Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher: Players, not us, deserve the praise and plaudits

Tyrone joint-managers Feargal Logan, left, and Brian Dooher. Picture: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile

It was close on an hour since the final whistle had sounded and Tyrone claimed their fourth senior All-Ireland football title when Feargal Logan walked into the main press conference room and pumped his fist as he took a seat.

That the adrenaline from what had earlier transpired was still coursing through his system was hardly a surprise. A midfielder when Tyrone had fallen short against Dublin in the 1995 decider, here he was now claiming Sam as joint-manager alongside Brian Dooher.

“Pure relief, is my thoughts. I suppose it's always that way in finals maybe but just pure relief that we got over the line and that the players dug in again. There was some last-ditch defending and they came out of it and are now winners of the All-Ireland.

“It's just relief and gladness that everything that has passed has passed and we've done the business on the football field . "We are just delighted. And I'm delighted for Brian by my side, and the coaching that has gone on with Holmesy, Pete, Joe. It's just outstanding and it was all evident out there today.” 

It’s an unlikely ending to a championship.

Tyrone had been there and thereabouts in recent years without following up on the third of their championship wins back in 2008 but this was their first time stepping into a summer without Mickey Harte at the helm.

Kerry put six goals past them in June. This year, this whole project, could have gone any which way and that’s before you consider it’s only a handful of weeks since they were on the brink of stepping away from the table due to a Covid outbreak.

“My starting ambition anyway, without declaring it to Brian, was to win one match. We managed to do that as Tyrone managers and then it just progressed from there. We had no big plans or targets, to be honest, that way.

“We just mucked in night after night and saw where it led us. It was fairly up and down but it's ended happily with Tyrone as All-Ireland champions and players who have been battle-hardened and committed their life's cause to it, who are outstanding footballers.

“I'm so delighted that they've got All-Ireland medals because it's something special.” 

Brian Dooher won a bunch of silverware as a player with Tyrone but he was eight years on the panel before he claimed his first Celtic Cross. 

Now here he was reflecting on his first All-Ireland title as a bainisteoir less than 12 months into the gig as co-manager.

Easy gig, then, lark?

“That's one way of putting it,” he laughed. “Ah, it's hectic, it consumes everything, it consumes every waking minute. You haven't much time for anything else but that's the position we put ourselves into and that's what we signed up for.

“It doesn't always work out but today it did work out for us. We have to give credit to the players. They went out there and it mightn't have been pretty at times but they dug deep and put their bodies on the line. They did it time and time again this year and we can't ask for any more from them. That's all we do ask whenever they go out.”