Tyrone GT news

Thomas Clarke wrote:Tyrone team to be announced this evening at 8.30pm.  Mickey, you made a pig's ear of it last week - I'd suggest aiming for the below tonight...

1.  Niall Morgan
2.  Aidan McCrory
3.  Justin McMahon
4.  Ronan McNamee
5.  Ciaran McGinley
6.  Conor Clarke
7.  Peter Harte
8,  Colm Cavanagh
9.  Sean Cavanagh
10. Mattie Donnelly
11. Shay McGuigan
12. Mark Donnelly
13. Darren McCurry
14. Ronan O'Neill
15. Kyle Coney

look like mickey feels it needed a tweak

Ulster Senior Football Championship Replay v Down

1 – Niall Morgan – Éadan na dTorc
2 – Aidan McCrory – Aireagal Chiaráin
3 – Danny McBride – An Srath Ban
4 – Barry Tierney – An Omaigh
5 – Ronan McNabb – An Droim Mhór
6 – Mattie Donnelly – Trí Leac
7 – Peter Harte – Aireagal Chiaráin
8 – Colm Cavanagh – An Mhaigh
9 – Conor Clarke – An Omaigh
10 – Patrick McNeice – Oileán a’Ghuail
11 – Sean Cavanagh (c) - An Mhaigh
12 – Ciaran McGinley – Aireagal Chiaráin
13 – Darren McCurry – Éadán na dTorc
14 – Niall McKenna – Domhnach Mór
15 – Kyle Coney – Ard Bó

conor clarke looked a good full back last year what ever happened that he ended up in midfield?

It looks like an odd side to me.  I can see why McNabb is in, as he is a tackler and is positionally much better than the vast majority of our half-backs/forwards.  Injury plagued since minor days, he's one of those players who can organise others, and has a rare knack of instinctively being where the ball is. Paddy McNeice is another intelligent footballer and looks great at club level, but he lacks the size and pace to really make it at intercounty.

I'd expect to see another change of two before throw in.  Niall McKenna surely can't start after yet another awful performance last week, while Justin or Gormley could yet appear in the defence in place of Tierney or McBride.  Last week, Ronan O'Neill's short fuse in training has cost him a place in the squad for the second time this year.  He is a cocky boy and reportedly hard to handle, but he is shooting the lights out for Omagh at present.  He'd be on my side tomorrow.

Champers, regarding Clarke, he's a mobile big fella and is a bit wasted at full-back.  I'm happy to see him further out the field, as he is the one man on our panel who has the size to line up against the big men from Dublin, Cork or Kerry.  However, his size and muscle mass mean that he tires after 50-55 minutes (not unlike Aidan O'Shea), and needs to be replaced at that point.  Mickey left both midfielders on for the full game last week, and no other manager does that in the modern game.  He needs to make a chance at some point, even if he hasn't total faith in whoever he brings on (i.e. Grugan).

Thomas Clarke wrote:It looks like an odd side to me.  I can see why McNabb is in, as he is a tackler and is positionally much better than the vast majority of our half-backs/forwards.  Injury plagued since minor days, he's one of those players who can organise others, and has a rare knack of instinctively being where the ball is.  Paddy McNeice is another intelligent footballer and looks great at club level, but he lacks the size and pace to really make it at intercounty.

I'd expect to see another change of two before throw in.  Niall McKenna surely can't start after yet another awful performance last week, while Justin or Gormley could yet appear in the defence in place of Tierney or McBride.  Last week, Ronan O'Neill's short fuse in training has cost him a place in the squad for the second time this year.  He is a cocky boy and reportedly hard to handle, but he is shooting the lights out for Omagh at present.  He'd be on my side tomorrow.

Champers, regarding Clarke, he's a mobile big fella and is a bit wasted at full-back.  I'm happy to see him further out the field, as he is the one man on our panel who has the size to line up against the big men from Dublin, Cork or Kerry.  However, his size and muscle mass mean that he tires after 50-55 minutes (not unlike Aidan O'Shea), and needs to be replaced at that point.  Mickey left both midfielders on for the full game last week, and no other manager does that in the modern game.  He needs to make a chance at some point, even if he hasn't total faith in whoever he brings on (i.e. Grugan).

