TYRONE RATINGS
Niall Morgan: His kick-outs were generally good in the first half but a couple towards the end of the game put his side under serious pressure. Reacted quickly to block Vinny Corey’s first half goal chance. 6.5
Michael McKernan: A remarkable rise for the 20-year-old Coalisland man this season. Played cat and mouse with Ryan McAnespie, pushing into full-forward at one stage. Another solid display. 7
Ronan McNamee: Handed the Conor McCarthy portfolio, a player he knows well through university football. At times, McCarthy was like trying to nail jelly. Withdrawn after incurring a yellow card. 6
Kieran McGeary: His excellent cameo appearances of late earned him a start. The Pomeroy man was given the onerous task of tracking Monaghan’s chief line-breaker Karl O’Connell and did well on him. 7
Tiarnan McCann: Untroubled by a couple of Dermot Malone runs, pointed in the first half and his penetrating dash through the centre led to Tyrone’s game-changing major. 7
Frank Burns: A surprise decision to move him from defence to half-forward and it looked like reaping dividends early on. But after an early score his shooting let him down. Replaced at the break. 6
Peter Harte: Fintan Kelly stuck to him like glue for nearly two games, but the Errigal Ciaran man found a bit of space in the final quarter, pointing and converting a free to give Tyrone much-needed breathing space. 7
STAR MAN: Colm Cavanagh: His tackle to deny Jack McCarron a goal-scoring chance late on will go down in Tyrone folklore. Took a great catch under his own bar to deny McManus in the first half and was the best midfielder on show by some distance. Everything he did was hugely effective. Peaking at the right time. 9
Padraig Hampsey: The Coalisland man is now Tyrone’s main trouble-shooter. Marked Michael Murphy well last week and imposed himself on Conor McManus, restricting him to one point from play. Coughed up a few frees but effective display. 7.5
Matthew Donnelly: Shifted back from midfield to a more defensive role and played it to a tee. Vinny Corey didn’t know whether to stick or twist, with Donnelly testing the Monaghan’s stamina with some lung-bursting runs. Terrific first-half block to deny Fintan Kelly. 8
Niall Sludden: Hitting 1-2 from play in an All-Ireland semi-final is a great return. Apart from landing one effort woefully short, the Dromore man was much improved from last week against Donegal. 8
Cathal McShane: Honest as the day is long. Worked tirelessly for the team but didn’t get a sight of Monaghan’s posts. A trusted foot soldier of Mickey Harte's. 6
Lee Brennan: Forced his way into the starting line-up but, with hindsight, he might have been better coming off the bench. Ryan Wylie never gave him an inch and was replaced. 5.5
Richie Donnelly: A quiet enough game. Hit one wide in the second half and dropped much deeper to get his hands on the ball 6
Connor McAliskey: His two points after the restart gave Tyrone a massive advantage. The Clonoe man missed the target a few times but improved from the last day. 7.5
Subs:
Harry Loughran: Introduced for the start of the second half. Worked hard but conceded a couple of fouls. 5.5
Mark Bradley: A slight surprise the Killyclogher man was held in reserve. Lively despite a wide. 6
Rory Brennan: Had his hands full on Kieran Hughes. 5.5
Conall McCann: Caught one important ball in the closing stages. 5.5
Ronan O’Neill: Had one good possession in the 10 minutes he was on the field. 5.5
Declan McClure: Came in for Cathal McShane and offered more height. 5.5
