LAST UPDATE | 24 Jun 2023
Tyrone 1-18
Donegal 0-13
AS THE REPORTERS converged on the Tyrone management after the game, easily chatting in the way any group of middle-aged Irishmen might on a fine summer’s evening, the question was posed to Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher, who wanted to be the one to say, ‘We told you so?’
All year, the question has been hanging in the breeze about their team. Were they any good, and was there even a performance left in what looked like the husk of the squad that won Sam Maguire in 2021.
Dooher smiled that smile of his and stepped up.
“It’s good to get a result. You are always hoping they turn up some day. But they worked hard and that was the difference. They put in a shift. Worked from the first whistle to the last and they got their just desserts I think.”
From then on, that’s what you get from Brian Dooher. For him, everything relates back to how you can graft. He is the embodiment of Boxer the horse in Animal Farm. Whatever misfortune came his way, he always repeated the mantra to himself; ‘I must work harder.’
On this evening, the players matched his manic appetite.
The first to do it was Ruairí Canavan on an evening he announced himself to the nation.
From the throw-in, his Errigal Ciaran club mate Cormac Quinn burned through the middle and laid off to Canavan. He produced a solo dummy in the tightest of spots before squeezing off a shot for goal that went wide after just 16 seconds.
The opening goal of the game came in the second minute. A ball to Darren McCurry led to him skinning his marker Brendan McCole and even though he had the benefit of a gusty wind heading towards the River Finn, the effort dropped short.
However, goalkeeper Shaun Patton made a hash of collecting it, Canavan stole in and despite finding the door locked whatever way he twisted and turned, the ball dropped to the floor. He rifled it into the net.
Games between these two had long since slid into a grinding war, where a half step either side in error would produce a loser on the day. Refreshing, therefore, that this became an open contest with Tyrone willing to have a serious go with the wind behind them.
Seven first half wides however, shows a significant lack of composure.
In for his first start since he tore a hamstring against Tyrone in the second round of the league, Patrick McBrearty got Donegal off the mark with a free before Tyrone stretched out the gap through Darren McCurry, Michael McKernan and Darragh Canavan, the last borne out of Brian Kennedy turning over Eoghan Bán Gallagher in possession.
The wind in Ballybofey can be deceptive. While Tyrone looked the more dangerous side with Darragh Canavan in sparkling form and their midfield of Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick dominant, Donegal were sniping for points from Oisin Gallen, a left-foot special from Odhran Doherty and Caolan McColgan getting forward.
It was a job of work to hang on their neighbours coattails, who were determined to dismantle one of Donegal’s biggest weapons in Shaun Patton’s kickouts. At a stage in the middle of the first half, Michael O’Neill, Kilpatrick and Kennedy all turned over the ball.
Darragh Canavan might have had a sniff of a goal to go along with his brothers’ as the half drew to a close, Patton having committed himself forward, but he had to settle for a point with the score at the break 1-10 to 0-8 in favour of Tyrone.
As the second half began, Tyrone grew the gap once more, two McCurry frees bookending a Darragh Canavan special that would remind you of, well, you know who.
Donegal grew tired in front of our eyes, a young team who could barely live with the speed and physicality of a Tyrone team looking like they had a huge amount to prove to the outside world. Not without reason, either.
But consider this. Of the Donegal panel on duty for last year’s Ulster final, 16 of them were not present here. 16. More than half a squad.
Donegal GAA has had a rough season, on a micro and macro level. A recent review of the county board performance with particular attention paid to the youth academy brought up over a dozen areas for serious concern.
They lost a manager over the course of the season and had to play out one without Michael Murphy, the man who they have been relying upon since he came on the scene in 2007.
There’s a lonely, wandering look about Donegal as a footballing county. That’s not to overstate it. You could say it’s just an eight point loss to a very decent football team who could have big times ahead. Especially with the square ball rule cancelling out a three-pointer on the cusp at full-time.
You’d be dressing things up though.
Instead, you could see it in the lack of real belief. In the series of head high challenges that they made as the second half wore on, Eoghan Bán Gallagher’s on Michael McKernan, borderline dangerous.
There will be some long, solitary walks required in Donegal over the winter. A new manager appears a virtual certainty after Aidan O’Rourke’s hints to reporters afterwards.
Tyrone are in a different place. Mad for road again, it would appear, and who on earth wants to face them in Croke Park next weekend?
Scorers for Tyrone: Darragh Canavan 0-5 (1f), Darren McCurry 0-5 (4f), Ruairí Canavan 1-1, Matthew Donnelly 0-3, Michael McKernan 0-2, Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick 0-1 each
Scorers for Donegal: Oisin Gallen 0-4 (1f), Patrick McBrearty 0-3 (2f), Ciaran Thompson 0-2, Caolan McColgan, Odhran Doherty, Luke McGlynn 0-1 each, Shaun Patton 0-1 (1’45’)
Tyrone
1. Niall Morgan (Edendork)
2. Michael McKernan (Coalisland), 3. Ronan McNamee (Aghyaran), 4. Padraig Hampsey (Coalisland)
5. Cormac Quinn (Errigal Ciaran), 6. Michael O’Neill (Ardbe), 7. Peter Harte (Errigal Ciaran)
8. Brian Kennedy (Derrylaughan), 9. Conn Kilpatrick (Edendork)
10. Conor Meyler (Omagh), 22. Kieran McGeary (Pomeroy), 12. Ruairí Canavan (Errigal Ciaran)
13. Darren McCurry (Edendork), 14. Matthew Donnelly (Trillick), 15. Darragh Canavan (Errigal Ciaran)
Subs
17. Frank Burns (Pomeroy) for McGeary (55)
20. Richard Donnelly (Trillick) for Darragh Canavan (62)
19. Niall Devlin (Coalisland) for Ruairí Canavan (72)
Donegal
1. Shaun Patton (St Eunan’s)
2. Mark Curran (Dungloe), 3. Brendan McCole (St Naul’s), 4. Caolan McColgan (Muff)
5. Caolan Ward (St Eunan’s), 6. Eoghan Bán Gallagher (Killybegs), 7. Stephen McMenamin (Red Hughs)
8. Caolan McGonagle (Buncrana), 9. Hugh McFadden (Killybegs)
10. Daire ÓBaoill (Gaoth Dobhair), 11. Jamie Brennan (Bundoran), 12. Ciaran Thompson (Naomh Conaill)
18. Odhran Doherty (Naomh Conaill), 14. Oisin Gallen (Sean MacCumhails), 17. Patrick McBrearty (Kilcar)
Subs
13. Jason McGee (Cloghaneely) for Doherty (HT)
24. Luke McGlynn (Glenfin) for ÓBaoill (44)
19. Rory O’Donnell (Milford) for McFadden (46)
21. Brian O’Donnell (Kilcar) for McColgan (62)
16. Gavin Mulreaney (St Naul’s) for Curran (73)
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)
