Tyrone GT news

Quinn hasn't played a game in 12 months Boc, and I thought he was very tight on Doyle in the first half. Both he and Carlin tired badly after half time, and should both have been taken off earlier (Carlin was at fault for the 2nd Kildare goal, purely through exhaustion). I think we'll see both of them again in the final, and would be hopeful that both will improve.

As for stopping the Dubs, you simply stop the supply, just like we did the last time. Dublin have the forwards to destroy anyone if their midfield and half backs are on top but, if you can get the upper hand there, a lot of those scoring forwards may become luxury items. Dublin's defence can be opened up, as a pretty poor Mayo attack showed yesterday.

I agree that Dublin are a better team at present than us, but I'd like to think that we can be competitive again.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Quinn hasn't played a game in 12 months Boc, and I thought he was very tight on Doyle in the first half. Both he and Carlin tired badly after half time, and should both have been taken off earlier (Carlin was at fault for the 2nd Kildare goal, purely through exhaustion). I think we'll see both of them again in the final, and would be hopeful that both will improve.

As for stopping the Dubs, you simply stop the supply, just like we did the last time. Dublin have the forwards to destroy anyone if their midfield and half backs are on top but, if you can get the upper hand there, a lot of those scoring forwards may become luxury items. Dublin's defence can be opened up, as a pretty poor Mayo attack showed yesterday.

I agree that Dublin are a better team at present than us, but I'd like to think that we can be competitive again.

i realise he has been out for a while TC but i thought he gave him way too much room, yes he needs game time to get match fitness up to another level. There were a few others responsible for the 2nd goal other than Dermy, as there was with the first goal. Both were very poor goals from our view to give away.

bocerty wrote:
i realise he has been out for a while TC but i thought he gave him way too much room, yes he needs game time to get match fitness up to another level. There were a few others responsible for the 2nd goal other than Dermy, as there was with the first goal. Both were very poor goals from our view to give away.

Dermy was brushed aside very easily Boc, and I'd say it was mainly due to tiredness, as that doesn't usually happen. Not a criticism of him, as I thought he was ok for his first game back. Personally, I'd like to think the next 6 weeks would see either/both him and Quinn move ahead of McCrory in the pecking order. Considering that Donegal will necessitate playing 2 big men in the full back line, I'd guess that Carlin is the most likely of the 3, given that he is the most comfortable in the half back line.

A lot of sense from the Tyrone contingent. Personally SON's performance in the closing minutes were worth the TV license money alone.

Jaysus, it's beautiful to watch a craftsman at work, ease, confidence and skill of execution all in sllky fluencey...Magic.

Dublin looked the business, Mannion and Whelan look good forwards but may be contained if the speed of build-up can be negated.
Slugger crafted over a lock of fine points off both feet and would look to have secured the 11 shirt, Alan Brogan or not.

The Dubs will take batin' going forward.

O'Neill certainly rolled back the years with yesterdays display, hes the man for the awkward/impossible angle. As far as meeting Dublin in the final whilst we could point to already having beat them they did play with a less than full strength side that day. And it is their speed especially in the front 6 that would worry me. Its all grand setting out to cut out the supply but i'm not so sure we have the men to do it for 70 minutes.

We certainly have made progress and we are as much a threat to Dublin as anyone of the so called big three Donegal Mayo and Cork but i think Dublin just have that little bit more and will be hard to stop.

bocerty wrote:As far as meeting Dublin in the final whilst we could point to already having beat them they did play with a less than full strength side that day. And it is their speed especially in the front 6 that would worry me. Its all grand setting out to cut out the supply but i'm not so sure we have the men to do it for 70 minutes.

Gavin is very ambitious with his selections. He is basically saying to other sides that his team will outscore them in a shootout. Aside from Paul Flynn and Bryan Cullen (and he usually only selects one of those), I don't see any ball winners or tacklers in the Dublin attack, and I see a couple of fast but light wing backs. I also see a midfield without a well-established ball winner, and no replacement should anything happen to O'Carroll at FB.

