No excuses from gracious northern stars

GRACIOUS in victory and gracious in defeat. The common thread running through comments made in the aftermath of defeat by Mickey Harte, team captain Brian Dooher and defender Ryan McMenamin was a ready acceptance that the All-Ireland champions were beaten by the better team in Croke Park yesterday.

No ‘ifs and buts.’ No excuses. No complaints.

A half-hour after the game, after he was waylaid by a couple of journalists in the tunnel, Dooher was even in jocular mood when asked if Cork were the best team Tyrone met this year. “They beat us, when we weren’t up to it... It doesn’t take rocket science,’’ he responded.