Whelan expects replay to be a tactical battle
Dublin dominated the first half a fortnight ago by playing some sublime football before Tyrone interjected after the break with a timely reminder that their brand of football is fashioned on more than mere brawn.
“Obviously, we’ll look at the first 20-25 minutes of that second half and think, ‘where can we improve on that?’. Tyrone will be doing the same with the first half. Saturday will be a tactical battle.
“It mightn’t be the spectacle we saw in the first game,” Whelan cautioned.
Though the plaudits for the drawn encounter were welcome, some of the comments about Tyrone’s ‘surprising’ willingness to match Dublin in the skills department were surprising.
Much of the stigma surrounding Tyrone football can still be sourced to their 2003 All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Kerry and the subsequent final against Armagh.
In the aftermath, some of the excellent football played by Mickey Harte’s outfit prior to those last two matches was all but forgotten.
Whelan certainly didn’t sound like a man taken aback by the fluidity of their play, though he didn’t neglect their defensive capabilities either.
“The first half was open enough but the second half was tighter with Tyrone adapting their game plan, which kind of put us on the back foot.
“Tyrone do play the blanket defence and they are very strong in the tackle but they play a good brand of football and it’s a big pitch out there.”
Though their subjugation in the second half two weeks was disappointing for the Dubs, Whelan pointed to Tomas Quinn’s two injury-time points as proof of this team’s sterner backbone.
“We’ve obviously talked about it, like Tyrone would have talked about the first half. Both teams have elements of their game that they weren’t happy with and we’ll both be looking to make amends and put things right.
“In a lot of games this year out on Croke Park, we’ve seen teams getting a run on opponents for 20-25 minutes of a half. There have been a lot of turnarounds. That’s a trend this year.”
Whelan too was pinpointed for the disparity in his play in both halves.
The Raheny player points to Tyrone’s change of tactics as being the vital factor.
“They broke a lot of ball but you kind of expect them to do that. If you play so well in the first half any good [opposing] manager is going to change things around.
“Shane [Ryan] wouldn’t be as tall or as dominant in the air so they were targeting his side. He’s complemented me very well this year but, when I was dragged out to one side, it made it difficult.”
Whelan is confident that the replay will find a Dublin team more in tune with the demands of a game a number of steps up from the Leinster championship.
“That was the first time that a few of our lads would have come up against the Tyrones or the Armaghs. We hadn’t had a game for four weeks before that so hopefully it will have brought us on.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
