Harte takes consolation from level of performance

Mickey Harte’s instinct when Marty Duffy blew the final whistle was to make a beeline for the referee and ask why he had failed to award Tyrone a free seconds earlier after Sean Cavanagh was bundled to the floor.

Maybe Duffy expected as much because the Sligoman was halfway to the dressing-rooms before Harte could take two steps and the three-time winning All-Ireland manager left it at that.

By the time he shared his thoughts with the media, the matter was all but closed. A drop in an ocean of actions and deeds on a day when little or nothing had separated the two sides.