NFL Division 2

Good start for Tyrone and a 5 point win which few could have predicted beforehand and moreso at half time. Not sure why but we started without the McMahon brothers and Dermot Carlin. Conor Clarke had a baptism of fire at full back and Aidan Cassidy and Sean O' Neill were the other personnel changes. All in all the starting 15 were fairly young and inexperienced at this level.

We started well putting a lot of pressure on Kildare but it soon fizzled out and the Lilywhites soon got a decent foothold in the game and were completely dominant without really translating their dominance into scores. For all their hard work and endeavour O'Neill and Mulligan were being well marshalled by the Kildare rearguard and our scoring threar was virtually non existent.

Whatever was said at half time made all the difference and we got back into the game virtue of a Martin Penrose goal. Which was followed up by a wonderful goal from Peter Harte, the pass from Mugsy in the lead up to the goal was exquisite to say the least. Harte showed a lot of bravery in getting his fist to the ball though i would have to question why the Kildare keeper felt the need to fling his leg in the direction of Hartes head after the ball had passed him. His knee connected full on with Hartes face and he was lucky there wasnt more serious damage done.

A full time score of 2-11 to 0-12 in favour of Tyrone will have left Geezer with more questions than answers and it could be said it might be a new year but its the same Kildare, very reliant on the select few for scores and not converting some fairly decent goal chances they created.

The hunger and appetite for hard work of Mugsy is a big plus for Tyrone he is looking a lot fitter and sharper than he has been for some time he scored a few top drawer points and his passing at times was a joy to watch. There were quite a few decent performances but our passing at times was atrocious, having said that we have 2 points i probably didnt expect to get and next up is Derry at Healy Park next week.

bocerty wrote: All in all the starting 15 were fairly young and inexperienced at this level.

I was thinking about this on the way home from Dublin, and this stat should properly convey the extent of Tyrone's rebuilding: Of the 15 players that started the 2008 all-ireland final, only 2 of them started tonight (McConnell in goals, and Penrose).

I'll post more later, but I was very pleased with Tyrone's performance against a virtually full-strength Kildare, and thought we looked, by some way, the best side in Croke Park tonight.

I think Tyrones display last night shows why the McKenna Cup in it's current form should stay, a lot of inexperienced players that looked really comfortable due to the game time they had. I backed Kildare to win in the tipster which i'm not happy about now!!

Very pleased with Tyrone's win last night, not just because we beat a strong Kildare outfit, but that fact that we had a very inexperienced side out, and played with some style too.

I've said on here over the last couple of years that Tyrone have been playing a slow deliberate game, mainly due to the slow, experienced players that we had. That changed last summer in wins over Armagh and Roscommon, but we were badly exposed by a bigger, stronger Dublin side. Tyrone's tactical evolution is continuing in 2012, but the young players are a year older and some have clearly pushed on.

Tyrone outscored kildare 2-8 to 0-6 from play last night, and the 2nd half scoring blitz was very impressive. There will be more moments like that before the year is through but, as is always the case with young sides, I'm well aware that there will also be moments were we struggle to stem the tide when it turns against us.

Kildare will be disappointed. I know they never play well in the league, but you'd begin to think that they need to win some silverwear (league/leinster) first if they are then to go on and win an all-ireland. They looked void of any ideas in attack, and the only tactic was the ball into Tomas O'Connor. It is easy to see why McGeeney is so desperate to poach Seanie Johnston as, John Doyle aside, they have no-one that can be relied upon to score under pressure. Kildare will, of course, improve as the year goes on, but their inability to get over the line against Tyrone ('09), Down ('10) and Donegal/Dublin last year could again be in evidence this summer.

Anyway, back to Tyrone. I was very worried before the game when I saw that 3 of our few experienced players (2 McMahons and Carlin) were injured, and they were replaced by Sean O'Neill, Aidan Cassidy and 19 year old Conor Clarke at Full-back. Clarke came under a lot of pressure as almost every Kildare ball went to O'Connor but, a few fouls aside, he coped very well. He has good size and has that languid, classy style that the McMahons have - very promising.

Also in the defence, Aidan McCrory has continued his early season form, and he has the height and pace that you would want in a corner back. I presume that PJ Quinn was injured as he was playing ok when taken off, although Damien McCaul (who I don't rate highly) coped well enough in his place, and even scored a nice point.

