Tyrone ratings
Niall Morgan: In contention for man-of-the-match, Morgan’s spell with Dungannon Swifts has kept him very sharp. Great hands, commanding his area and far beyond it and got on the scoresheet. Bit of a mix-up at the end for Monaghan’s late goal. 7.5
Conor Quinn: The Galbally newcomer looks as if he’s been here before. Composed, good defensively, never afraid to push forward and tied up his marker Philip Donnelly. Good night’s work. 7
Ronan McNamee: Kept Keith McEnaney quiet and made a couple of forays forward but no cigar. Suffered a minor knock and was replaced. 6.5
Hugh Pat McGeary: Assigned arguably the toughest job of the lot in tracking Conor McCarthy. The Monaghan man had good moments but so too did McGeary. 6
Michael Cassidy: With Paraic Keenan retreating, the Ardboe man acted as Tyrone’s spare man and was efficient in everything he was involved in. 6.5
Michael O’Neill: His pass selection was a bit off in the first half, but had the wherewithal to keep it simple after that and was never afraid to commit the Monaghan defence. 6
Tiernan McCann: The Killyclogher wing-back put Michael Paul O’Dowd on the back foot and supported the Tyrone attack well without getting into any notable scoring positions. Took a knock to the chest at the very end. 6
Colm Cavanagh: The veteran midfielder made a load of tackles during the 35 minutes he was on the field, some legal, some not and just missed the target with one first half effort. Shared the game with Ben McDonnell. 6
Conan Grugan: Has a lovely left foot which is worth investing in. Pass completion rate must have been in the 90s. Efficient game. 6.5
Conor Meyler: Making his first appearance of the new season, the Omagh man was workmanlike. Picked a couple of decent kick passes but never had to get out of second gear. 6
David Mulgrew: For players like Mulgrew, the McKenna Cup is a hugely important competition. It was a pity he suffered a hip injury after 24 minutes as he looked lively up until that point. 5.5
Kieran McGeary: The Tyrone captain on the night, McGeary had an intriguing battle with Shane Carey, with the Monaghan man holding the upper hand in the early stages, but the Pomeroy man rallied well and had influential spells. 6.5
Ronan O’Neill: Allowed Frank Burns to be the ball-winner in the Tyrone attack and registered some typically classy scores that were evenly spread between first-half injury-time and the second half. 7
STAR MAN:Frank Burns: The Pomeroy man has the brain to play anywhere in this Tyrone team. On Saturday night he turned his hand to full-forward and was Tyrone’s best player. Won virtually every ball that came into him and assisted for a number of scores. 7.5
Daniel Kerr: The Galbally man has intelligence and a bit of pace. Under orders not to bottle up the middle. Took a few heavy hits early on after finishing off a fine score. 6.5
Subs:
Darren McCurry: Had three points against his name before half-time having replaced the injured David Mulgrew on 24 minutes, with two off his weaker right foot. Dropped a couple of efforts short but impressive display. 7.5
Ben McDonnell: Had a penalty claim turned down and caught a high ball in his own defence. Sums up just how mobile the Errigal Ciaran midfielder is. 6.5
Niall Sludden: Stretched his legs for the last 10 minutes. 6
Niall Kelly: Made one eye-catching charge forward late on. 6