Now, speed and footballing skills may win out, and it will be a good side that exploits all of those weaknesses, but beating them starts with matching them for speed, and then outperforming them on workrate and power. They are the frontrunners, but I won't be handing the AI to Dublin just yet, and could see a side like Donegal grinding them down in August.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Now, speed and footballing skills may win out, and it will be a good side that exploits all of those weaknesses, but beating them starts with matching them for speed, and then outperforming them on workrate and power. They are the frontrunners, but I won't be handing the AI to Dublin just yet, and could see a side like Donegal grinding them down in August.

I have to hand it to you TC, you're getting like Micko here now "Yerra, we have a lot of work to do to catch up, XXX are flying"

Let the mind games begin.

Boxtyeater wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:Now, speed and footballing skills may win out, and it will be a good side that exploits all of those weaknesses, but beating them starts with matching them for speed, and then outperforming them on workrate and power. They are the frontrunners, but I won't be handing the AI to Dublin just yet, and could see a side like Donegal grinding them down in August.

I have to hand it to you TC, you're getting like Micko here now "Yerra, we have a lot of work to do to catch up, XXX are flying"

Let the mind games begin.

Not at all Boxty. Dublin could canter through Leinster, only to face a qualifier-hardened Donegal team

Thomas Clarke wrote:
Not at all Boxty. Dublin could canter through Leinster, only to face a qualifier-hardened Donegal team

Donegal aren't natural qualifier material TC. One reversal, say May 26th, would upset their rhythm, they're "winners enclosure only" type of guys. Would they fancy a trip to Dungarvan to tackle a crowd of hillbillies, hell-bent on bustin' heads.....I doubt it.

Donegal to me seem like "full duck or no dinner" type of a team. All to play for in Ballybofey then.

Close shave in the Hyde lads according to Shannonside. The stakes will be higher next day unless of course Tyrone draw Galway. In fairness, Roscommon aren't world-beaters but seem to have put ye to the pin of your collective collars.
On a lighter note, we'd never hear the end of it.

Almost beaten by Roscommon that used the old Tyrone gameplan/tactics. Would have been the shock result of the summer however Tyrone hung on thanks to number of poor wides kicked by Roscommon.

Listening to Paddy Hunter and Kevin Kelly on the radio is a waste of time, so I'm not really to sure how the game played out. From patching together various bits of information, it appears that Roscommon played very defensively, and went into a 1-2 to 0-2 lead by the end of the 1st quarter. Tyrone then hit 9 or 10 unanswered points, and led 0-12 to 1-3 with 20 minutes left.

Mickey then brought on a few squad players to give them some game time, and we failed to score again, clinging on grimly at the death. Perhaps the changes gave the wrong message to then team, but then you have to keep the squad happy, and the occasional run out will do that.

Looking at it positively, we won the game, away from home against a reasonable side. It was also our 2nd lengthy trip in successive weekends. The key to the qualifiers is winning them, and hopefully finding a couple of new players along the way. So far, we are managing that, and I'd expect that we will be better in a fortnight's time, whoever we play. At this stage I'm welcoming the week off, and hoping for a home draw. If we are at home, I wouldn't mind who we'd be playing, even Derry or Kildare.

Thomas Clarke wrote:
Looking at it positively, we won the game, away from home against a reasonable side.  It was also our 2nd lengthy trip in successive weekends.  

Aw here TC. Roscommon are hardly a "reasonable side" having succumber by circa 20 points to Mayo.
On the matter of lenghty trips, thank your lucky stars you hadn't to travel to an outpost such as
Miltown-Malbay, or God forbid, even Dungarvan.
Although with the Willie Clancy week kicking off in Miltown, your guys might never have seen home.

Trying to look at the positives, Boxty!

In all seriousness though, I think that Roscommon have the talent level of a division 2 side.  And the way some of our younger lads are (not) shaping up, so do we!

On a tactical note Good weather suits the dubs. Looks like it will be all used up by August

Boxtyeater wrote:Aw here TC. Roscommon are hardly a "reasonable side" having succumber by circa 20 points to Mayo.

