IF it’s true that you’re only as good as your last game then, given that their final outing was a crushing loss to Dublin, Tyrone’s season has to be viewed as a disappointment.
But that would be unfair on the Red Hands who won two trophies in 2017, reached the last four in the country and rubber-stamped their status as comfortably the best team in Ulster.
Tyrone began their year by losing to Cavan in the opening round of group games in the Dr McKenna Cup. But despite the loss, they rallied to make the knock-out stage, beat Fermanagh in the semi-final and hammered Derry in the decider to win the competition for the sixth time on-the-trot and break Monaghan’s record of 14 titles.
On to Division One of the Allianz League and this time Tyrone started like a greyhound out of the traps. Wins over Cavan, Roscommon and Monaghan and a draw in Croke Park against Dublin yielded seven points from four games and pushed Tyrone into title contention. But losses to Donegal, Mayo and then Kerry meant Mickey Harte’s men missed out on a final appearance and had to concentrate on preparations for an Ulster Championship campaign that began with a return to Celtic Park where Tyrone faced a home side that had been relegated to Division Three under Damian Barton.
Derry hung in there for a while, but they were no match for a well-drilled Tyrone outfit that out-ran, out-tackled and out-scored them to win 0-22 to 0-11.
They faced a semi-final against a Donegal side that had won the League meeting and was expected to challenge Harte’s men. That didn’t turn out to be the case as the Tir Chonaill men were swatted away, unable to deal with Tyrone’s movement or pace and jaw-dropping shooting. A dozen Red Hands got on the scoreboard in a crushing nine-point win.
The spread of scorers was a feature of Tyrone’s Championship run and it continued in the final, although surprise packets Down did make a game of it for a spell in the first half. This time there were 11 scorers and Ronan O’Neill added the cherry on the top with a delightful lob over Michael Cunningham to seal a 2-17 to 0-15 victory and secure back-to-back Anglo-Celt successes.
With the job done in Ulster, Tyrone looked ahead to the national stage. Their opponents in the All-Ireland quarter-final were neighbours Armagh who had worked their way through the Qualifiers after losing to Down in Newry.
Having beaten Fermanagh, Westmeath, Tipperary and Kildare, the Orchardmen were viewed as underdogs who were expected to be competitive but from the start they looked inferior to Harte’s will-drilled side.
Armagh were bullied and comprehensively beaten, with Jamie Clarke frozen out and peripheral, they seemed to be powerless to match Tyrone’s runners and were soundly trashed 3-17 to 0-8. The goals came from a Peter Harte penalty and a precocious double from youngster David Mulgrew.
In the All-Ireland semi-final, Tyrone were this time cast in the role of outsiders with a puncher’s chance. Tyrone employed the same set-up and tactics that had served them well all season but Dublin were ready for them and the three in-a-row chasing champions produced a shooting exhibition to pick off Tyrone and romp to victory.
The game was over well before half-time and the Red Hands left Croke Park dazed and confused and still looking like big fish in Ulster’s small pond.
