Tyrone driven towards goal of second All-Ireland title

IT says something for the character and ability of 2003 All-Ireland SFC champions Tyrone that they’ve maintained a vibrant challenge in the 2005 series.

After three draws, Mickey Harte and his players are every bit as driven as Joe Kernan and Armagh in their bid to gain a second title.

For opponents Dublin, getting this far has been more of an aspiration than an aim. A fortnight ago, the sides fought out a thrilling draw, after Tomas Quinn rescued his side with a controversial free almost four minutes into injury-time.

It was no more than Paul Caffrey’s team deserved, though Tyrone let the game slip through their hands.

What was significant about the Tyrone display was that they stormed back in the second half from a five points interval deficit (secured by a late goal from Quinn). They did so by rebuilding midfield and gaining inspiration from Owen Mulligan’s magical equalising goal in the 50th minute.

All they lacked was the killer punch and it was surprising that Player of the Year favourite Stephen O’Neill was one of their biggest offenders with his finishing.

Peter Canavan’s limited involvement in the team has mystified many, despite Harte maintaining that his former captain has been plagued by injuries.

But after playing for the entire second half against Monaghan (and suffering no ill-effects), it was surprising that he wasn’t introduced against Dublin until 20 minutes from the end. Harte has not made the same mistake this time with the All-Ireland winning captain starting today.

I have been impressed by Dublin’s rate of progress and it’s clear from results and comments from players that Caffrey is a very capable manager.

All that they are lacking is a few more quality forwards, but again, that’s a common complaint aside from the top three of Kerry, Armagh and Tyrone.

It might be premature to suggest that Caffrey has brought the team about as far as he could wish for this season, except that they proved the last day that they are closing the gap all the time.

One worry for them would be the form of team captain Paddy Christie, who has struggled since his Leinster Final injury.

And based on how successfully Tyrone countered them at midfield in the second half with their new pairing of Joe McMahon and Enda McGinley, Dublin need Ciaran Whelan and Shane Ryan to make a more lasting impact.

Tyrone have improved with every outing and are certainly playing better than this time last year, when defeated by Mayo at the quarter-final stage.

I had a slight fancy for Dublin the last day, but now I expect Tyrone to advance.