Dooher proud as Tyrone produce arguably their best Championship display since 2021 All-Ireland final

AS the microphones are offered by outstretched arms, Brian Dooher’s back is to the wall in Celtic Park.

That was how his team had arrived in Derry city. The Tyrone psyche has never minded that position.

For whatever consolation it offers, this was all things considered arguably their best championship performance since the 2021 All-Ireland final.

They’d beaten a shadow of this Donegal team in the preliminary quarter-final last year, squeaked past 14-man Armagh who lost Rian O’Neill to a first-half sending off in the group stage. But this was different.

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For one, Darragh Canavan was fairly quiet and Darren McCurry was under lock and key. They didn’t give Donegal any real sniff of goal and in Niall Morgan, Tyrone had a weapon every bit as good and every bit as effective as Shaun Patton had been against Derry.

For the first time in a while, Tyrone properly looked like a team with a summer ahead of them.

None of that will help on Monday morning but by Tuesday night in Garvaghey, the draw for the All-Ireland round robin will have been made and the path will be clearer.

“I couldn’t ask any more of them, they done everything that was expected just run out of juice a wee bit at the end up and it’s no shame after two weeks in a row, the bodies are probably a wee bit sore and it was a bit too much at the end up,” said Dooher.

The Aughabrack man declined to be led back down the player welfare path, but only on account of his boredom at saying it rather than any change in his firmly held beliefs.

As much as Donegal chased them down fairly effectively, Tyrone managed just 0-4 in the last 45 minutes of football, and their previous three points had all come in a two-minute burst around the 50th minute.

That had re-established the three-point lead they’d held at the break and it looked from there as though they might find a way.

Tyrone were never behind from the 7th minute until Jeaic McKelvey fisted Donegal 0-15 to 0-14 ahead at the beginning of extra-time, but the added 20 minutes were going to be a big ask.

“Aye it is but here you don’t want me going there where I went before,” he laughed ruefully after it was suggested extra-time twice in seven days was ‘cruel’ on his players.

“It was in front of us, we’d a chance to win it we didn’t get it in normal time. The extra time we hadn’t that bit of energy or zip to create the scoring opportunities and take them the second half.

“I suppose we still had chances and some we didn’t take and probably didn’t create enough in last half. But I can’t fault the boys for effort, they gave everything and you know what, if I get that every day you can’t ask for more.

“That all we expect that’s all we want and I’d say Tyrone supporters are the same.”

He had a quip for his critics – “there’s wiser people out there will tell me how it’s done” – and although his mood stopped short of satisfaction, there was so much good for them to take from it.

Another big display from Ciaran Daly. Seanie O’Donnell growing. Conn Kilpatrick back in for 90 minutes. Conall Devlin improved. The youth is there, and then you’ve Padraig Hampsey in great form, Niall Morgan and Mattie Donnelly both outstanding – it’s always been there.

“Every day they are getting more and more experience but we know what these bots are about I know what kinds of lads they are, what kind of characters they are and what sort of footballers they are.

“They showed that in the national league and showed it here again today. It’s no surprise to be honest but it’s about building and they’ll get better with it learn from it and take it on.

“We all have to learn from it there’s things we could have done better despite doing what we did, just polish a few of the rougher edges and push on and take the good with it.”