Fortitude in the face of adversity can bring rewards, and so it turned out at Parnell Park on Saturday in this All-Ireland minor football semi-final replay when Tyrone overcame difficulties which might have crushed lesser spirits to qualify for the final.
In the drawn match two weeks ago Tyrone had to come back from an apparently impossible position in a pulsating last five minutes to tie up the game.
On Saturday they again courted disaster and survived, albeit in even more stirring circumstances.
Adults can often be harsh on young people for lack of commitment and effort. Nobody who was at Parnell Park on Saturday could have had any reason to complain. This was a match of fierce determination and character. Played at an astonishing pace it went into extra time and made huge demands on body and spirit.
Not one player flinched, although by the second half of the second period of extra time several players were in need of attention for cramp. Many spectators were in dire need of help as well.
An elderly Tyrone woman was in tears at the end. Clutching an All-Ireland medal won by her late husband with the Tyrone minors 50 years ago she echoed the feeling of a crowd of approximately 4,000: "Nobody deserved to lose that match," she said. The former Kerry captain, Tim Kennelly, who had two sons on the losing side, also paid tribute. "The amount of effort those lads, all of them, put into that match is astounding. I only hope that the GAA will find some way to reward them for the effort." Nobody could disagree.
Not by any means a match of classical football, it was, nevertheless, fascinating from start to finish. In the long run the fact is that the Tyrone attack, ably supported by their midfield of Cormac McAnallen and Kevin Hughes, turned the match in their favour. Brian McGuigan, Joe Campbell and Richard Thornton caused constant problems for the Kerry defence and the vigilance of the referee, John Bannon from Longford, saw to it that Kerry's attempts to illegally stop the man in possession were severely punished.
The severest punishment, however, was handed out by Tyrone corner forward Mark Harte, who pointed 11 frees and added one from play for good measure.
Kerry won the toss and defended against a strong wind. They must have been content to reach half-time a point to the good (0-8 to 0-7). Yet Tyrone continued to pop over the frees through the agency of Harte and the match never looked like falling willingly into the laps of either side. It was no surprise when the teams finished level at 15 points each when the full-time whistle sounded.
The half hour of extra time yielded as much excitement, if not more, that the hour which had preceded it. At half-time in extra time the teams were still level, at 18 points each.
By the sixth minute of the second period Tyrone seemed to have taken a grip on the match, when points by Kevin Hughes and Brian O'Neill and a huge 60-yard free by McAnallen put them three points ahead for the first time in the match.
Kerry would not give in so easily, but Kieran Foley and Noel Kennelly missed chances. As substitutes came and went Kerry were back within sight of victory.
But Tyrone proved resilient, stretching the lead to three points again before Kevin Lynch set up a grandstand finish with a point which gave Kerry the heart to lift themselves for one last effort - which proved fruitless.
Tyrone: G Maguire; K O'Brien, C McGinley, B Donnelly; A Ball, C Gourley, D McCrossan; C McAnallen (0-2), K Hughes (0-2); J Campbell (0-1), B McGuigan, S Donnelly (0-1); M Harte (0-12, 11 frees), R Thornton (0-1), S O'Neill (0-3). Subs: G Hetherington for McGinley (6 mins); B O'Neill (0-1) for S Donnelly (40 mins), C Martin for McAnnallen (68 mins), McAnallen for McGuigan (69 mins), McGuigan for Martin (87 mins).
Kerry: N Hobbart; R O'Connor, J Doyle, M Beckett; S O'Sullivan, S Hegarty, P McCarthy; M O'Shea (0-1), J Sugrue (0-1); W Harmon (0-1), N Kennelly (0-4), T Kennelly (0-1); L Boyle (0-2), B O'Connor (0-1), K Foley (0-8, all frees). Subs: S McGinley for T Kennelly (51 mins); L Higgins for W Harman (55 min); N Corbett for O'Connor (64 min); P Galvin for Sugrue (70 min); B Moriarity (0-1) for Hegarty (77 min); K Lynch (0-1) for Boyle (84 min).
Referee: J Bannon (Longford).