Sean O'Neill looked in control in defence, and had one of his best games for some time. He has so much ability, but so often does stupid things. The much maligned Cathal McCarron has looked much better this year at half back than he did deeper, and his size, pace and aggression are important there. He gives away fouls, but they are rarely as crucial further out the field. Peter Harte took a while to get into the game, but had a great 2nd half.

Midfield weren't spectacular but they held their own, and both Murphy and Cassidy are options for the summer.

Mattie Donnelly had a great debut. he wore No.10, but played a lot of the game as an extra centre back. He is strong and has a bit of pace, and he will be there come June. Peter Hughes looked very good in the McKenna Cup, but struggled last night. he has a lot of class as a playmaker, but he is light. May take him a bit more time. Penrose does not look fully fit, and Mark Donnelly took over his foraging role in the 2nd half, to good effect.

As for O'Neill and Mugsy, the former was very good while the latter was brilliant. Such a joy to see Mulligan playing so well, and reminding people just how good he can be when fit and motivated. Kidare just couldn't handle him at all. It was nice to see young Ronan O'Neill get a point when he came off the bench, while the return of Cavanagh much earlier than expected was a big boost.

Overall, a very good start to a new era in Tyrone. The key to rebuilding is to do it without slipping too far from the top rung, and the signs are that we may be able to do that. I'm not talking about all-irelands, but promotion and an all-ireland qtr final are not unachievable.

Good report TC. Not getting overly carried away yet. I'm suspect of Kildare now though, given this reversal. They should have more to offer even at this stage as all games are of vital importance.

Not looking good for Derry. A lot of people tipping Louth and Westmeath for the drop but I'll be shocked if Louth go down, and think Westmeath will avoid it too. Derry, Monaghan and Galway will battle out relegation, and maybe Westmeath will get dragged into it too. Meath, Kildare and Tyrone, well three into two dosen't go so only two of those can go up, the other remains. It's a weak division and I'll be disappointed if Meath, bad and all as we might be, don't win four or five of the games.

Tc as always covers all the bases what's more to say than i'll second that

Boxtyeater wrote:Good report TC. Not getting overly carried away yet. I'm suspect of Kildare now though, given this reversal. They should have more to offer even at this stage as all games are of vital importance.

redhandman wrote:Tc as always covers all the bases what's more to say than i'll second that

i might as well not have bothered my **** posting my thoughts on the Tyrone game, seems the only Tyrone man on here they listen to is TC and him not even living in Tyrone!!!!

I'll keep my thoughts to myself from here on you baxtards

bocerty wrote:
i might as well not have bothered my **** posting my thoughts on the Tyrone game, seems the only Tyrone man on here they listen to is TC and him not even living in Tyrone!!!!

Jeeze Boc, you make me sound like the Seanie Johnston of Tyrone reporting!

I read your post and thought it was spot on, although I wouldn't have been quite so harsh on our passing, as it was a lot better than that of the boys we were playing. Oh, and RMD liked it too, as I think it was him who gave it the 'thumbs up' button thingy!

Don't you just love it when Boc gets into mode.....

Thomas Clarke wrote:

bocerty wrote:
i might as well not have bothered my **** posting my thoughts on the Tyrone game, seems the only Tyrone man on here they listen to is TC and him not even living in Tyrone!!!!

Jeeze Boc, you make me sound like the Seanie Johnston of Tyrone reporting!

I read your post and thought it was spot on, although I wouldn't have been quite so harsh on our passing, as it was a lot better than that of the boys we were playing. Oh, and RMD liked it too, as I think it was him who gave it the 'thumbs up' button thingy!

in the first half TC our passing was terrible at times especially in the final third of the field were we seemed intent on passing the ball to guys who were soon swallowed up by 3,4 & 5 Kildare players and possession was turned over. That said at times especially in the second half our passing was as good as i have seen in a while especially foot passes.

One other thing i would pick up on is Mattie Donnelly i remain to be convinced about that guy if i am honest. He is almost too confident for my liking and always has to carry the ball often inviting tackles unnecessarily.

bocerty wrote:
One other thing i would pick up on is Mattie Donnelly i remain to be convinced about that guy if i am honest. He is almost too confident for my liking and always has to carry the ball often inviting tackles unnecessarily.

