Lessons learned get Tyrone over the line against Donegal
GAME-WINNER: Peter Harte's two-pointer with three minutes decisively swung the game in Tyrone's favour. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Malachy O’Rourke said lessons were learned as his Tyrone team managed to edge back in front against Donegal in Ballybofey and post a notable away win in Group 1 of the All-Ireland SFC rebound-robin.
O’Rourke - the only man to beat McGuinness in six seasons in the Ulster SFC with Monaghan in 2013 - saw his team lead the way for the most part and then stave off a late Donegal comeback to score the last five points of the match.
“The way we kept the ball late on as well, we kept it for maybe over three minutes and I suppose we learned that over some of the other games that we maybe rushed things,” O’Rourke said afterwards.
“But we knew we had to keep the ball and the boys kept it, kept the recycling, kept the sort of mobile possession and we were able to keep it and finish out the game, so that was very pleasing as well.”
Peter Harte’s two-pointer with three minutes to play finally swung it Tyrone’s way, and a late Cormac Quinn point put the seal on a three-point win for McGuinness’s first loss in 16 at MacCumhaill Park, in his two stints stretching back to 2011.
On an evening for ponchos, sunglasses and woolly hats, the weather was unpredictable and on the field, things were probably going against the grain as well.
With Shaun Patton having put in a decent warm-up but missing out with an ankle injury, Donegal had lost a foundation from the restarts and Tyrone’s Seanie O’Donnell’s two first-half goals gave Tyrone a foothold from which they could climb.
The first of those came on eight minutes when he punched past Gavin Mulreany when Caolan McGonagle failed to get a proper hold of a raking ball in from Michael McKernan.
O’Donnell seemed to be popping up here, there, and everywhere and on 24 minutes he scored his second. This time he came from deep on the run and with Mark Bradley supplying the lay-off, went for power and although Mulreany got something behind it, he couldn’t stop it going home due to its sheer power.
Donegal were 2-3 to 0-4 down, at sixes and sevens, and Tyrone looked dangerous time and again. Michael Murphy was the one the bulk of those in the home support of 16,120 turned to and Michael Murphy was the one who delivered.
Two monster frees against the wind - both worth two in the current currency as they say these days - were meat and drink for the Tiktokers and Donegal were clawing their way back. Darren McCurry, with a two-pointer, and Kieran McGeary hit two late first-half points for the visitors, with Tyrone going in 2-7 to 0-11 in front.
A Ciaran Thompson point took Donegal back to within one, but the moving quarter didn’t happen. They would post four wides in succession, and Tyrone would post four points to move into a five-point lead of 2-11 to 0-12. Ben McDonnell, Darragh Canavan and their scoring constant, McCurry, was the one to help things tick along in times of trouble.
Murphy, 11 minutes after Donegal’s only second-half score, was typically the man to get them going, with another two-pointer from a free.
If the 2012 All-Ireland winning captain was almost single-handedly keeping his team in it, Langan was certainly the one playing the support act. A minute later, by now at the midpoint of the second half, he slung over from outside the arc and Donegal were back to just the one down again, before Langan himself equalised.
The trajectory now seemed to be Donegal’s and second half substitute Patrick McBrearty lamped over another two-pointer and Donegal were 0-20 to 2-12 in front woith just eight left.
But when it was in the melting pot, it was Tyrone who grabbed the initiative to post a huge win. With Cavan winning in Mayo last week to instantly scattered the pigeons and two into one never going to happen with Donegal and Tyrone. Things might not always turn out as they seem.
“We didn’t turn up at all,” McGuinness said ahead of a trip to Cavan on Sunday. “We didn’t play, that’s the bottom line. We didn’t play, for whatever reason, and we were still two points up with seven minutes left on the clock.
“That’s not us. It’s not even remotely close to us. Everything was off. It will be a difficult review, I imagine.”
M Murphy (3 2pt f, 1f, 1 ’45) 0-8, M Langan (1 2pt) 0-7, C Thompson (1f) 0-2, P McBrearty 0-2, R McHugh 0-1
D McCurry (1 2pt f, 2 f) 0-7, S O’Donnell 2-0, D Canavan (2f), P Harte 0-2 each, M McKernan, K McGeary, M Brennan, B McDonnell, C Daly, C Quinn 0-1 each
G Mulreany; F Roarty, B McCole, E Gallagher; R McHugh, C McGonagle, C Moore; H McFadden, M Langan; D Ó Baoill, C Thompson, S O’Donnell; C O’Donnell, M Murphy, O Gallen. Subs: O McFadden-Ferry for McGonagle (31). Subs: E McHugh for Ó Baoill (half-time), P McBrearty for McFadden (42), P Mogan for O’Donnell (50), O Doherty for Gallagher (60).
N Morgan; C Quinn, P Hampsey, N Devlin; M McKernan, R Brennan, K McGeary; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O’Donnell, M Donnelly, C Daly; D McCurry, M Bradley, D Canavan. Subs: B McDonnell for Kennedy (h-t), P Harte for Donnelly (53), E McElholm for Bradley (55), F Burns for Brennan (57).
M McNally (Monaghan)
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