There you go, Boxty, the official line is that The Rossies were the better side against Mayo for the first 20-25 minutes, so I'll stick with that line!  

Mickey actually seems quite upbeat in this interview, which indicates that he is:

1) Happy with the performance on Sunday; or
2) Deluded.

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Boxtyeater wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:
Looking at it positively, we won the game, away from home against a reasonable side.  It was also our 2nd lengthy trip in successive weekends.  

Aw here TC. Roscommon are hardly a "reasonable side" having succumber by circa 20 points to Mayo.
On the matter of lenghty trips, thank your lucky stars you hadn't to travel to an outpost such as
Miltown-Malbay, or God forbid, even Dungarvan.
Although with the Willie Clancy week kicking off in Miltown, your guys might never have seen home.

In fairness the last Hyde park game between the two ended in a two point win for Mayo in a game Roscommon could have won. Mayo went on to defeat Cork (defending All Ireland champions) in the following game. Tyrone should welcome that tough challenge the Offaly game was a waste of time and i still expect Tyrone to reach the last eight at least.

wasnt at the game but spoke to a guy yesterday morning who was, said the referee was a disgrace. He gave Tyrone next to nothing and Shine should have been back in the dugout before half time by all accounts.

A tighter game than Tyrone would have liked but it wont do any harm after last weeks debacle in Tullamore.

bocerty wrote:wasnt at the game but spoke to a guy yesterday morning who was, said the referee was a disgrace.  He gave Tyrone next to nothing and Shine should have been back in the dugout before half time by all accounts.

A tighter game than Tyrone would have liked but it wont do any harm after last weeks debacle in Tullamore.  

Newstalk radio said a number of the frees Tyrone scored from weren't even fouls.

Yeah this result has me really interested in Tyrone's next game. Everyone's entitled to a blip but would expect a big answer to it from them next time out.

emmetryan wrote:Yeah this result has me really interested in Tyrone's next game. Everyone's entitled to a blip but would expect a big answer to it from them next time out.

I'll spoil the surprise for you Emmet, and advise you that Tyrone are a fairly good side, but some way off the best teams. What does surprise me, though, is how many people talk up our AI chances year after year, when our recent form indicates that we just are not at that level.

Consider these stats:

- Since 2005, we've made the AI semi finals twice, and neither of those were in the last 3 years;

- Since 2005, we've only won 3 out 8 Ulster possible titles;

- We made the league final this year, but that was following two years in division 2, and the year prior to that we were relegated from division 1;

- Our last 4 championship defeats have been by a total of 25 points or, if you prefer, 6.25 points per game;

- We've failed to win any of the last 7 Ulster U21 championships, indicating a lack of quality coming through.

Tyrone are a reasonable team but, in comparison to the top 3-4 teams, we are too light in attack, and too slow in defence. We also lack a reliable midfield. On our day, we can click and trouble anyone, but we are well short of where we were in 2008, and light years behind where we were in 2003-5.

Well, Tyrone are in the last chance saloon from here on in.  Having had the chance to experiment a bit against Offaly and Roscommon, Mickey now needs to ensure that his best possible side is on the field from here on in.  We will need to be at full strength to get past Kildare and anyone who we (hopefully) play after that.

The team against Roscommon was:

1.  Pascal McConnell
2.  Ryan McKenna
3.  Joe McMahon
4.  Cathal McCarron
5.  Conor Clarke
6.  Peter Harte
7.  Conor Gormley
8.  Colm Cavanagh
9.  Sean Cavanagh
10. Mattie Donnelly
11. Mark Donnelly
12. Ciaran McGinley
13. Darren McCurry
14. Martin Penrose
15. Conor McAliskey

Realistic bench options include:
Danny McBride, Justin McMahon & Dermot Carlin (defence);
Aidan Cassidy (midfield);
Paddy McNeice, Ronan O'Neill, Kyle Coney & Stephen O'Neill in attack.

