John Divilly: Tyrone go from puke football to poetry in motion

Tyrone may have their critics but what’s sometimes overlooked is the quality of their football and indeed their footballers

Tyrone’s Darren McCurry scores his side’s second goal during the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final win over Mayo in Croke Park. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

After a pulsating first All-Ireland final between the counties, Tyrone have edged ahead of Mayo on the historical charts by four to three.

Every victory is different, but the feeling of sweet satisfaction is a constant. The titles of 2003-05-08 were built of cohesion and were often forged in the face of adversity and tragedy. They had that stone-faced look of togetherness and some of their victories came on the back of mid-season wobbles. Saturday evening was no different. Tyrone were full of Tyrone.

They set traps and snared successfully. Inviting the opposition down the channels and forcing the shooter to pull the trigger out of range. They fouled smartly where necessary, frustrated Mayo players who struggled to develop any rhythm.

Tyrone, if you let them, are masters in setting the tempo of the game and have total belief in their game plan.

What’s sometimes overlooked is the quality of their football and, indeed, their footballers.

They have class players. They always had and they always will and it was fitting once again to see Brian Dooher commanding the touchlines under the Hogan Stand. Dooher’s former team-mates were unwavering in their quest for victory and he and co-manager Feargal Logan’s men are no different.

Most column inches will rightly point to Mayo’s scoring inefficiencies but I want to look at Tyrone’s scoring efficiency and the quality of their scores. Most good scores look so simple; the speed of the ball and speed of thought are completely in sync. Tyrone were exceptional on Saturday and their platform for success was the influence of Niall Morgan and his two unassuming midfielders. Brian Kennedy of Derrylaughan was a critical component. Playing in his 15th championship match, he’s played the important game of his career. He stopped Matthew Ruane from playing his game. He quashed him.

That ‘win’ was a serious blow to Mayo as Ruane had rescued Mayo several times in this year’s championship with his dynamic runs, scores, and his ‘scruff of the neck’ mentality. Kennedy’s physicality and athleticism pulped Ruane into the ground and the soon-to-be-crowned Mayo All-Star left with a red card instead of a red carpet.

But let’s go further back. Morgan’s first kick out didn’t go the required distance and Tyrone’s antenna was raised. Instead of rattling him, that early mishap seemed to have the opposite effect. Morgan starts and finishes a move with the first of his 60 metre plus boomers down on top of Kennedy. A little side flick to the onrushing McGeary who engineers the scorable free for his goalkeeper. The inch-perfect kick-out is matched by the inch-perfect precision with the free.

Morgan’s only starting. He slips a handpass to his Edendork clubmate, the outstanding Conn Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick swats away the hardworking Tommy Conroy to the ground and slips a handpass to Ronan McNamee. Galloping forward with his head up he plays a low dink pass to his captain Padraig Hampsey. Hampsey has literally been in this same spot before. He slows down slightly, looks at the posts and injects power into the outside of the boot. A screamer of a score.

Another Morgan belter down on top of Kilpatrick and McGeary and the resultant break is picked up by Conor McKenna. No delay, a 30-yard kick-pass into the unmarked McCurry and in the mode of the great citeog Stephen O’Neill he kicks a beautiful left-footed point.

Morgan picks up another loose ball and distributes once again to Kilpatrick who in turn finds Darren McCurry. He slips a handpass to Kieran McGeary who’s stepped back into his ‘drop-goal zone’. He lobs it nonchalantly towards the left-hand post and the crowd wills it to curl inside. It does and the Pomeroy man scores his 15th championship point.

All of these scores were created on the Hogan Stand side as was their defining third-quarter goal. Both Galway and Dublin didn’t score in the third quarter against Mayo and this allowed the Green and Red army from the West to stay in the game. Step forward Tyrone.

Once again, along the Hogan Stand side, the selfless Conor Meyler gets ready to ignite their power play, the ‘McShane Move’. Every team has one in their locker, but not all players know how to execute it. Meyler receives a handpass from his captain. McShane is bobbing across the square with Oisin Mullin staying goalside. A quick point by McShane to where he wants the ball and Myler sets up the Slam Dunk moment.

McShane in his coloured co-ordinated red n’white boots rises high and forces the ball into the net. Boom! Minutes later we get the game sealer with once again Niall Morgan and Conn Kilpatrick involved in the old-fashioned route one football — a long delivery, a Mick O’Connell style fetch, and a swift handpassing move into the net. What a catch, swivel, and handpass by Kilpatrick who only made his debut for Tyrone against Cavan two months ago.

Old football mixed with new. New footballers expressing how the game has evolved yet the basics remain very much the same. The really big difference is the colour of the boots.

I’m off to buy my very first pair of pink multistuds.