Brilliant Tyrone destroy Dublin

All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final:
Tyrone 3-14 Dublin 1-08

Dublin boss Paul Caffrey called time on his four-year management reign immediately after watching his side collapse to a 12-point defeat to Tyrone in a one-sided All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park.

Speaking immediately after the game, Caffrey said he had always intended to resign after the 2008 championship.

Having committed to an extra year after the three disappointing campaigns that precipitated this one, the Dublin boss, however, could never have envisaged the manner in which his much-fancied side crumbled against a rampant Tyrone.

Caffrey was outwitted by Tyrone boss Mickey Harte; he lost the tactical battle and with it Dublin lost the game.

Davy Harte got the clinching goal for the Red Hands on 50 minutes and a shell-shocked Dublin found it impossible to respond late in the game.
Tyrone will now meet Wexford in a novel All-Ireland semi-final clash.

Caffrey brought Ross McConnell back into his side at full back and it proved an unforgivable mistake.  McConnell was destroyed by Sean Cavanagh. The Tyrone full-forward took his marker on a tour of Croke Park, grabbing the opening goal of the game and generally causing mayhem in the Dublin defense.

Tommy McGuigan and Colm McCullagh played their parts too. McCullagh finished with 0-3 from corner forward but his ability to win ball and set up scores for his team-mates was invaluable.

Tyrone gave the ultimate team display, with the ubiquitous Brian Dooher firing three points and turning his hand to defensive duties when required. That was the key for the northerners; their big names retained a savage appetite for work the Dubs could never match.

Dublin’s vaunted midfield pairing of Ciaran Whelan and Shane Ryan was anonymous throughout, while Jason Sherlock was brilliantly shackled by Ryan McMenamin.

The Dublin attack was in trouble from the start. Skipper Alan Brogan was taken off after 5 minutes with a hamstring injury and things went downhill from there.

Tyrone opened the scoring after just three minutes. McMenamin started an attack deep in his own defence and six handpasses were exchanged before Tommy McGuigan received a clever kick pass and curled the ball over the bar.

McGuigan and McCullagh were causing the Dublin defense all sorts of problems in the opening minutes. Three times, Dublin were carved open. But Brian McGuigan and Cavanagh shot wide when their clever play deserved so much more.

Alan Brogan was forced off having struck a post with an easy chance after four minutes. He was replaced by his younger brother, Bernard, in the inside forward line.

Brogan’s withdrawal sent a ripple of panic through the Dublin attack as Jason Sherlock, Ciaran Whelan and Bernard Brogan added to their growing wides tally.

Tyrone doubled their advantage when Conor Gormley again charged through the Dublin defence – an ominous score if ever there was one.

Mossy Quinn finally got the Leinster champions off the mark after 14 minutes. Barry Cahill levelled the game soon after when he raced onto Shane Ryan’s pass and curled the ball over the bar.

By now Dooher was starting to exert his considerable influence on the game. The Clann na nGael veteran was immense throughout the first-half and when he ghosted past Collie Moran with ease to give Tyrone the lead, Dublin looked in serious trouble. And they were.

Colm McCullagh doubled their advantage with another angled effort. The ease with which the Tyrone inside forward line was able to beat the Dublin full-back line was again illustrated when Tommy McGuigan slipped past David Henry only to see Stephen Cluxton block his shot with his feet.

Tommy McGuigan and McCullagh were rampant at this stage, the latter adding another point for the Ulster side.

Then, the goal that rocked the Dubs. Shane Ryan conceded a sideline ball on the Cusack Stand side of the field and Cavanagh took the ball in space before easing past a flat footed Ross McConnell and slotting the ball past Cluxton.

Dublin looked shellshocked, but they hit back with a Keaney goal just before half time. Collie Moran delivered a sideline into the square and the Dublin full-forward got his fist to the ball ahead of John Devine.

The celebrations didn’t last long. Tommy McGuigan won the ball ahead of Paul Griffin in the corner and delivered an angled ball to McMahon, who blasted home past the exposed Cluxton.

Trailing by five points at the break, Dublin needed to hit back immediately. No such luck. Tyrone hit three points in succession to all but end the game as a contest. Dooher, Tommy Mcguigan and McCullagh were again proving irresistible – too much for a shellshocked Dublin defense.

A brief revival followed. Mossy Quinn and Conal Keaney gave Tyrone hope with two unanswered points. But it was a false dawn. The northerners hit back with an elemental fury the Leinster champions simply could not match.

Dublin’s deficiencies were badly exposed as Diarmuid Connolly twice coughed up possession and Tyrone raced up the other end of the field. Tommy McGuigan delivered a clever pass to the rampaging Davy Harte, who beat Cluxton easily. Game over.

Harte, Cavanagh and McMahon all added to the Tyrone lead, with the Dubs in complete disarray at this point. At one stage, Bryan Cullen, Moran and Paul Casey were all to be found looking frantically for a goal, while the Tyrone attack made hay in their absence.

In the end the gulf in class and intensity between the two sides was almost embarrassing. Tyrone march on to a semi-final clash with Wexford, with their credentials as the only legitimate challengers to Kerry’s dominance confirmed.

Scorers for Dublin:  B Cahill 0-1, B Brogan 0-3, C Keaney 1-1, T Quinn 0-2 (0-2f), M Vaughan 0-1 (0-1f).

Dublin: S Cluxton; D Henry, R McConnell, P Griffin; C Moran, B Cullen, B Cahill; C Whelan, S Ryan; D Connolly, J Sherlock, K Bonner; A Brogan, C Keaney, T Quinn.

Subs: A Brogan for B Brogan ‘5, P Casey for D Connolly ’48, R McMenamin for T Quinn ’54, M Vaughan for J Sherlock ’54, E Fennell for R McConnell ’62.

Scorers for Tyrone: D Harte 1-1, C Gormley 0-1, E McGinley 0-1, B Dooher 0-3, J McMahon 1-1, T McGuigan 0-2, S Cavanagh 1-2 (0-1f) C McCullagh 0-3.

Subs: M Penrose for T McGuigan ’56, D McCaul for P Jordan ’62, R Mellon for B Dooher ’65, K Hughes for C Holmes ’66, O Mulligan for B McGuigan ’68.

Tyrone: J Devine; R McMenamin, Justin McMahon, C Gourley; D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan; C Holmes, E McGinley; B Dooher, B McGuigan, Joe McMahan; T McGuigan, S Cavanagh, C McCullagh.

Referee: A Mangan (Kerry)

Attendance: 70,877