I'm a fan, I must admit. He is very strong and is a good size. Not the quickest, but has reasonable pace. His shooting is hit and miss, but he has character. I remember him hitting two bad wides late on in the all-ireland minor final, but still came back and kicked the equaliser under pressure. I think he is a good prospect.

Tyrone have been dealt a blow with the news that key defender Sean O’Neill has been hit with a three month ban. The Dromore man was handed the suspension after an incident at the end of St.Marys Belfast’s recent Sigerson Cup defeat at the hands of NUIJ Galway. Ardboe’s Gavin Teague has also received a similar suspension arising from the same incident.

O’Neill featured in all five games for Tyrone during their successful McKenna Cup run and was one of their best performers as Tyrone began their National league campaign with a win over Kildare at Headquarters last weekend. This suspension though will effectively rule him out of the remainder of the National league and it’s come at a time when Conor Gormley is also on the sidelines recovering from ankle surgery last weekend.

There were always going to be repercussions from that match Boc.

Liveline (RTE 1.45pm) has replaced Central Council on these matters.

Coming the week of the Derrytresk incident O'Neill should have known better.

Parouisa wrote:Coming the week of the Derrytresk incident O'Neill should have known better.

Well, that is Sean O'Neill, and part of the reason why, for all his ability, he hasn't yet become a permanent fixture in the Tyrone defence.

As for Gavin Teague, without hearing anything about the row, I was chatting with a friend and we both agreed that Gavin Teague would have been heavily involved. Gavin is a good prospect who was on the Tyrone senior panel 2 years ago (2008 AI Minor winner), but he needs to become a lot more disciplined and control his temper if he is to make it back into Harte's reckonning at some point in the future.

Tyrone team to play Derry @ Healy Park on Sunday

Jonathan Curran;

Aidan McCrory; Conor Clarke; PJ Quinn;

Cathal McCarron; Peter Harte; Damian McCaul;

Michael Murphy; Aidan Cassidy;

Matthew Donnelly; Mark Donnelly; Ronan McNabb;

Owen Mulligan; Martin Penrose; Stephen O’Neill.

Subs: Pascal McConnell; Dermot Carlin; Sean Cavanagh; Kyle Coney; Ciaran Gervin; Peter Hughes; Jonathan Lafferty; Tommy McGuigan; Niall McKenna; Joe McMahon; Justin McMahon.

Unsurprisingly not much change from last week apart from McCaul in for Sean O'Neill who stupidly became involved in an incident following that college game. Its nice to see Ronan McNabb getting a start, I think this young man has huge potential if he manages to remain injury free which has had a major impact on his progress in the senior ranks. I have to say that young Clarke acquitted himself very well against Kildare last week and looked very comfortable and assured on the ball.

I'm still not convinced about Aidan Cassidy in the middle of the field, He's far, far too nice for my liking, Having been introduced against the Dubs last year He was on the deck after one minute of play and again after five minutes against Kildare on Saturday. His general play is sluggish and hand passing at crucial moments leaves alot to be desired. He nearly got Pete Harte wrote aff on saturday night prior to Penroses' goal and from memory it was his misplaced fist pass that occurred prior to the Donegal breakaway goal in last years championship, so a big improvement required here. I wonder why young McKenna hasn't been given more game time with Colm Cavanagh out and Sean Cavanagh and Joe McMahon on the road to recovery.

My old friend McCarron is going rightly in the half back line, perhaps with less responsibilty on his shoulders having been correctly removed from the number 3 spot. There are two half back positions up for grabs following Philly Jordans departure and Davy obviously not in the reckoning at present, McCarron has shown he has the athletic ability to cover lots of ground making useful diagnol runs and maybe with more game time will become more confident in his own ability to take scores instead of off loading to a player standing still and not expecting his pass

Derry seem to be working on a threadbare squad at present with at least 13 men out injured and expect victory for the home team on this occasion. Tyrone are undoubtably in better physical condition in comparison to this time last year but their progress will depend on keeping the likes of O'Neill and Mugsy fit and able come champioship time.

i wonder will the team thats named be the actual 15 that starts, knowing Mickey it wont. Derry are short 13 men for various reasons mostly injuries but i wouldnt underestimate them at all - they are more than capable of beating Tyrone if PB can get enough good ball.

