’s All-Ireland final, Tyrone would make the early running and look up for the fight, but the Dubs would shut out the light with a couple of ruthless finishes.

And that would be that.

While Costello scored Dublin’s only major of the night with ridiculous ease, they didn’t bring the same intensity to the table as Tyrone.

Put simply, Tyrone desired victory more than the All-Ireland champions.

Unlike last September, Tyrone steadied themselves after Costello’s fifth minute goal and replied with back-to-back scores from Mattie Donnelly and Peter Harte (free).

And in the 21st minute, they grabbed a goal of their own through the irrepressible Cathal McShane after some fine direct attacking play.

Dublin were far from their best on Saturday night and they also had to contend with injuries to John Small (31), Costello (35) and substitute Paddy Andrews (48) – but Tyrone were still impressive.

For starters, they are calibrated much better in attack than the last few seasons.

Mattie Donnelly’s move from defensive link man to just behind the full-forward has had a transformative effect on the side.

In the past, Mickey Harte has occasionally flirted with playing Donnelly in the full-forward line but not for a string of games.

Given the Trillick man’s success in the role, it is inconceivable he will play anywhere else in 2019 other than in the pivotal attacking position where he causes the opposition most harm.

As a stopgap measure Donnelly did, however, drop back into a more defensive role after Niall Sludden was dismissed on 50 minutes for yellow and black card offences.

Tyrone’s powerful running game has yielded a couple Ulster titles but a fourth All-Ireland crown has proved elusive.

Something had to change.

They’re now kicking the ball more than they’ve ever done – and it can’t be simply due to the introduction of the experimental ‘advanced mark’, of which the Ulstermen profited heavily from on Saturday night.

“When you’ve players of that stature up front, that physicality and that ball-playing ability, you like to give them ball,” said Harte.

“There’s no point in them being up there and not getting any ball. Now, it’s about getting that sense of balance. If you kick every ball in and after the first three or four were quite successful Dublin were more conscious of it and cut out a number of them.

“It’s about picking the right time to kick and the right to time to run and mixing your game up a bit. We’ve been known as a running team for a few years now and we need to bring a bit of variety to our game and perhaps this is one way of doing it.”

If anything, Tyrone’s mistakes were keeping an off-colour Dublin in contention during Saturday night’s NFL clash and were fortunate to trail by just two at the break [1-7 to 1-5].

For Tyrone’s only major of the night, Mattie Donnelly did well to win the ball ahead of Cian O’Sullivan before feeding McShane whose clever movement prompted full-back David Byrne to loose his footing.

One of the great things about McShane, an U21 All-Ireland winner in 2015, is that he never loses faith in himself no matter how many chances he spurns.

Once he was bearing down on goal at the Hill 16 end against the advancing Stephen Cluxton, he never looked like coughing up the opportunity and coolly slotted the ball beneath the Dublin ‘keeper to put Tyrone 1-3 to 1-1 in front.

McShane got the first score of the second half too when he might have gone for goal before Richie Donnelly emerged from a quiet opening half to send over two super scores in the 41st and 54th minutes.

Ciaran Kilkenny, Dublin’s metronome, hit a point in either half but was largely kept to the periphery of the contest by Rory Brennan who entered the fray in the 12th minute for the injured Tiernan McCann (hamstring).

For decent spells, Paul Mannion was operating at a higher level than the rest of Dublin’s misfiring attack with Padraig Hampsey doing a good shadowing job for the most part.

The All-Ireland champions were always in the game but, for once, they never looked like overturning Tyrone’s three-point advantage.

Not even the introduction of super sub Kevin McManamon or Eoghan O’Gara could wrestle momentum away from Tyrone in the final quarter with Mattie Donnelly and Ben McDonnell defending superbly for the visitors.

It’s the first time since Jim Gavin took the reins that Dublin won’t feature in the Division One final.

Defeats to Monaghan, Kerry and now Tyrone mean that they are out of contention for a final berth with a game remaining [against Cavan], while the Red Hands need to beat Galway at home next weekend and hope other results fall their way in order to reach an unlikely final themselves.

Gavin, winner of five NFL Division One titles as Dublin manager, sent out mixed messages after Saturday night’s defeat.

While bemoaning the standard of his side’s display against Tyrone, Gavin added: “We don’t just copy and paste our plan from one season to the next. We have our priorities and we’ll adapt accordingly, so we’re exactly where we want to be.

“We’re on target in terms of fitness. [But] Fitness didn’t lose us that game tonight. Obviously Tyrone are smarting from last year and they looked really up for the game and they played some really outstanding football. We can have absolutely no complaints.”

Dublin: S Cluxton; J Cooper, D Byrne, C O’Connor; B Howard, C O’Sullivan, J Small; B Fenton (0-1), J McCarthy; C O’Callaghan (0-1), C Costello (1-0), N Scully; D Rock (0-2 frees), C Kilkenny (0-2), P Mannion (0-4, 0-2 frees, 0-1 mark) Subs: D Daly for J Small (31), P Andrews (0-1) for C Costello (35), K McManamon for P Andrews (48), D Gavin for C O’Sullivan (57), E O’Gara for D Rock (60), C Basquel for N Scully (74)

Yellow cards: P Mannion (15), N Scully (67), B Howard (71)

Tyrone: N Morgan (0-2 frees); P Hampsey, R McNamee, HP McGeary; T McCann, F Burns, B McDonnell; B Kennedy, R Donnelly (0-2); M Donnelly (0-3), N Sludden, C Meyler; C McShane (1-4, 0-2 marks, 0-1 free), P Harte (0-3, 0-2 frees, 0-1 mark), K McGeary Subs: R Brennan for T McCann (12), C McAliskey for F Burns (60), C Cavanagh for R McNamee (62), D McCurry for B Kennedy (70)

Yellow cards: N Sludden (6) P Harte (35+2), N Morgan (47)

Black cards: N Sludden (50) no replaced

Referee: J Henry (Mayo)

Attendance: 19,927