Kevin Gallagher, Ronan McNamee & Ronan McNabb could make the odd appearance from the bench, but I don't really see any of them getting serious game time, unless the versatile McNabb has finally put 12 months of injuries behind him.

For me, one of the 2 key questions for Saturday is whether or not Harte brings back Justin McMahon into the defence.  If he does, it will almost certainly be at the expense of Ryan McKenna, although Justin's injuries combined with the other man's superior mobility could see McKenna get the nod here.

In attack, it is all about whether or not he starts Stevie O'Neill.  If O'Neill is fit, I think Mickey will start him, but it would be anyone's guess as to which of McCurry, McAliskey, McGinley or Penrose loses out.  If it is a worker like Penrose or McGinley, we will consequently have 3 'luxury' forwards on the field for the 3rd time this year, and the previous two occasions have seen us beaten (Cork & Kerry in the league).  Having said that, both McCurry and McAliskey have been scoring and playing well, so perhaps Mickey will resist the temptation to tinker, and hope that his young lads step up to the plate and deliver a win without SON.

My gut feeling is that SON will start, and McAliskey may lose out.  Ciaran McGinley is very raw, but he is big and mobile, and I think his physical presence will see him retained.  

Personally, I'd try the younger lads, as it is a great test for them.  I'd also like to see Cassidy, Coney and Ronan O'Neill get more than 5 minutes at the end too.  Given the inevitable injuries and fatigue, will need all these players if we are to stretch our season to a few more games.

What surprises me here is the fact that Kildare have opted for Newbridge, home ground and all that, but with their emphasis on the running game wouldn't the bigger confines of O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, not better suit them. Bigger pitch (I think) and a far bigger capacity. 20 mins. further for Tyrone I know, but it seems a "default option" to stick with Newbridge.

In other news, a trusted advisor affirmed to me, via phone, that the "Flourbags" were lucky against Louth.
Anyones match for 60 mins he told me. 

Boxtyeater wrote:What surprises me here is the fact that Kildare have opted for Newbridge, home ground and all that, but with their emphasis on the running game wouldn't the bigger confines of O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, not better suit them. Bigger pitch (I think) and a far bigger capacity. 20 mins. further for Tyrone I know, but it seems a "default option" to stick with Newbridge.

In other news, a trusted advisor affirmed to me, via phone, that the "Flourbags" were lucky against Louth.
Anyones match for 60 mins he told me. 

Apparently their record is better in Portlaoise as well. However, I think that they will play very defensively against Tyrone, as we always struggle against sides who pack their defence. Also, Tyrone have plenty of pace in attack (not so much in defence!), so in that regard, a smaller pitch would make sense. it's a shame, though, that only 7,000 people will get to attend.

As for the Louth game, I think that they will improve from that, similar to Tyrone who will improve from a poor outing against the Rossies. If we are at our best, i think we are good enough to beat whatever Kildare show up. However, if we aren't, and if they are, we will find their power and pace hard to handle.

Tyrone team to play Kildare:

1. Pascal McConnell
2. Aidan McCrory
3. Conor Clarke
4. Cathal McCarron
5. Ryan McKenna
6. Peter Harte
7. Conor Gormley
8. Colm Cavanagh
9. Sean Cavanagh
10. Matthew Donnelly
11. Mark Donnelly
12. Joe McMahon
13. Darren McCurry
14. Stephen O'Neill
15. Martin Penrose

Mickey really does make some unexpected calls. Aidan McCrory played poorly in the league, and had lost his place before the playoffs. He hasn't been seen since, yet now reappears out of the blue. I'm also sorry to see Clarke back to fullback. I'm guessing it is to combat Tomas O'Connor, but Clarke is a good footballer and full of running, and I think we need him out the field. I'd prefer Joe McMahon at fullback.

Connor McAliskey can count himself unlucky, and it does appear that Mickey doesn't totally trust him yet, as he has been the fall guy for/in most big games this year. Still, if fit, O'Neill had to start, and we've been shown to need 4 workers in attack, hence Penrose has been retained over McAliskey.