Tyrone backs lay foundation for title defence

If there was a hidden fault in this Tyrone under-21 side then Mayo never gave up trying to crack it. What developed was an game of closely tangled football with both sides tirelessly contesting every step of the way.

The early dose of winter that landed on Markievicz Park on Saturday also had a bearing, adding further weight to a Tyrone side more physically loaded and simply the more physical. That they proved unbreakable was through no obvious fault of Mayo.

So for the second time in a week Tyrone celebrated an All-Ireland title, adding to the minor honour and thus becoming only the third county ever to pull off such a double. It was also their second successive under-21 title following the sweep of 1991-92.

For Mayo, in contrast, it was a second defeat of the week, suffering the same fate as their senior women. Looking back on this one though there can be little doubt that the better team won out on the day.

By playing with the wind for the first half, Tyrone had no problems taking their early scores, leading 0-6 to 0-1 after 20 minutes and then settling on 0-8 to 0-4 at the break. Stephen O'Neill and Eoin Mulligan did most of that damage through their faultless free taking.

Mayo did close the gap to three early in the second half, but as Cormac McAnallen and Kevin Hughes asserted greater presence, Tyrone held them at arm's length.

Three late points by Mayo in the closing minutes created some momentary tension but that crack in the Tyrone side would never be revealed.

"It's great to defend the title but in fact it's been a great five years," said Mickey Harte, who along with Fr Gerard McAleer, has nurtured this side on from their minor success. "And that was as hard as it gets. We knew it wasn't going to be easy and Mayo didn't disappoint. It took a while for both sides to get used to the conditions, and even with the breeze, we didn't get as big a lead as we had hoped so we had to dig twice as deep in the second half.

"Our defence was key because they kept the door closed so that the forwards could win the match. A lot has been said about the style and panache of the forward line, which undoubtedly it has, but people often forget the back end of the field. Our defence as a unit today was superb. Totally disciplined, worked so hard, and backed each other up."

Philip Jordan was the workhorse of that Tyrone defence, popping up at all times and aptly covering Mayo's main scoring threat Trevor Mortimer. Fellow wing-back Ciarβn Meenagh also pressed forward for one of the game's sweeter points, and McAnallen was wholesomely effective, especially in the second half.

"That was a very, very tough game," said the team captain, who then jetted off to join the Irish squad in Australia, "and we're just so relieved to have won it. We knew they would come back in the second half and they did towards the end. But we had enough by then to hold out."

The Tyrone defence needed to be sharp because the Mayo attack was frequently courting danger. Marty McNicholas came off the bench shortly before the break and added new pace, although full forward Brian Maloney had cause to rue two of the game's most obvious goal chances.

Just before the break he was handed a perfect ball from Conor Mortimer and yet settled on the point rather than taking chance of a goal. Then 12 minutes before the end, another imaginative ball from McNicholas landed in Maloney's hands and again he shot inches over the crossbar.

Had either of those two goals gone in then Mayo would surely have brought Tyrone closer to the edge of defeat. Yet it seems equally sure that they would still have had problems pushing them over.

TYRONE: P McConnell; C Gormley, D O'Hanlon, M McGee; C Meenagh (0-1), G Devlin, P Jordan; P Donnelly, C McAnallen; R Mellon (0-1), B McGuigan (0-1), S O'Neill (0-3, all frees); E McGinley (0-1), K Hughes (0-2), E Mulligan (0-4, all frees). Subs: G Wylie for Donnelly (54 mins).

MAYO: D Clarke; MJ Meenaghan, P Kelly, K Deignan; E Casey, B Predgergast (0-1), G Brady (0-1); J Gill, S Grimes; C Lyons, A Dillon, T Mortimer (0-2, one free); M Keane, B Maloney (0-2), C Mortimer (0-4, three frees). Subs: M McNicholas for Lyons (30 mins), R Walsh for Meenaghan (54 mins), R Loftus for Grimes (55 mins), B Padden for Dillon (55 mins).

Referee: A Mangan (Kerry).