Tyrone experience on big stage was decisive, claims Down manager

Experience was the missing ingredient, as Down’s young side crashed-and-burned in the Clones heat.

Tyrone were just too cute, too long on the road, to be caught by a rising Mourne side that had come from nowhere to reach an Ulster final.

A derby win over Armagh, followed by a shock semi-final defeat of Monaghan, had excited fans with promises of a return to the glory days.