Developing the next generation the main goal for Paul Devlin

14 May 2022; Tyrone captain Niall Devlin lifts the cup after his side's victory in the EirGrid GAA Football All-Ireland Under 20 Championship Final match between Kildare and Tyrone at Avant Money Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

TYRONE 1-20 KILDARE 1-14 

Tyrone manager Paul Devlin was delighted to see his team perform on the big stage as Ruarí Canavan scored 1-7 in the All-Ireland U20 Football Final against Kildare in Carrick On Shannon.

“It was a massive performance, it’s been massive performances all year. Massive effort put in on the training ground this year. I’m delighted for the lads, and delighted for their parents. I’ve been there myself with Ulster titles but never got over the line for an All-Ireland, I’m absolutely delighted for the lads,” said Devlin.

The game had a flying start with Canavan scoring a goal after less than 20 seconds and Kildare then responded less than a minute later with a goal of their own through Daniel Lynam.

However, it was a run of five points in a row late in the first half, that sent Tyrone to the half time break with a four point lead, that was key.

“That’s what we told the lads, to get in front and then go for the jugular, we didn’t want to sit back. We didn’t want to get a point in front and try to protect that lead, we wanted to keep scoring. Let the lads play football and enjoy it.

“We encourage them to get out and play. They all can play football, they can all take scores. Our fitness has been fantastic all year and I think that told as well today.

“It’s nice to get silverware but it’s about developing the players and helping them along the way,” he said.

Canavan was named man of the match after adding five points late in the game but Devlin said it was far from a one man performance.

“Eoin Corry, Steve Donaghy, Niall (Devlin) in the backs, wee Dan Muldoon came in last week and was outstanding, I could go through them all,” he said.

From the Kildare point of view, manager Brian Flanagan felt a tough schedule caught up with his team.

“We’ve played five really, really tough games in little over four weeks. Even though we are the biggest province in Leinster we started the latest and that meant playing week after week. That’s tough, when you see four or five players dropping with cramp with ten minutes to go, you just know that as well as being mentally tired we were physically tired as well,” said Flanagan.

Kildare were chasing the game in the second half and after the teams shared six points in the first 20 minutes of the restart, the game really opened up as Kildare tired and there were 14 points in the last ten minutes plus five of added time.

Harry O’Neill, the man who kept Canavan relatively quiet for 50 minutes, was one of the players who was hit by cramp and once he departed things really opened up for the son of the great Peter and he was able to show all his class in the final stages as Tyrone ran out deserving winners.

TYRONE: S McMenamin; M Rafferty, B Conway, E Corry, J Donaghy 0-1, S Donaghy, N Devlin 0-3; R McHugh 0-1, C Daly 0-2; C Cush 0-1, C Bogue 0-1, R Canavan 1-7(3fs), S O’Donnell, M McGleenan 0-1, D Muldoon 0-1. 

Subs: G Potter 0-1 for Muldoon, 48; F Taggert for O’Donnell, 53; S Daly for Bogue, 60; L Donnelly 0-1 for Cush, 60.

KILDARE: C Barker; H O’Neill, D O’Donoghue 0-1, M Maguire, T Gill 0-1, J McGrath, R Burke; B Gibbons, L Killian 0-3; N O’Regan 0-2, D Lynam 1-0, S Farrell, A Browne, A Fanning 0-1, E Bagnall 0-5 (4fs). 

Subs: D Swords 0-1 for Lynam, 37; J McKevitt for Gibbons, 39; J Dalton for Browne, 42; A Boyle for O’Neill, 53; A Conneely for O’Regan, 57.

REFEREE: Liam Devenney (Mayo).