Tc the dubs don't have any big men in midfield only mobile,dublin spent years trying to sort out f/b till we got rory some outside the county don't rate him inside we think highly of him,i believe its easier to find someone to play in the middle than it is to find a good full back,mcbride looked good against dublin in the league but looked a bit loose against down

i really believe if down run at tyrone tomorrow they will beat them,it will be interesting to see how mickey can stop this happening

Ah Champers, McAuley is a bull of a man. Much bigger than either of the Cavanaghs, for instance (not in height, but in bulk). Now beyond him, Dublin don't have any big powerhouse, and if you lost him it would be a massive blow to your chances. But McAuley is a big powerful man. Kerry have Maher, Mayo have O'Shea, Donegal have Gallagher - we need someone of that sort of size in there too.

As for McBride, he's not a bad player, but is more one of those anywhere from 2-9 sort of lads. Versatile, good size, good footballer, but just not great at anything. He coped well on O'Gara because hardly any ball went in (remember, he came on after the first 2 goals had gone in). I saw him on the more mobile Eugene Keating in the McKenna Cup final and he struggled a bit. Now, he's not a liability, but he's not going to be a top intercounty fullback either.

champers wrote:
i really believe if down run at tyrone tomorrow they will beat them,it will be interesting to see how mickey can stop this happening

I'm of the view that Down played only for 5 minutes and caught Tyrone napping. Then, when we really needed to in the last 5 minutes, we got a grip again and got the 2 points to draw. Down were pathetic in the league, and were just as bad for 65 minutes last Sunday. Now, did they come to life, or did Tyrone shut down (as we did in almost all our league games this year). I'd say the latter. If we can eliminate that fade out period, or at least learn how to kill the game a bit when it starts to go against us, we'll win.

Part of Tyrone's trouble, though, is a lack of leadership on the field. The 2003-2010 side could kill a game that was going against them, but this one gets turned over for 2-6 in the blink of an eye. It will ultimately cost us, and it's why we still need the likes of Gormley. The ball he won at the end of the game last week was one that no other Tyrone player would have won. He cleanly dispossessed the Down man running along the sideline, and set up our equalising attack. Any of our younger lads would just have given away a free or been ghosted past.

just looked at the down website they are going unchanged,bit surprised with that as the down team that finished last day was much stronger,mccartan is asking a lot for players to come off the bench and make a difference again

as for McBride harte must see something in him to release clark out the field

champers wrote:just looked at the down website they are going unchanged,bit surprised with that as the down team that finished last day was much stronger,mccartan is asking a lot for players to come off the bench and make a difference again

Neither of those sides will play as selected. Between them, there could be half a dozen changes.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

champers wrote:just looked at the down website they are going unchanged,bit surprised with that as the down team that finished last day was much stronger,mccartan is asking a lot for players to come off the bench and make a difference again

Neither of those sides will play as selected.  Between them, there could be half a dozen changes.

2 changes to the Down line-up (Dan Gordon and Jerome Johnston for Turley and Rodgers), and 4 on the Tyrone side.  The Tyrone team that started was:

1. Niall Morgan  2. Aidan McCrory  3.  Justin McMahon  4.  Ronan McNamee  5.  Ronan McNabb  6.  Mattie Donnelly  7.  Peter Harte  
8. Colm Cavanagh 9.  Conor Clarke  10. Emmet McKenna  11. Sean Cavanagh  12. Ciaran McGinley  13. Darren McCurry  
14. Ronan O'Neill 15. Kyle Coney

Subs were Gormley, Stevie O'Neill, Penrose, Niall McKenna, Connor McAliskey and Danny McBride

There was a lot of misplaced optimism among Down people after last week, and it was pretty emphatically snuffed out tonight. Without playing well, Tyrone dominated last week before going to sleep, but that we were able to dig ourselves out of the hole in injury time assured me that we'd be fine tonight, and so it came to pass.

As they did in Omagh, Tyrone dominated the first 25 minutes, but spurned far too many chances. We led 1-6 to 0-3 having missed a host of bad wides, before Down finished strongly with 4 unanswered points going into the break. After half-time, Tyrone continued to dominate, and this time Down never really made any headway. McGinley scored a very good goal, and the penalty was a very well-worked move. A couple of lovely points from the likes of Donnelly and McAliskey put the icing on the cake.

