Connollys of Moy Tyrone SFC semi-final: Trillick 2-11 Dungannon 1-9
From Cahair O’Kane at Healy Park
TRILLICK are an hour from perfecting the four-year cycle after a brilliant last 20 minutes saw them blow Dungannon away.
Champions of 2015 and 2019, they’re back in the decider against Errigal Ciaran or Ardboe and nobody would question their credentials.
They looked in a spot of bother as Dungannon got a run on it to cut a four-point gap to one early in the second half, but led by Richie Donnelly and Rory Brennan the Reds turned for home.
The game turned on two big moments. Stevie O’Donnell’s brilliant goal-saving block from Patrick Quinn, a stop finished by Donnelly as he scraped the shot’s remains off the line, kept Trillick ahead at 1-7 to 1-5.
With a point in it, Donnelly met Conall Devlin with a shoulder and turfed him over the body. Twenty seconds later, Niall Donnelly kicks a score and there’s no looking back after it.
Ciaran Daly, Seanie O’Donnell and James Garrity kicked the next two and the 2015 and 2019 champions were five up before O’Donnell sang the last lullaby on Dungannon’s hopes with a brilliant near post finish.
The winners had been the better side by a smaller margin than the three points they led by at half-time but when it came to the thick of it in the final quarter, Trillick were excellent.
The game’s first score was a goal that while brilliant from Ryan Gray’s point of view, Dungannon would be questioning. Gray was isolated on a break out on the left wing, one against three, yet burned the trio of green shirts to get goalside. From there, he finished brilliantly at the near post.
Dungannon were giving Lee Brennan space, they were giving James Garrity space, and they were both good enough to make it pay.
Brennan had a really good first half, showing his intelligence with his runs and link play as he recognised Dungannon’s lack of a sweeper. He scored three and set up two of their six points in the first half.
Delivery wasn’t always as sharp as it might have been. On one free that Garrity won, he was on his fifth run in a one-v-one before Liam Gray got the head up to see him and pop it into the space.
Dungannon couldn’t get Paul Donaghy into it at all. Rory Brennan was sweeping right in front. There wasn’t an inch of space for him to operate in.
Yet with one swift turn from Patrick Quinn, the game reopened. He took out three men with one swivel and within five seconds, Dalaigh Jones was powering in at the far post to palm home.
That levelled it at 1-3 apiece but the response from Jody Gormley’s side was top drawer. They kicked the last three scores of a fairly even first half.
The signs that it could turn were in Trillick’s control of the uncontrollables. They’d been forced long on their kickouts but were gobbling up breaks that could so easily have gone against them.
That’s what started to happen after half-time. Having gone 1-7 to 1-3 behind, Dungannon stepped up. McNulty fetches a kickout. Paul Donaghy swings a brilliant score from the sideline on the wrong side. Patrick McKearney throws a right leg at a spinner that creeps inside.
On O’Donnell’s block and Donnelly’s shoulder it turned. Trillick an hour from glory once more.
MATCH STATS
Trillick: J Maguire; D Gallagher, P McCaughey, Stevie O’Donnell; R Brennan; Seanie O’Donnell (1-1), D Donnelly, D Tunney; R Donnelly, L Gray; C Daly (0-2), N Donnelly, R Gray (1-1); L Brennan (0-4, 0-2 45s, 0-1 free), J Garrity (0-1)
Subs: C Garrity for Tunney (24)
Blood sub: D Kelly for J Garrity (54-58)
Dungannon: D Martin; B Gormley, C Devlin, S Molloy (0-1); M Quinn, C Barker, M McKearney; K Barker, P McNulty; R Jones, D Jones (0-1), P McKearney (0-1); P Molloy, P Quinn, P Donaghy (0-6, 0-5 frees)
Subs: J Quinn (0-1) for P Molloy (41), O Cowan for P McKearney (45), O Mallon for M Quinn (49)
Referee: S Hurson (Galbally)