Be interesting to see how we play him, will Mickey drop Mattie Donnelly back to sweep in front of him, will Conor Clarke be given the job of marking him, i doubt it very much, PJ Quinn a more likely man i think.

I'd be more than interested in how McNabb plays on Sunday - a quality footballer of that there is no doubt but since 2008 his career has been hampered by one injury after another, he is as hard as nails and the physical nature of this encounter wont phase him in any way.

Looking forward to what should be a good game and hopefully our boys can pick up where they left of last week

All good points Boc.

I think the team will be as selected, unless there is a last minute injury. Very hopeful that McNabb goes well, as is a good prospect as either a half back or half forward. With him, Donnelly, Penrose, Mark Donnelly and Harte in there, there are a lot of fast players who are good on the loose ball and well suited to counter-attacking football.

Not sure Mattie Donnelly will sweep in front of Bradley, although he could play CHB and release Peter Harte. More likely, though is that he plays the same deep role he played in the 2nd half last week, the one that Brian Dooher played for so long.

PJ Quinn is the most likely to take Bradley, although Mickey may give him to young Clarke initially, just to see how he copes. McCrory is our quickest back, and could end up with the task, but Quinn would be the smartest bet.

I agree with Mugsy's post above when he says about Aidan Cassidy not being powerful/forceful enough, although his suggested replacement, Niall McKenna, could have the same charge levelled at him. Colm Cavanagh will be back in midfield for the summer.

In the absence of the suspended Sean O'Neill, Damien McCaul has earned his chance at half back after doing well of the bench last week. I'm not a fan of McCaul but, like Cathal McCarron, he does look more comfortable out the field than he does in the full back line.

Optimistic of another victory, but you never know with Derry. As well as the 2 points, I'm also hoping that we come out of the game with no injuries/suspensions, as games with our old rivals have a tendency to give rise to such things.

i like the look of McCrory - a no nonsense defender seems pretty well built and no slouch, looks a dependable sort of a guy.

I would like to see Clarke get 15-20 minutes on Bradley, a few raved about his performance last week however whilst he coped well under high balls he was off the pace when it came to balls played in front of O'Connor last week, if he gives Bradley that sort of room we will be punished big time

Yes indeed, McCrory is as fast as, for example, Marty Swift, but is much taller and bigger - right sort of size for the position. I hope he continues to progress.

As for young Clarke, I thought he did very well last week, and has a lot going for him. Really think he has a look of Joe McMahon about him, although he still is very raw. Also agree that he was loose on Connor for the low ball at times but, all things considered, I thought it was a good debut.

Bradley would be a different test, and I'd also start him on Paddy, for the experience, if nothing else.

Derry team selected as follows

1 Paul Morgan (Cill Ria)
2 Brian McCallion (An Grainloch)
3 Brian Doyle (An Lúb)
4 Aidan McAlynn (An Lúb)
5 Chrissy McKaigue (Sleacht Néill)
6 Charlie Kielt (Cill Ria)
7 Sean Leo McGoldrick (Cúil Rathain)
8 Joe Diver (Baile Eochaidh)
9 James Conway (Baile An Doire)
10 Michael Bateson (Droichead Nua)
11 Mark Lynch (Beannchar)
12 Barry McGoldrick (Cúil Rathain)
13 Cailean O’Boyle (An Leamhaigh)
14 Paddy Bradley (Gleann An Iolair)
15 Enda Lynn (An Grainloch)

A weak Derry side indeed, and weaker than the one that played in the McKenna Cup final.

They will be very physical and will look to stop Tyrone moving the ball quickly, but I'd like to think/hope that we would have more pace and scoring power.

Derry have no backs and flaky forwards. I have been impressed by the Kielts and all of their midfielders: Diver, Friel, Conway any time I've seen them.

Tyrone, to be fair, appear to have hit the gorund running. But the sides they've been naming are the most inexperienced of any Tyrone team in the last 10 years. Promising is the best way I could describe them.

It'll be a close game and maybe if Derry can maintain a full quota of players for the full seventy, we might get a better idea of how the McKenna Cup would have panned out.

Anyway, that derby game is quite pale in contrast to the one we'll see in Cusack Park on Sunday. Good article from 2004: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] There were some great games in 2001 and 2003 between these two teams.

I'll go for wins for Derry, Meath, Louth and Kildare which will leave the two best teams along the North-East seaboard with at least twice as many points as everyone else.