It was a division 1 side against a division 2 side, but it was also a very focussed Tyrone display. We played with a lot of intensity and put Down under huge pressure throughout (aside from that 10 minute spell before the break). Tyrone players were hungry for the ball and Down really couldn't into get any rhythm. There was evidently a real determination in the new defence to prevent any Down goals.

Most Tyrone players turned in good displays, including all the subs. Morgan was 3/3 from frees and saved a penalty. Justy looked like he used to at fullback, while McCrory did another very good job on Mark Poland. McNamee went off at half-time (probably injured), but Gormley was very good on Laverty when he came on.

The halfbacks were very good - McNabb made a great run after his own long pass to win the penalty, while Mattie Donnelly and Peter Harte would both have been strong contenders for man-of-the-match. Donnelly had Benny Coulter in the pocket in the 2nd half, and a frustrated Benny was fortunate not to have seen red. Clarke and Colm were solid if unspectacular at midfield, although Emmet McKenna again looked very young at RHF. Sean Cavanagh continues to improve as the year wears on, while McGinley's 2 goals were just reward for the mountain of ground that he covered.

Inside, McCurry was quiet and nothing seemed to go right for Coney. Ronan O'Neill played quite well, but none of the three really set the world on fire.

As for the subs, Stevie O'Neill played at RHF in the 2nd half and gave a number of nice passes inside. This was in stark contrast to the junk ball that was chipped in the first 35 mins. Niall McKenna showed very well when he came on, scoring a nice point and turning on some electric acceleration to set up the penalty. Penrose looked very lively, while McAliskey kicked a great point within seconds of his late arrival.

Overall, very pleasing for Tyrone. We won by 8, but really could have won by twice that. The most positive thing was to see a very focused, intense performance after a deserved slating all week. The quality of ball into the inside forwards will remain a concern, and the defence will face greater tests that the Down attack. Still, it was a good night for Tyrone.

Down will be a bit shocked as they and their fans believed that they had found something in that purple patch in Omagh. They hadn't, and will now have to regroup. Their run in the qualifiers will end at the hands of the first fairly good side that they meet.

Was tempted to put Tyrone down as the biggest winners of the weekend such was the confidence I had in them doing a job on Down, when you miss the chance against Tyrone on the first day you rarely get that chance the next! Down we're shown for what they were, a Division 2 side punching above their weight on this occasion.

Looks like Conor Clarke has done his cruciate this evening, playing for Omagh in the Tyrone SFC.  Had scored a great goal earlier in the game. Huge blow to the player, his club, and Tyrone's Ulster and AI prospects.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Looks like Conor Clarke has done his cruciate this evening, playing for Omagh in the Tyrone SFC.  Had scored a great goal earlier in the game.  Huge blow to the player, his club, and Tyrone's Ulster and AI prospects.

It would indeed be a bad blow all round and as you indicate it looks serious. This injury is cropping up all too frequently. Can anyone put their finger on the root cause of the problem or is it just a freak thing. He'd be a big loss to your boys - assuming that it's what you suggest but in any event it looks like it's ruling hom out in the short/medium term.

Boxtyeater wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:Looks like Conor Clarke has done his cruciate this evening

This injury is cropping up all too frequently. Can anyone put their finger on the root cause of the problem or is it just a freak thing.

I put it down to the game being faster and tougher than ever before, and bigger, stronger, more powerful players putting greater demands on their ligaments. It's a bit like a racing car blowing an engine, or 100m sprinters constantly having hamstring problems. The more powerful and finely tuned you are, the more likely it is that the weakest link will snap.

Unfortunate news about Clarke, hopefully the lad has a full recovery asap and comes back stronger. These injuries are becoming all too common in the GAA these days.

Yeah, Clarke is a huge loss. Probably our best fullback and midfielder, and certainly the biggest, strongest player on a fairly small panel. I think he is a very fine player and, at 22, hopefully he can come back better over the next year or 2.

