Tyrone v Monaghan USFC Final

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

I thought it was a really good game, Ulster Football gets a lot of stick on here but that was fast open hard game with a lot of good scores from both teams. Tyrone really should have put Monaghan away long before the end but the Monaghan lads deserve great credit for sticking at it despite facing a couple of big deficits and still coming close to grabbing a draw at the end. Dont think you can seriously say they were the better team though, behind the whole match after all.
Tyrone have plenty to work on and I still have my doubts about their AI prospects but it might help that people saw a few of the flaws on Sunday.....a lot of people were in danger of going OTT after the Donegal game. Full back clearly the big problem, the point about the two Gormley's is bang on! We need SON fit as well.

Feel a similar performance from Monaghan in their qualifier will take care of Donegal.

[Elias]

Is anyone else completely scorched after attending yesterdays match?

Was on the hill, no hat or sunscreen (for gods sake I took an umberalla that i left in the car after the weather we've had recently) and now look like a human tomato.

I have albino blood in me I'm sure, took a bit of grief today in work I can tell ye! 

[Norf Tyrone]

I have albino blood in me I'm sure, took a bit of grief today in work I can tell ye!

Was your father umpire in the minor match?

[paddypastit]

A good game to judge by TV but I wouldn't consider it evidence that Tyrone are now fair set for a long summer.  Monaghan were very close and could have sneaked it with a little more composure and a better final ball.  Finlay being off the pace didn't help - missed his own scores and saw his own man score at the other end.

For Tyrone, being cleaned at FB didn't help either and not much better fare at MF.  Then what about the forwards? Even Monaghan people would admit to some concern about their FB line and granted they gave, or were conned into, bad frees but despite that the return from the Tyrone forwards was abysmal and will need to be corrected if they are to progress. Three of the six starting forwards were replaced during the course of the game.  Of the nine of them, how many scores did they get from play? Two points!!! Granted I know Kavanagh in the second half was operating at wing forward but if the answer to your scoring problem is to put your best MF into the forwards to cover the shortcomings of nine others, then you have problems, and what then when you get good, stay on the feet, don't dive in CBs that don't offer you 7 scoreable frees...

BTW - Goats, I think it was McQuaid and not D Freeman that was on Dooher.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

There's work required paddy, to be sure, but a win's a win here, and something to be built on and deficiencies addressed. Tommy Mc Guigan and Niall Gormley are due back, and I think we could have used Colm Cavanagh yesterday in around the middle. Surprised that he wasn't called in.

Edit: And, if we had managed to get any kind of a handle on midfield there wouldn't have been the avalanche of balls raining down on the full-back, though that's an area that needs to be fixed.

[tyroneman]

I think criticism of the Tyrone forwards is a little harsh - if yr being cleaned out at MF then there's not much supply going into them. Most teams operate now with 2 main 'marquee' scoring threats - we have Mugsy and SON. Dooher and the rest will chip in between them.

I thought our forwards did just fine with the service they got TBH.

[armaghniac]

but I wouldn't consider it evidence that Tyrone are now fair set for a long summer

On Betfair, odds for Tyrone have moved out a little since the UF, so it seems that people agree with you Paddypastit (or you are laying Tyrone!).

SON might help the forwards, but a certain Kerry player with Tyrone connections would reap havoc with high balls.

[never kickt a ball]

And from the front...



In fact a new Tyrone tactic? Or Monaghan come up short?

[J70]

Did Mulligan win a free for that "foul"?

If so, hopefully referees will take note.

[rrhf]

After watching the game again last night, I was shocked about the level of possession that Monaghan won in the middle of the field.  I am now convinced that Monaghan with cooler heads should have won the game, If it had been Kerry we would have been pulverised.  Tyrones midfield set up did not function (this includes break ball winners in the half back and half forward line) and our Full back line actually coped fairly admirably under the strain.  As for the comment about Cavlan being finished.  He contributed a lot more to the game than Mulgrew in terms of creativity and scoring threat.  Id like Tommy in there again for the next day.  Incidently congratulations Cavo on becoming the most decorated Tyrone player ever in the Ulster championship with 5 medals.   

[EC Unique]

After watching that game and most of the other games this season our main problem is full back. I think if we are playing against a team that works the old fashioned way of long high balls like on Sunday that C Mc G would get another chance. This is where he is good and would have cut alot of the highballs out on Sunday. He will get destroyed by a small speedy FF so I guess he is a 'horses for courses' player.

[orangeman]

EC - I take your point about full back but Cormac has been cleaned on too many occasions by small FFs and big FFs - we need to look at Joe there -

[Bensars]

Did Mulligan win a free for that "foul"?

If so, hopefully referees will take note.

FFS J70 have a wee word with yerself !!!

Forwards have been doing it for years and will continue to do so to try and obtain an advantage.

You obviously have never played if your looking for referees to take note.

However if you like im sure Croke Park could give you address of the referees committee in each county and you could send them a wee letter to be on the lookout !!

[Great Leap Forward]

Did Mulligan win a free for that "foul"?

If so, hopefully referees will take note.

FFS J70 have a wee word with yerself !!!

Forwards have been doing it for years and will continue to do so to try and obtain an advantage.

You obviously have never played if your looking for referees to take note.

However if you like im sure Croke Park could give you address of the referees committee in each county and you could send them a wee letter to be on the lookout !!

I remember the full-back on my primary school team winning frees by this same methond and that was nearly 20 years ago so this is hardly Mulligan's invention.

In all fairness top forwards have had to take so much physical abuse over the years so why is there such a kick-up when they get a bit of subtle retribution?

[Star Spangler]

When you play at full forward and you're being marked tight by a quicker full back you need to keep hold of him otherwise you'll be made a show of.  It leaves the full back with the option of giving you space which is not ideal either.  Full forward/full back battles are always won by the cutest.