Allianz National Football League Division One North: Tyrone 0-16 Donegal 0-18
A LITTLE bit of the old and the new helped awaken the inter-county football scene from its slumber at Healy Park, but it was the Donegal boys wearing wide smiles as they boarded buses back to the hills on Saturday evening.
And they had the maestro, Michael Murphy, to thank for his part in opening their League campaign with a two point victory. He may be heading for 32 in August, flecks of grey filling up his temples, but the Glenswilly colossus looked as fit and fresh as ever.
The first of three points from play came after just 10 seconds, profiting from a Padraig Hampsey slip, while his third on 70 minutes - Donegal’s final score of the day - was vintage Murphy.
Coming onto the ball from deep, he rumbled forward, gathering momentum like a monster truck rolling downhill, holding off Hampsey before slotting between the sticks.
Perhaps, after so many years on the road since assuming man-child status all the way back in 2007, the enforced break has had an invigorating effect; a sobering thought for the rest of Ulster and Ireland looking deeper into the summer.
Providing a whole lot of new, on the face of things anyway, were Tyrone.
Led into a first senior game without Mickey Harte since the 2002 All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Sligo, Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher finally got the chance to run eyes over their new charges in competitive action.
The pre-match discourse suggested some were expecting, or at least hoping for the Red Hands to finally shed the skin of their familiar keep-ball, countering style, emerging from the tunnel transformed - Stars in their Eyes-style - to reveal a new full-blooded, attacking approach that would leave those long-suffering football purists swooning.
Given the new joint management team have had just over three weeks on the pitch, that was a bit of an ask. But there were signs of what might lie ahead, in the first half especially.
Frank Burns, Conor Meyler and Kieran McGeary repeatedly targeted Richie Donnelly, Conor McKenna and Paul Donaghy – the latter pair swapping in and out - with quick, direct ball. Sometimes it worked, plenty of times it didn’t, but the intent was clear.
And on the occasions when they turned Donegal over, Dooher urged the Red Hands not to waste any time in getting the ball forward. It was simple, progressive stuff that led to the kind of end to end opening 35 we had all hoped for.
McKenna looked dangerous, particularly in the opening 20 minutes, drawing regular roars of “go on big stuff” from the Tyrone party, and the Eglish powerhouse could have been in for a goal had he not overrun the ball in the 16th minute, allowing Shaun Patton to block with his legs.
For all the other attacking gifts that Tyrone have possessed and struggled to maximise to their full potential in the latter half of the Harte years, Donaghy provided Logan and Dooher with welcome food for thought on his live audition.
Top scorer in last year’s county Championship as Dungannon upset the odds to land a first O’Neill Cup in 63 years, the 22-year-old looked born to the stage upon which he had just arrived – a 0-10 haul making Donaghy the highest-scoring debutant in Tyrone history.
Tall, lean and full of hard running and raw ambition, he finished the first half of his inter-county career with five points – the last, to draw Tyrone level at 0-10 apiece heading into the break, a thing of almost Cliffordian beauty as he shaped to shoot off his right before checking back and firing over off his left side.
Experienced campaigners like Connor McAliskey, Darren McCurry and Mark Bradley – a second half sub - were watching on from the stands, while Cathal McShane’s return from the injury hell of the past year is a few weeks off yet.
On this evidence, the new boy has already jumped the queue.
“When a young lad comes in they either rise or fall,” said Logan, whose side next face neighbours Armagh at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday.
“This morning you are thinking it will be an ‘either or’, there was no middle ground, but what Paul did tonight was outstanding in terms of a man making his debut for Tyrone. Let’s hope he can build on it.”
A booming 45 and two further scores from play were the highlight of Donaghy’s second half show, though Tyrone were forced to play second fiddle for much of it after a second yellow card for Michael O’Neill five minutes after the break changed the face and the flow of a previously entertaining game.
With an extra man at their disposal, Donegal were able to utilise Shaun Patton’s laser-eyed accuracy from kick-outs to greater effect.
The net result was the Red Hands failing to top up the score board until the 50th minute, by which time a score from Jamie Brennan, followed by Murphy and Paddy McBrearty frees, had given Declan Bonner’s men some much-needed breathing room.
The Tir Chonaill’s experience shone through, just as it had done in that rain-lashed Ulster Championship clash at MacCumhaill Park on November 1, 2020. As soon as Tyrone were at arm’s length, Donegal’s game management saw them retain control, albeit aided by some cheap frees conceded by the Red Hands.
New faces, new approach but, ultimately, the song remained the same. And with Monaghan next on the horizon on Saturday, Bonner was relieved to start with a win.
“We wanted to get the two points, we want to be playing Division One football next season.
“While it’s still a mini Ulster Championship, it’s important also that we gave lads game-time because it’s six weeks until the first round of the Ulster Championship in Newry. We need to make sure all those guys are ready for that.”
Tyrone: N Morgan (0-1, 45); R Brennan, R McNamee, P Hampsey; F Burns; M Cassidy, P Harte, M O’Neill (0-1); M Donnelly, B Kennedy; C Meyler (0-1), C McKenna (0-1), K McGeary (0-1); P Donaghy (0-10, 0-5 frees, 0-1 45), R Donnelly. Subs: M McKernan for McNamee (10), C Munroe for Kennedy (HT), M Bradley (0-1) for R Donnelly (40), N Sludden for Cassidy (56), D Canavan for McGeary (66)
Yellow cards: M O’Neill (24, 40), K McGeary (34)
Red card: M O’Neill (40)
Donegal: S Patton; C Ward, N McGee, B McCole; P Brennan, R McHugh, P Mogan (0-1); H McFadden, C McGonagle (0-1); N O’Donnell (0-1), C Thompson (0-2), M Langan (0-1); M Murphy (0-6, 0-3 frees), P McBrearty (0-4, 0-2 frees), J Brennan (0-2). Subs: E Doherty for McFadden (blood sub 11, reversed 14), D O Baoill for McFadden (HT), E McHugh for Ward (44), O Gallen for J Brennan (61), A McClean for P Brennan (61), E O’Donnell for Langan (66), E Doherty for O’Donnell (70+4)
Yellow cards: P Mogan (24)
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan)