As for who stands up, well, Micket may be thinking Danny McBride or a returning Joe McMahon, but I'd be looking to Clarke's club mate Conan Grugan. Another from the 2010 AI minor side, Grugan started the year well but began to fade as the league went on. He is big but a bit light just now, but he has a lot of class and will definitely be one for the future. I'd be taking a chance on him in the hope that he develops quicker in the heat of battle.

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I had a feeling that this might happen after Tyrone minors lost to Monaghan. I'm not sure whether Mickey sees him as a genuine option for this summer, or if it's a chance to get to know the lad before he heads off to Australia. Some might even wonder if it is a play by Mickey to try and dissuade him from making the trip down under.

It's worth noting that a then 19 yr old Darren McCurry was brought onto the panel at the end of May two years ago, impressed in training and was starting at corner forward by July. McKenna is a different type of player and more suited to the half-forwards, but anyone who watched him in last year's AI minor final or semi final will have seen a highly athletic lad with a very good right foot.

SON retained @ 14 as per teamsheet. Played the weekend I see. Mickey probably hoping the game time will bring him on. Your pal PJ Quinn recalled as well. You have the sheet I assume.

Boxtyeater wrote:SON retained @ 14 as per teamsheet. Played the weekend I see. Mickey probably hoping the game time will bring him on. Your pal PJ Quinn recalled as well. You have the sheet I assume.

O'Neill played for his club in a junior league match. I can't imagine what that will have added in terms of preparing him for the intercounty SFC. Despite that, it's no suprise that he has been retained, and I'd go as far as to say that i'd've been shocked if he had been dropped. Mickey is a very stubborn man, especially where SON is concerned. He is probbaly hoping that the games will bring O'Neill on in the hope that he'll be ready for the business end of the year but, at 34, such hopes are wildly optimistic. This isn't 2005, when he played a 23 year old Owen Mulligan throughout a slump in form, before he caught fire in August. SON should not be starting, and any highlights he may display against Louth should be viewed with the opposition in mind.

PJ Quinn hasn't played since the McKenna Cup. He's a proper defender who is happy to mark a man, but perhaps lacks a half yard of pace. He'd be my pick ahead of Tierney or Ryan McKenna but, realistically, he'll make little tangible difference. In fact, with Justin McMahon presumably injured, our defence just became weaker. I'm pleased that Ronan McNabb retained his place ahead of Gormley.

I'd've played Conan Grugan again in midfield, as Sean is needed further upfield. Our lack of depth in this area is depressing, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Joe McMahon introduced at some point in this sector.

3 changes in attack, with Penrose and Ronan O'Neill paying for their poor performances. McAliskey gets a deserved start in the corner. He is a bit of a boom or bust player who shoots on sight, but he has had more good days than bad. Emmet McKenna comes back in, despite being taken off before half-time in his last 2 games. He's fast and has reasonable feet, but he looks too light at this stage. Like McGinley opposite him, he's there to cover ground. I'm pleased that McGuigan gets his chance, having played at CHF for most of the league. He makes some mistakes and is still adjusting to the speed of intercounty football, but he adds more than any of our other options in terms of creativity.

So, that brings the total number of players Tyrone have used so far in this championship to a staggering 30, and we haven't even seen Joe McMahon or the recently added Conor McKenna yet.

Overall, I'd've kept Grugan in place of Emmet McKenna, and would have played Coney in place of SON. I'd also have liked Justin to be fit instead of PJ Quinn. The other 12 would also have been on my side.

I Thought SONs club were senior TC, when did they drop down to junior?

bald eagle wrote:I Thought SONs club were senior TC, when did they drop down to junior?

They wouldn't have been senior for long, Beagle. They've were relegated last year from intermediate having lost every match. The 'game time' that SON was getting in last weekend was a league fixture against roughly the 40th best club side in Tyrone or, in other words, a total waste of time. Their fall from grace would have coincided with SON and Brian Dooher getting old.

It happens more than you'd imagine. Augher won the 1985 Tyrone SFC with Eugene McKenna and his brothers to the fore. Within a decade, they were bottom of division 3. They are back in senior now, but it has taken a long time to build it up again.

