Meath vs. Tyrone

[Archie Mitchell]

7 from play

Séan Cavanagh (0-8, 6 frees), Darren McCurry (0-5, 3 frees, 1 '45′), Matthew Donnelly (0-2), Stephen O'Neill, Aidan Cassidy (0-1 each)

[barelegs]

It's a worry that only 5 points from 17 came from play. Not good enough.

I just never get the feeling that, unlike the 03-08 teams, this squad could really cut loose against a good side.

We still don't know the best 15 although maybe that's just the modern game where it's horses for courses each outing.

Tactically yesterday didn't suit SoN. He made plenty of good runs in anticipation of a quick ball in but we just carried the ball into more tackles instead of releasing to him so by the time we did look up he was well marked.

Cynical play. Absolutely.

Delicious irony of Meath complaining about it. Absolutely.

Sheer joy of Brolly whinging at Tyrone winning again. Delicious.

If anyone really wants to watch the art of cynical defensive fouling from the forwards back. Pick up a Donegal match. The masters of the art.

I'd tend to have a more optimistic outlook on their first point. You can't kick points from play if teams keep fouling you when you get near the goal (or imaginery foul you on one occasion). We wasted a couple of good chances, Penrose, Mattie Donnelly and Carlin spring to mind but for the first time in a while I had confidence in our free takers to actually kick their scores yesterday. We haven't had that in years!

We don't know our best 15 because the manager has refused to drop players that are out of form and to susbstitute players that aren't in the game. Now that's worked in the past and they've hit form (Mulligan in 2005 was having a stinking year up until the goal against the Dubs) so hopefully a couple of them can rediscover something.

The likes of Peter Harte looks like he needs a goal or something just to give him a bit of belief. There were times yesterday after he'd kicked an early wide where he looked afraid to shoot. Traditionally we've either produced or best performance of the year in the quarter finals or else we've folded terribly. Fingers crossed it's the former

[tyroneman]

Yip. I stand corrected 7 from play. Could have sworn the early paper report listed 5

Prob should start ticking them off on the program.

Still not enough.

I believe SoN, McCurry (excellent composure yesterday) and mcAlisky etc could wreak havoc with early ball played in.

[ONeill]

I was really surprised that Meath allowed Sean the freedom of the field in the first half. They seemed to be more concerned with O'Neill getting the ball from an outfield pass than with the man on the ball. If there's one player you need to plan for it's Sean Cavanagh.

There was one occasion near the end when Meath hit the post and it came down to a Tyrone defender. That was how narrow the winning of this game was. Had that gone over I thought we were toast. Tyrone were one ahead and there were 3 mins left.

[Boghopper]

Thank god we finally buried the Meath hoodoo I was at the 96 game and it was painful to watch.  I saw Meath against Wicklow and Wexford and thought they were average enough although they lifted their game for the Leinster Final. Meath have made progress under Mick O'Dowd and with a free taker like Michael Newman they are a real threat, Wallace was fantastic for them yesterday for them and is a real handful. From a Tyrone perspective I'm delighted we're in the All Ireland Quarter Final, Monaghan will be stern examination Malachy O'Rourke is a shrewd tactician.

I was disappointed with the defending for the two goals although hopefully the players at fault will learn from their mistakes. Sean Cavanagh was our saviour yesterday although the speed which we move the ball from defence to attack or break from turnovers is frustrating although the few times when we did kick the ball early it was normally mopped up by the Meath blanket.

The lads also seemed to want to pass the ball right up to the 20 meter line before shooting and in doing so coughed up possession, they would have been better to have had a go as soon as they were in range.


The introduction of Coney was almost fatal as he lost every ball that came his way.

[Hardy]

We had no centre half back. That accounts, in my mind, for Cavanagh and others careering through the middle of our defence. I'm encouraged by the fact that the management saw the Cavanagh problem (though a bit late) and switched to man-marking him with some success. But I'm concerned that they did nothing about the hole in the middle.

[ONeill]

Having witnessed the Meehan goal earlier, I was crapping myself at that last free. Geraghty probably would've buried it. Luckily yer man hit it nice and low, straight at McConnell.

[BennyHarp]

A few observations from yesterday;

The Meath goalie kicking that free near the end was plain stupid! No chance of scoring it from 70 odd yards and it took over a minute and a half to hit.

The Meath folk near me were doing plenty of whining and moaning by the way. I presume none of them where there in '96 when cynical fouling was introduced to Tyrone! 

Gavin Devlin spent some amount of time on the field.

We need to get Mattie Donnelly on the ball more often.

