Old rivals fail to spark memories of golden days
That all seemed a long time ago yesterday.
This game wasn’t a fitting end note for anyone of a mind to write the definitive account of that rivalry in the years to come, more a lamentable postscript that may well have marked the end for men like Conor Gormley and Stephen O’Neill.
It isn’t difficult to wind up Ulster folk when it comes to discussions on the aesthetic merits of the game up north, but there were no defenders of the faith in Omagh yesterday where these two former superpowers misfired with weakened arsenals.
The paucity of the game was most apparent in the first half, one where referee Cormac Reilly felt the need to stop play 30 times for infringements, two of them for Mattie Donnelly who saw yellow on both occasions and, obviously, a red.
By the time the period ended, just two points had been sourced from open play, both sides claiming the bare minimum, but at least there was little by the way of flashpoints like the one which marred the opening exchanges.
The ball had just been thrown in mere seconds earlier when 22 players congregated on the Armagh 20m line for a bit of argy bargy and, though it never went beyond the handbags stage, it didn’t bode well.
Tyrone were pumped but they were poor, poor, poor.
Time and again long balls were delivered into acres of space devoid of a white shirt, at others they overdid the solos and hand passes.
The end result was usually just as negative.
Two incidents summed up their difficulties: one when Sean Cavanagh soloed a ball straight into the hands of an Armagh attacker when coming out of defence and the other when his brother Colm let a kick-out dribble through his hands and out wide.
Armagh weren’t exactly slick by comparison, but they were still demonstrably better and orchestrated a couple of early goal opportunities, one of them earning a decent save by Niall Morgan from the boot of Jamie Clarke.
The loss of Donnelly didn’t help the hosts and it may be that the centre-back paid the price of a collision 15 minutes earlier between team-mates Ronan McNamee and Colm Cavanagh which left both requiring attention.
McNamee was clearly struggling and was caught out of position for the incident which saw Donnelly pick up the second yellow for a drag back, an act of instinct designed to stop a burgeoning goal opportunity for Tony Kernan.
McNamee was shepherded off two minutes later, as was Ciaran McGinley, but the ship seemed to steady toward the break when a pair of Sean Cavanagh frees reduced the Armagh lead to two points at the change of ends.
Gormley it was who had replaced McNamee and the veteran defender was joined by another from the ever dwindling band of survivors from 2003, Stephen O’Neill, for the start of the second half.
The Clann nan Gael forward’s impact was immediate, helping set up one point and winning the frees from which Sean Cavanagh claimed two more as the home side embarked on what would prove to be their best spell. Twice between the 42nd and 49th minutes they would draw level but that was as good as it got as Armagh reasserted their superiority immediately with players such as Aaron Kernan, Kyle Carragher and Rory Grugan contributing off the bench.
The last three scores were all claimed by Paul Grimley’s side but it was far from a seamless finish.
Their last score came with 17 minutes of normal time to play but they were saved by the fact that Tyrone endured 21 barren minutes of their own.
It was a hard watch.
Morgan prevented an Armagh goal on 56 minutes, with a save depriving Grugan, while the winners also racked up half-a-dozen wides — one worse than the other — which allowed Tyrone maintain hope right up until the end.
Harte spoke about honouring his contract, which ends next season, but this was the definitive evidence that a side that made the last four in 2013 has lost its privileged position among the serious players at the top table.
Armagh won’t fear any of the counties with whom they enter the next qualifier draw today, but it is difficult to imagine them making space in their diaries for repeated Croke Park trips later this summer.
Another victory for Father Time.
Scorers for Tyrone: S Cavanagh 0-5 (5f), D McCurry 0-2 (2fs), N Morgan (f), K Coney, N McKenna 0-1 each.
Scorers for Armagh: T Kernan 0-4 (3f, 1 65), J Clarke 0-3 (2f), A Kernan (f), A Mallon, S Harold, R Grugan, M Shields, S Campbell 0-1 each.
TYRONE: N Morgan; Justin McMahon, R McNamee, PJ Quinn; R McNabb, Matthew Donnelly, A McCrory; C Cavanagh, S Cavanagh; C McGinley, K Coney, E McKenna; D McCurry, N McKenna, C McAliskey. Subs for Tyrone: C Gormley for McNamee (33); B Tierney for McGinley (34); S O’Neill for McAliskey (half-time); M Penrose for Quinn (48); P McNeice for McKenna (55); Mark Donnelly for Coney (54).
ARMAGH: P McEvoy; A Mallon, J Morgan, M Murray; M Shields, C Vernon, CMcKeever; S Harold, A Findon; S Campbell, A Forker, K Dyas; S Forker, T Kernan, J Clarke. Subs for Armagh: E McVerry for Dyas (37); A Kernan for Morgan (41); K Carragher for S Forker (45); R Grugan for A Forker (54); B Donaghy for T Kernan (67).
Referee: C Reilly (Meath).
Hard to say. Ten points apiece after 49 minutes, Armagh had the extra kick to pull clear, though they made hard work of it by kicking seven wides and spurning a goal chance thereafter.
Is this the last time we will see men like Conor Gormley and Stephen O’Neill in the famous white shirt?
Rarely has a senior inter-county championship game of football petered out so poorly, with neither side claiming a score from the 53rd minute on.
Not a game that threw up a litany of contenders, but Andy Mallon saw his man, Connor McAliskey, off by half-time, and poured forward time and again to lend a hand on the offensive.
Ciarán McKeever was the sole victim of the new rule on the day, shown the line after 68 long minutes of football. Again, there could have been more.
Tyrone’s habit of running with the ball and incessant hand passes was in evidence again and it didn’t help them when reduced to a two-man full-forward line after Mattie Donnelly’s dismissal.
Busy day for Mr Reilly, who blew the whistle for 48 separate infractions, 30 of them in the first half. Five yellows and the red for Mattie Donnelly completed his lot.
Armagh enter the draw for the 3B round of qualifiers alongside Roscommon, Kildare and Clare.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
