TYRONE JOINT MANAGER Brian Dooher insists their request for an All-Ireland semi-final deferral was ‘a decision based on medical advice’ and rejected any suggestions they ‘had tried to pull a fast one’.
After being hit with a Covid-19 outbreak in their camp, Tyrone’s clash with Kerry was put back twice before eventually yesterday’s game saw the Ulster champions win out 3-14 to 0-22 after extra-time.
Speaking after a breathless and dramatic encounter at Croke Park, Dooher reiterated their decision-making process had been governed by ‘a duty of care’ to their players.
“If this is coming at us to attack us here, which seems to be heading that direction. We made a decision based on medical advice relevant to what happened and where we were. We took the medical advice, we weren’t fit to field, we were told that.
“So I have a duty of care to those players, people mightn’t think that but was I going to put them out and something happened? Fair enough I said no I’m not, I’d take the hit.
“And we were getting (hassle) from the players for doing that, they weren’t happy I pulled their championship on them.
“I don’t want to get into this here now. But there’s been a kind of a slant here we’ve tried to pull a fast one here. It was a factual thing based on the evidence.”
Dooher hailed the character of his Tyrone players.
“You give the players credit there. They put in a big shift there in adversity with the last three weeks or so. The boys, they haven’t been over-trained. It has been a short season so fitness is building.
“They have something inside them that you cannot coach as well. This never say die attitude which is something, you can do whatever you want on the training field, but you cannot coach that.
“The boys worked hard today, they talk about defensive systems, the tackling out the field I suppose is the first line. We had some super last-ditch defending from our full-back line then, who were phenomenal out there. Probably too much last-ditch defending if you ask me, but so be it.
“We were just glad to keep a clean sheet as it gives you a chance. If you are conceding big scores to Kerry you will have problems and we knew that we had enough to work on.”
Dooher’s managerial compatriot Feargal Logan outlined how difficult the last few weeks have been.
“The week before the Ulster final, was a very, very choppy week. And then there was a night, possibly one, maybe two since then Ulster final, where you were thinking ‘is it worth trying to battle through this?’
“We had great weather and we were outdoors, then we had some bad, bad weather. It seemed to coincide with that. And you’re coming up to training, and everything was on its knees. The numbers were decimated. You’re looking at your physios, your doctors, it’s a big operation now, county football.
“And you’re sort of thinking, is this fair to everybody? To keep bludgeoning through this? And then we had to take our position, which we were prepared to stand on, which was ‘We’ll leave it go. If we have to leave it go, we’ll leave it go’.
“And as I say, the fairness of the situation, the fairness of the Association, the community spirit, the backdrop of ill-health, and the fact that Kerry were decent to us kept us on our feet.
“That was quite a performance today on the back of all that.”
Logan was asked if he felt sheepish in the aftermath of the entire episode?
“What I can say is this. If we had have trained during the lockdown period collectively, or if we had have played fast and loose with the regulations and with the Covid situation…but I have to say, we did our utmost.
“The numbers where we live are significant. Of course you feel sheepish, of course you feel vulnerable, of course you feel weak in moments when ill-health strikes, whether your own house or your own community.
“So of course we come here deeply respectful of everybody that kept us on the road. And we don’t make that point lightly.”
- Originally published at 9:04am.
