Tyrone v Kerry All Ireland Final 2008

[stew]

Great performance by Tyrone yesterday - couldnt believe Pat o'se took off Walsh for Galvin - Walsh in my opinion was kerrys most dangerous forward at that time after just scoring a decent point.

On another point - did anyone hear gregory campbell on radio ulster this morning - he was on with mickey harte and was asked if he would congratulate the tyrone team - he said something along the lines of its always great when a british team wins an international competition! The bigotry is actually quite funny at this stage! Mickey Harte, needless to say, kept a dignified silence!

Campbell is a clampett who panders to the ignorant, nothing more, nothing less. I am sure Harte thought he was a complete tosser but acted with class by keeping stchum.

Gregory is a man living in the past, and nothing he, or any other hater can say anything that takes the shine of a beautiful day in Croker when two giants gave us a magnificent game of flowing football, Irishmen all no matter what Campbell and his ilk spew. Roll on 2009 and up Armagh.

[milltown row]

great match and great craic in the Bot during the game. place was bouncing when Tommy McGuigan got the goal, Doohers first point was amazing. Kerry tried three times to bang him over the line only for him to put it over the bar, best score in the game.

suffered today, but well worth it...oh to be 18  again

[mannix]

Well done tyrone, I thought you would be well beaten but thanks for proving me wrong.
And the beauty of it was the great sporting football you played against the "masters" of the game.
Tyrone grew a thousand times in my mind, great game and congratulations.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

meanwhile hats off to micky hart and tyrone, a great team

Sláinte mk. I met a Kerry lad (Listowel) at the Citywest this morning who was there just to see the champions off, I had been speaking to him previously at the Cork-Kerry games; class. It might be hard for the vast majority of Kerry folk to appreciate it at this juncture, but paradoxically, this is good not just for football in general, but for Kerry football in particular. Cáide abú (though we'll still beat you when you step it up again  )!

[saffron sam2]

6. Donaghey and Walsh were well tied up by the Tyrone defence, not the first time some bearded men have toppled a set of twin towers. Cooper on the other hand had a sound game and poor Kerry tactics failed to capitalise on this. I find it very hard to believe after all these years that Kerry don't have a plan B for attacking tactics.

Despicable, disgraceful comment there. Can't even pass that off as an attempt at humour. You should be banned.

that has been doing the rounds for a couple of weeks now - would ya wise up

I am perfectly wise thank you. Peter Canavan's cousin was one of those killed on 9/11.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

No disrespect to the deceased of 9/11, but if crass epithets like 'Twin Towers' are introduced don't hold your breath for dignity.

[johnpower]

Congrats to Tyrone worthy champions.One hell of a match right down to the wire . Wrecked today Five finals in a row for our boys they owe us nothing I hope we don't have too many retirements but I have heard rumours of a couple .Great atmosphere at the game and despite the result a good night out In Dublin

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Thanks John (and Frank, and mk, and the rest of the Kingdom contingent). We had a couple of great nights in O'Shea's the Merchants here in Dublin. Couldn't get one of our number off the stage again, but that's becoming something of a habit at this stage, with full complicity of the Kerry folk. I think we are truly in something of a golden era for the football, and we're just so happy to be such a component part of it. Not easy for yourselves to fully acknowledge that now, but you will I'd say; and maybe one day you'll even thank us 

[johnpower]

Thanks John (and Frank, and mk, and the rest or the Kingdom contingent). We had a couple of great nights in O'Shea's the Merchants here in Dublin. Couldn't get one of our number off the stage again, but that's becoming something of a habit at this stage, with full complicity of the Kerry folk. I think we are truly in something of a golden era for the football, and we're just so happy to be such a component part of it. Not easy for yourselves to fully acknowledge that now, but you will I'd say; and maybe one day you'll even thank us 

Thanks Fear it is indeed a great age for football .2009 will be very interesting .It is not easy to stay at the top .

[magickingdom]

meanwhile hats off to micky hart and tyrone, a great team

Sláinte mk. I met a Kerry lad (Listowel) at the Citywest this morning who was there just to see the champions off, I had been speaking to him previously at the Cork-Kerry games; class. It might be hard for the vast majority of Kerry folk to appreciate it at this juncture, but paradoxically, this is good not just for football in general, but for Kerry football in particular. Cáide abú (though we'll still beat you when you step it up again  )!

doesnt feel like that right now fear! as john power says its not easy to stay at the top...  altho micky harte is doing a good job of it - hes the only manager to have led a team to minor, u21 and senior all irelands which is some achievement.

[Real Talk]

If Mickey Harte was the Kerry manager Kerry would have beaten Tyrone comfortably.   But what makes him outstanding is that he has, is and will always be a winner and unlike O'Dwyer does not need a host of so called 'stars'

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

If Mickey Harte was the Kerry manager Kerry would have beaten Tyrone comfortably...

With alldue respect... bullsh*t.

