Tyrone v Cork - Healy Park, 13/03/10

[Aaron Boone]

Today's Examiner.

Tyrone's perfect 'them and us' scenario
By Dara O'Cinneide, Saturday, March 13, 2010

THE private and subtle sense of glee and schadenfreude amongst those who haven't yet conceded Tyrone's right to be at the top table of Gaelic football is at an all-time high this week. Not only are their senior team pointless after three outings in this year's National Football League, their much-vaunted U21 conveyor belt ground to a halt against Derry in midweek.

On top of all that, a vulnerable looking Red Hand outfit will come face to face again in Healy Park in Omagh tonight with much of the Cork team that dismantled them so spectacularly with pace, power and intensity in last year's All-Ireland semi-final. If ever a manager wished to create a do-or-die situation and cultivate the siege mentality so beloved of many of the Ulster teams, Mickey Harte is presented with the perfect opportunity tonight.

The rather unusual sight of Harte remonstrating with the referee at the close of business in Inniskeen last weekend only further served to underline the nagging frustrations being felt by the Tyrone manager. There is little doubt Monaghan decided persistent fouling was going to reap its own rewards during the injury time at the end of the game when Tyrone were in desperate search of an equalising point — that is bound to have riled Harte.

There is also now a compelling case for taking time-keeping out of the referee's hands altogether after tallying the wasted seconds during that three-minute period but I have no doubt that Mickey Harte himself will have reflected during the week on the swings and roundabouts of minutes gained and lost in battle based on a referee's judgement. Having done so, he will recognise that his team have done quite well having been on the flip side of such decisions on occasions of far greater consequence than a league outing in Kavanagh country in early March.

Of more immediate and pressing concern for Tyrone than the vagaries of a referee's time-keeping is the startling amount of free kicks their backs coughed up so cheaply last weekend. In an uncharacteristically sloppy performance, quality players like Justin McMahon, Conor Gormley, Kevin Hughes, Dermot Carlin and Sean O'Neill all committed needless and sometimes ridiculous fouls within kicking distance of their goal at critical junctures throughout the game. Disciplined tackling was always a hallmark of Tyrone sides and it must have sickened Harte to watch Paul Finlay and Conor McManus punish every single defensive indiscretion last Sunday.

Sean O'Neill has paid a price for such slackness and Hughes is out injured but McMahon, Gormley and Carlin can all consider themselves lucky to be given a shot at redemption tonight. Of course, going practically the entire second half bar the frantic last five minutes without scoring from play didn't help the Tyrone cause either but at least their forwards can proffer a tricky breeze and some dogged Monaghan defending in mitigation.

Even recalling the sustained inquisition and strong criticism endured by Harte in the first half of 2008, there must rarely have been such uncertainty in recent years about Tyrone's ability to ride out the storm. The angst being expressed through the anonymous whisperings on internet chat forums and high stool analysis is unlikely to induce a full-blown panic in the ranks, but some worrying trends are beginning to develop and it is going to take all of Harte's experience to navigate a course towards the summer. By then, Tyrone should have most of the big guns (Cavanagh, Jordan, Dooher, Joe McMahon, Stephen O'Neill, McConnell) back to full fitness but, as with the other half of the decade's great duopoly, Kerry, some questions remain unresolved. Can a back-line with an ageing Philip Jordan, Ryan McMenamin and Conor Gormley still cut it at this level in 2010? Is there one more season of high octane gear-changing in Brian Dooher? Can Stephen O'Neill rediscover the alchemy that saw him quarry so many scores from hopeless situations and will the professional chemistry between Seán Cavanagh and his manager remain as volatile as it threatened to become late last year? Of the emerging talent seen so far, only Aidan Cassidy appears to have unlimited potential and I'm beginning to wonder how long Raymond Mulgrew's latent talent can sustain him in a game that requires half forwards to be more artisan than artist.

The slings and arrows being directed their way these last six days will have sharpened the Tyrone senses and for a man whose imagination always appeared vivified by the challenge, Mickey Harte finally has the laboratory league conditions needed to ambush Cork tonight. But does he have the personnel to contain the relentless athleticism of Pearse O Neill, the searing pace of a few Paul Kerrigan runs at this time of year, the sheer physique to compete in an aerial bombardment with Nicholas Murphy or the two corner-backs to contain Daniel Goulding and Colm O'Neill alongside him?

Based on the evidence before us in the opening three matches in the league, Cork appear to have all the aces heading into tonight's game but if Tyrone are to find their mojo and stifle the naysayers, they must, as Yeats suggested, "lie down where all the ladders start, in the foul rag and bone shop of the heart".

The under-appreciated old league served Tyrone well when they were climbing the ladder. With relegation a real danger, now would be a good time to start finding their feet again.

[under the bar]

Any deals going on Setanta?  Thinking of getting it on for the game.

[Chris agus Snoop]

I didn't know Sean Cavanagh got married.

Don't bother paying for setanta listen to it on the radio, they show it for free on channel MSK on tuesday night.

Nick Murphy starting will make a big difference to the outcome.

[gerry]

Poor crowd and no dermot carlin or brian mc guigan

[under the bar]

Can youi get it on the net?

[Aaron Boone]

Tyrone playing good stuff, 4pts to 2 up. Ref Coldrick pinickity.

[Aaron Boone]

Cork now the boss, 7 - 4 up.

[gerry]

Get curran of to feck. What a joke at county standard

[An Fear Rua]

Goal Colm Cavanagh

1-5 0-9

[An Fear Rua]

Goal Tommy Mc Guigan

Tyrone 2-5 0-9 Cork

[T O Hare]

any streaming on line???

[gerry]

Flukey first goal and lucky to not going in 6 points down if cork had got there goal chances

[illdecide]

any streaming on line???

Tried everywhere but can't find one

[An Fear Rua]

What was flukey about it? Are you watching it?  Radio said it was a great chip of the keeper?


T O Hare- cant find a stream anywhere

[Tubberman]

What was flukey about it? Are you watching it?  Radio said it was a great chip of the keeper?


T O Hare- cant find a stream anywhere

Looked like he meant it on Setanta. Great goal.
Very lucky to be ahead in general though