Sense of loss relative for Harte

The disappointment of defeat can occasionally distort perspective. Those on the losing side can struggle with their emotions. Words of congratulation can sound hollow.

Mickey Harte's grace after watching his team lose to Mayo at Croke Park on Saturday was therefore all the more uplifting because he avoided self-pity and offered no excuses while at the same time expressing the mindset of a county that had suffered a loss far greater than any defeat on the field.

The Tyrone manager praised Mayo's triumph, but it was his synopsis of 2004 that struck a chord with those huddled in that Croke Park corridor.

"This was a very traumatic year for us and I suppose losing this game, as bad a sporting blow as it is, when put in the context of what happened to us in March this year, it pales into insignificance.

"That's not to say we didn't want to do well and win the All-Ireland again; of course we did. But there are more important things in life and we know that too well.

"Cormac McAnallen is the most important thing in our lives this year and will be for a long time to come. I hope that some day in the future we can go and win an All-Ireland and honour his name in that way another time."

His words on Saturday's game were equally well chosen and generous.

"You have to give credit to Mayo; you can't always say that Tyrone are off form. When someone beats you, they beat you because they play well.

"We have played better I'm sure in the past but I wouldn't say that we played poorly today.

"The fact of the matter is that it was a close game up to half-time and then Mayo took up where they left off.

"I thought when we got the goal back through Stephen O'Neill it was a great lifting score that might have been enough to bring us back into the game.

"Now we hit the posts a few times after that but I wouldn't like to point to that as being the reason why we got beaten. I think we were beaten because we met a hungrier side, one that was well prepared and wanted to get into the semi-final."

He drew laughter when the question that inevitably awaits a coach in his position was asked. What about his future?

"I hope I'm still alright and I hope to be in charge of the team next year. Maybe that's what we have to do - close the book on 2004, a year that had lots of things that we didn't want. We had to live through that and I think we'll all be better people for that."

Meanwhile, his counterpart, Mayo's John Maughan, was being congratulated by a multitude of his kinsmen.

"I just want to give credit to Tyrone. They have been great All-Ireland champions, played with great flair, but today was our day. We came up here not to be beaten," said Maughan.

"We took the game to them, played great football. We came in two points up at half-time and it could have been two or three more but we showed great character and stuck at it right to the death.

"Today is about the whole 33 guys we have training; we have worked exceptionally hard to get where we are.

"This team has shown great resilience and character, and where lesser teams might have buckled, with that terrific goal, our guys went down the field and scored a point within a couple of minutes. That's a great tribute to the team.

"That's a game we deserved to win and the last thing I wanted to see was Tyrone snatch it at the end. We have so often seen teams playing well and leaving games behind them. I didn't want us to be one of them today."