I didn't realise players had to stand in their positions for the throw in!

[Maguire01]

What's with the Tyrone players wearing black bras?

What's with all the bras?

So after 5 McKenna cup games, 9 league games, an Ulster Championship game, a Spillane rant and four qualifier games (in that order), your only noticing the bras now?

Yes. And probably even harder to believe, but I didn't see Tyrone's 5 McKenna Cup games (just the one)!

[Jinxy]

Thought the winning/losing of the game from our perspective was starting Joe.
It made it very difficult for us to defend high up as Joe hasn't the closing speed to pressurise the half backs coming out with the ball.
We went from being mobile and direct in attack against Dublin to being laboured and ponderous.
Tyrone closed the game out in the end and the best of luck to them, had good craic with the crowd around me.
Sean Cavanagh kicked some great scores.
All in all a very progressive and positive season which leaves me looking forward to division 2.
If we can unearth another one or two players like Wallace and Newman we'll give anyone their fill of it.

[Hardy]

Yeah - maybe it's time now to go the whole hog and bring on the young talent. This year has been a great success in that regard. Some hard decisions would have to be made. Maybe K. Reilly, Kenny and Bray would survive of the long-established players. I'm very reluctant to write off Joe, though. I'm hoping what we've seen is a temporary blip in form, combined with poor deployment of his talents. Though it may be a cruel truth that he doesn't fit the pace-based strategy (which I like an awful lot). Either way, his positioning yesterday made no sense to me. I'm sure the lads had a plan, but it didn't work. Edge of the square was the only thing that would have made sense for me.

[Hardy]

Headline in the Belfast telegraph:

Victory for Tyrone in savage battle with Meath

[bigfrank]

Enjoyed the game at croker last night not just because tyrone win because of some great scores,performances and banter with the rival supporters. few things tho,christ there was a bad crowd at them games,seats empty everywhere u look and only half the place was open,atmosphere was poor enough for games with so much as stake. Would love to watch game now on tv,just to see what it looked like as opposed to sittin in the Hogan stand,always felt watchin on tv led so some warped analysis and views that may not in truth be right.

Tyrone before hand thought would win by about 5 points,and at times they looked like they would after weathering the early goal set back,all they had to do was not foul and they would of been further ahead at half time,newman for being a quality free taker also showed so well for the ball and made a serious amount of runs from wing to wing which brought the best out of an under performaing speedster Wallace who was superb and took two great points off carlin who was brought on to stop him.midfield was a funny old one,lots of breaks and play on the ground with a few moments of magic from colm who when game was in melting pot took two superb catches and launched attacks,he however was poor throughout and is a worryin link in team at present. I also tought joey and conor could of done so much better in covering space and being that extra man around the back,every pass in from reilly or bray was bypassing them and being won by an inside forward.

p harte who I have so much time for was just average and he really is far from that,top player who could be a huge player for tyronbe before this summer is over.mc ginley had two bad wides but for anyone that has seen him play a bit they would agree he is prone to those kind of shots when its prob not the right option,he however was sticky tight to reilly and done a sound job on a top 5 player this summer. the forwards was a game of cat and mouse with acres of space the option of a long ball was never really on and is something tyrone rarely ever use,could be counted on one hand I would say.mc curry was steady from frees and landed a great 45 before ht but never really troubled donal from open play,stevy was his usual feisty self,great scores,rash tackling but helped out as best he could,much more needed against prob wylie this sat. two donnellys tried their hard,with matty the pick of them,

as for this fouling and cynical play etc,maybe it was the pints but I didn't really see it to be that bad or that shocking as at the time it was the best option available and they one most likely reap rewards,a swift counter lead by a speedster like graham reilly stopped by a foul so team could regroup and encourage a lesser player to shoot or make a bad decision,seems to make sense to me,stevys foul wasn't cynical really,just silly and rash.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Tyrone closed the game out in the end and the best of luck to them, had good craic with the crowd around me.

Cheers, enjoyed that! 

For Tyrone, it was all about the result yesterday, and not necessarily (or even) about the manner of it.

We should have been smarter up front with Stevie so tightly marshalled, and we'll need to be against Monaghan, where our forward play will need to be much more clinical in exploiting the lack of cover elsewhere that inevitably arises when O'Neill is so well contained.

Meath were Meath, and were never going to be anything other than in it tooth and nail to the death. Great contest.

[Jinxy]

We need to put Menton centre back for the league and leave him there.
He's the imposing presence we need.
He also has serious pace on the counter.
If we do that than we actually have a really solid defensive unit (once Davy Dalton is back in the corner).