Paul Rouse: Why Tyrone are late arrivals at football's top table

Tyrone's modern success all the more admirable for the depth of the disappointment that preceded it.

Tyrone captain Eugene McKenna leads his side in the pre-match parade before the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final between Tyrone and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. File picture: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Success is now so commonplace in Tyrone that it is rarely noted just how extraordinary is the scale of the county’s achievements.

Having already beaten Kerry to win this year’s All-Ireland minor and under-20 titles, victory in Saturday’s senior semi-final would leave the county on the cusp of an unprecedented treble.