Yeah I was aware of Augher alright, I went out with a lady from there in my playboy years and went to a game cos her brother was playing, they were awful! I asked how did Augher ever win a toss and scoffed when she said they were once Tyrone Champs! She wasn't much of a looker but had a fine chassis, I never let looks bother me! Anyhow I digress! Yeah I thought I remembered seeing SONs club in a Tyrone SFC Semi-final once, they were unlucky from what I remember

Some good things about Tyrone's performance this afternoon, though all must be measured against a Louth side at a bit of a low ebb.

Playing against the breeze in the first half, we dominated possession but spurned a number of good opportunities. Louth made the most of limited chances, and went in trailing us by just two points. Marty Duffy's refereeing was as abysmal as always, with his interpretation of the advantage and black card rules appearing to have been made up as he went along. He ignored 8-9 body checks on Peter Harte in the first half alone, and I genuinely think that, of all the big name referees, he is the worst of the lot.

After the break, Tyrone upped their game. The half backs started to push forward in a way they didn't/couldn't earlier, and it is no coincidence that both our goals came after powerful runs from Harte and Mattie Donnelly. Emmet McKenna's was a cracker with the left foot from 20 yards, while O'Neill's was an uncontested palm to the net from about 2 feet.

Best for Tyrone was Colm Cavanagh. This man gets so much unwarranted stick, but he is an important player for Tyrone. He destroyed Paddy Keenan today, despite shipping his usual quote of heavy knocks. Sean played well beside him too. The fullback line all had the better of their men in 1-on-1 tussles, though, to be fair, they weren't exactly under an avalanche of pressure.

Up front, Darren McCurry looked very sharp and was as accurate as ever. He showed well for the ball, as did McAliskey, the latter hitting 4 from play. Ciaran McGinley was another who had a great game. He's probably the strongest runner on the panel, and covered every blade of grass in Healy Park. He'll be criticised by some for spurning a couple of good goal chances and the odd point, but he has become an increasingly important player to us, largely due to his pace and huge engine.

Of the others, Shay McGuigan had his moments from a creative perspective (he did, however, register a contender for miss of the year, crashing the ball against the crossbar from all of 2 yards, having brilliantly rounded the keeper). Emmet McKenna scored a great 1-1 in an improved second half, but it took him a long time to get into the game.

Stevie O'Neill was very poor again. If he gets the ball he can still give a lovely pass, but he no longer wins the 50/50 balls that he used to thrive off. Joey McMahon made his first appearance of the year. He looked heavy, but is still very classy on the ball. Hopefully he and Justin can get a good run of fitness, as both are still very useful options in a variety of positions.

Overall, we did what we had to do, and looked very good at times in doing it, most notably during a 2-7 to 0-0 scoring burst in the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half. Although they played with a spare CHB, Louth were not as defensive as Monaghan, and the extra space really suited us. Perhaps this is why most of our good performances in recent years have been against Southern opposition - we get more space in which to play. In any event, the ship has been steadied a bit. We're still far from the finished article, but there were some encouraging signs.

bald eagle wrote:Yeah I was aware of Augher alright, I went out with a lady from there in my playboy years and went to a game cos her brother was playing, they were awful! I asked how did Augher ever win a toss and scoffed when she said they were once Tyrone Champs! She wasn't much of a looker but had a fine chassis, I never let looks bother me! Anyhow I digress!  Yeah I thought I remembered seeing SONs club in a Tyrone SFC Semi-final once, they were unlucky from what I remember

you would be right there BE - it did happen and it was either 05 or 08 -definitely one of the years when Dooher lifted SAM if my memory serves me right. I think it was 05 and they came very close to forcing a major shock. Think it was Carrickmore they played, the first game ended in a draw with the second one ending up in a comfortable victory for Carrickmore.

Bad news on the injury front for Tyrone, with Peter Harte and PJ Quinn both injured in club games last night.  

Harte broke his wrist, so his summer could well be over, while Quinn 'pulled up sharply while running for a ball' (hamstring anyone?).

Harte would be a big loss as, the Monaghan game aside, he has had a good year at LHB, and we have nobody on the bench with the same power and pace to attack from deep.

While injuries can happen anywhere, you have to wonder when they were doing playing in club league games in the middle of a qualifier run….