By the very end Tyrone could bring the game to a conclusion exactly as they had willed it for most of the match, the ball in their possession and the clock slowly being wound down, Monaghan desperately chasing and clawing at them but never getting close enough. By then Monaghan had made a battle of an Ulster final that looked set to fall apart into a rout before half time, but the damage was just too much to repair.
Apart from collecting their 16th Ulster title — which brings them tied second with Monaghan on the all-time list — and reaching their fourth All- Ireland semi-final in five years where they get the opportunity to erase the indignities inflicted by Kerry in a league game earlier this summer, Tyrone will find different strains of good in the match. The game was essentially won with the carving of a five-point lead before half-time when Tyrone held the match tightly in their grasp for the entire half.
They coped comfortably with the Covid-related absences of manager Feargal Logan from the line and four useful players from the team and the bench — Rory Brennan, Frank Burns, Tiernan McCann and Richie Donnelly — and by half time their display had been adorned with a string of hugely impressive performances.
Niall Sludden and Kieran McGeary were excellent coming forward from deep positions, Conor Meyler was relentlessly busy and Mattie Donnelly was the sharpest point of their attack. It took them time to regain their composure when the game got away from them in the second half, but they did. That counted for a lot yesterday. The same peace of mind will matter even more when the storms rage against Kerry the next day.
For Monaghan, emerging from the fog of grief that descended on the county the last couple of weeks following the death of Monaghan under-20 captain Brendan Óg Ó Dufaigh always promised to pose an immense challenge. On Friday night their under-20s fell just short in a ferocious Ulster final that went to extra time. Yesterday Monaghan looked drained and worn out and went deep within themselves to pull out a better performance in the second half. It brought the game to the absolute brink, but no further.
Advertisement
Too many players did not reach their usual levels. Karl O’Connell and Ryan McAnespie were held, denying Monaghan the threat along the flanks that usually underpins their best displays. Conor McManus struggled with his shooting and Monaghan never got their runners cutting into the Tyrone defence the way they needed.
Jack McCarron and Conor McCarthy covered the deficits in attack and Monaghan’s bench did bring the energy they needed but winning was too big a stretch in every way.
The game was not exactly possessed by the usual devil of an Ulster final early on, settling into rounds of possession football largely undisrupted by turnovers or the traditional bone-juddering reducers. But Donnelly was already offering a good target at full-forward for Tyrone and their playmakers were picking some nice passes.
Monaghan’s straight running initially achieved a similar return at the other end, adorned by two nice scores from McCarron, but they could not maintain it. It all left Tyrone 0-6 to 0-4 in front at the water break.
Then the rain came pelting down and the seagulls arrived too, reconnoitring the first decent crowd at Croke Park for over a year for any unguarded jambons. The game lolled along to half time with Donnelly still commanding close to goal and Mark Bradley and Darren McCurry adding a few scores. Their base at centrefield was decimating Rory Beggan’s kickout and Tyrone’s defence was tight. Any time Monaghan broke through, their attacks were cursed by wides.
Advertisement
It was all highly impressive from Tyrone. They were five in front by half time, 0-11 to 0-6. Monaghan need to make something happen, somehow.
Their reaction was heroic. Bringing in Colin Walshe and Niall Kearns at half time added another gear to their play and their urgency rose. The end result was six points in the first 15 minutes of the second half to bring Monaghan level, 0-12 each. Cathal McShane had already been called from the bench like a one-man fire brigade to douse the flames and kicked a point after 49 minutes that got Tyrone ahead, ending 21 scoreless minutes.
Tyrone needed a better effort. It was a struggle. Morgan’s kickouts were being disrupted, Tyrone were labouring to get any decent shots off from play and the control they exerted around the middle was gone.
Bu they chipped away. McCurry nicked a free and a mark. Peter Harte hit a priceless score with 11 minutes left to get Tyrone two in front. They entered stoppage time a point ahead, playing keep-ball as boos rippled down from the stands. It was grimly effective. That’s all they wanted.
Star man: Mattie Donnelly (Tyrone).
Monaghan: Beggan (0-2f); Duffy (0-1), Boyle (0-1), Wylie; O’Connell (Walshe (0-1) h/t), Ward, McAnespie; D Hughes (Kearns h/t), Lavelle (0-1); O’Hanlon (K Hughes 54mins), Mulligan (Carey 30mins), Bannigan; McCarthy (0-2), McCarron (0-3, 1M), McManus (0-4, 3f)
Tyrone: Morgan; McKernan (0-1), McNamee, Hampsey (0-1); Sludden (0-1), Bradley (0-2) (O’Neill 65mins), Harte (0-1); Kennedy (McShane (0-1) 45mins), Kilpatrick (Canavan 54mins); McGeary (0-1), O’Neill (Kelly 17mins), Meyler; McCurry (0-5, 2f, 1M), M Donnelly (0-3, 1f), McKenna.
Referee: D Gough (Meath).