Dromore 0-15
Coalisland 0-8
Declan Bogue reports from Omagh
DROMORE SEALED fourth Tyrone senior football championship in serious style in Healy Park with a second-half display that blew Coalisland away.
Having struggled in the opening half against their physicality around the middle, Dromore were able to make their impressive athleticism count with a renewed Niall Sludden turning his own personal form around, to outscore Na Fianna 0-8 to 0-3 in the second half.
They had gone in with their concerns after Coalisland more or less played the first half on their own terms, but the spritely talent of Emmett McNabb, who won the Patsy Forbes Trophy for the highest scorer in the championship, kept them close on the scoreboard.
.@dromoregfc Captain Conor O'Hara lifts the O'Neill Cup 🏆#RefuseToLose pic.twitter.com/Y0QZ9LUWqM
— Tyrone GAA (@TyroneGAALive) November 14, 2021
They were helped too by the elusive Ronan ‘Magpie’ McNabb who engineered two late first half scores to leave them 0-5 apiece at half-time.
In the second half they gained all the momentum and if Ryan McCusker had have done better with an early goal chance they could have made short work of the east Tyrone opposition.
Coalisland weren’t without their share of bad luck and moments to rue. Michael McKernan could have had a goal in the first minute of the game only for Dromore ‘keeper Mark McGale to be able for it, and losing Cormac O’Hagan to an injury in the first half robbed them of free-taking options, and they remarkably did not convert a single free in the game.
Manager Collie McCullagh now has the distinction of having played and won Tyrone championships, and managed his club to one now.
They will meet the winners of the Fermanagh championship, played on Sunday between Derrygonnelly Harps and Enniskillen Gaels, in Carrickmore on 4 December.
Scorers for Dromore: E McNabb (0-6, 4f), S McNabb (0-2), O Rafferty (0-3), R McCusker, N Sludden,C Goodwin, T McCarron (0-1 each)
Scorers for Coalisland: P McNeice (0-4), N Devlin, T Quinn, P Kane, C Quinn (0-1 each)
Dromore
1. Mark McGale
2. Conor O’Hara, 3. Paul McHug, 4. Colm O’Neill
5. Tommy McCarron, 6. Ryan McCusker, 7. Nathan McCarron
8. Peter Teague, 9. Niall Sludden
10. Sean McNabb, 11. Ronan ‘Magpie’ McNabb, 12. Ronan ‘Lizard’ McNabb
13. Emmet McNabb, 14. Tiarnan Sludden, 22. Odhran Rafferty
Subs
23. Cahir Goodwin for McHugh (44m)
17. Eoin McCusker for S McNabb (55m)
18. Andrew McGrath for T Sludden (56m)
15. Ciaran McCoy for ‘Magpie’ McNabb (60m)
19. Aodhan O’Donnell for T McCarron (63m)
Coalisland
1. Fintan Coney
2. Jack Fee, 3. Padraig Hampsey, 4. Eoghan Hampsey
5. Niall Devlin, 6. Niall Kerr, 7. Stephen McNally
8. Michael McKernan, 9. Jason Carberry
18. Tiarnan Quinn, 11. Plunkett Kane, 12. Bailey Leonard
13. Cormac O’Hagan, 14. Paddy McNeice, 15. Peter Herron
Subs
24. Brian Toner for O’Hagan (24m)
10. Sean L Corr for Kerr (40m)
22. Cathaoir Quinn for Leonard (48m)
20. Oisin McHugh for Fee (50m)
21. Louis O’Neill for Carberry (59m)
Referee: Kieran Eannetta (Omagh)
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