[north down]

Amazing game - see-sawed one way then the other - everyone kept on the edges of their seats right until the last kick. Both teams deserve great praise for the spectacle they put on but in the end for their sheer workrate alone Tyrone deserved their victory and are worthy champions. I totally agree with other contributors that Dooher's first point was amazing - I was on the upper deck of the Cussack and had a perfect view. I don't think I've ever seen a better point in an All Ireland final.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

If you're suffering from article overload (Tom Humphries Irish Times), don't read:

Kerry bearded by familiar ghost

A three-in-a-row that seemed inevitable for much of the summer just evaporated yesterday as Tyrone, full of the confidence and game that have made them famous, seized their third All-Ireland of the decade.

Somewhere in Kerry there is a self-help therapy group about to get a new member. Páidí Ó Sé will talk this week about how Tyrone saw him off as manager, about how defeat in 2003 was just too much even for a man who had eight All-Irelands as a player.

Jack O'Connor will speak next of how the unavenged defeat in 2005 diminished his legacy. And then a gaunt man in the corner will begin his piece: "My name is Pat and I too . . ."

This was Tyrone's day but the nature of their achievement, in front of a crowd of 82,186, is such we can only do it justice by eulogising Kerry first. This Kerry side, appearing in their fifth successive All-Ireland final, have at times in the past couple of years looked as if they had discovered a way to win big games on autopilot.

When the chips were down, great towering stacks of chips that would frighten ordinary mortals, Kerry were the coolest and most collected players at the table.

And it was this solidity, this self-belief, these traditions that Tyrone undid yet again yesterday.

Tyrone, like Down before them in the 1960s, just seem to be too far removed geographically and culturally to know Kerry are supposed to spook them. They come out to play, impose themselves on the green-and-gold in a manner Kerry find to be uppity and disrespectful, and it works.

One of the first visible signs of Tyrone's difference yesterday was when the television screens flashed a picture of a frenzied and bearded Tyrone defender roaring into the ear of young Tommy Walsh.

When Pat Spillane christened Tyrone's style of play "puke football" a few years ago one suspects that in Tyrone they were far less distressed than they let on to be.

Inasmuch as they think about or care about what Kerry people think of their style of play, Tyrone are happy enough just to be under their skin. Whatever works is the style of football everyone wants to imitate.

Tyrone have been much copied, even to an extent by Kerry, but they haven't gone away.

Back in 1955 when Kerry put away a Dublin team in a famous All-Ireland final the victory of traditional virtues over Dublin's peskily scientific approach was heralded on the front page of the Kerryman as a triumph for catch-and-kick. Yesterday, being the first meeting of the teams since the true coming of Kieran Donaghy, was scheduled to be another triumph of catch-and-kick over the mutations inflicted on the game by interlopers. In the end Kerry got plenty of kick but very little catch.

"Aye," said Mickey Harte of the late change that saw Ciarán Gourley withdrawn from the Tyrone full-back line. "Joe McMahon is a man for any day. He is big and he is physical. He would map that physical presence in there for us. Kerry's long-ball threat never really caused us the havoc they might have intended."

And that was that. Very little stuck in the Kerry full-forward line, a consequence of poor delivery and rigorous defending. After that Tyrone just had to do what they do best: break at quicksilver speed and take the scores.

In that respect their tactics continued to work perfectly.

Harte was criticised earlier this year for withdrawing Seán Cavanagh from midfield. Without him it was felt Tyrone could never dig up enough ball in the middle third to be viable.

Yesterday they just flooded the middle third with bodies while Cavanagh demolished Kerry with five points from play.

And the immense loss to Kerry that was Paul Galvin was underlined in a strange sort of way by the performance of the prototype player in that position, Brian Dooher.

Once again Dooher was magnificent yesterday and, as his manager pointed out afterwards, the point he scored into the Hill 16 end from out on the right wing was among the greatest scores ever seen in an All-Ireland final.

The score came in the first half but its qualities of impertinence and tenacity underlined a key difference between the sides.

By then Kerry looked like a side being visited by a familiar and unwelcome ghost.

"All games are decided on small things," said Pat O'Shea afterwards. "We came out in the second half; we wanted to push on; we were a point up. They got the goal. That was always going to be the deciding score even though we came back and we got a point clear. They are a quality side. There is no issue whatsoever there. They are a good team. They have proven that.

"Our lads were going for three- in-a-row. We had a tough run. We thought that might help up but small things change games."

There were a million small things at work in Croke Park yesterday but they key things were ones Pat O'Shea could do nothing about. Tyrone disrespect Kerry about us much as Cork respect them. Tyrone don't flinch in expectation of retribution.

That's what makes this relationships fascinating and, with one year of this decade left, worth a final instalment.

© 2008 The Irish Times

[longball]

Does anyone think that this wil be the end of Holmes and Dooher? great servants to Tyrone but Dooher is 33 now will he be back next year.

Justin McMahon will have number 3 sorted for many years