ALL-IRELAND MFC FINAL Tyrone v Mayo:THIS IS becoming a familiar lament. Kyle Coney is Tyrone's brightest young talent but tomorrow looks like his last Gaelic football match in county colours as he takes up a two-year rookie contract with the Sydney Swans in November.
The preamble to this minor final should not be dominated by such inevitabilities; suffice to say, the constant leakage of talent Down Under has already become a cruel fact in modern GAA life.
Positives? Just a few. TG4's AFL viewing figures should improve. And when many of the Wild Geese fail to adapt to the intricacies of the small oval ball they will eventually return home with improved physiques and the wisdom of professional athletes - the only silver lining to this exodus.
At least Coney graces the great expanse of Croke Park before his departure. Many others have not been so fortunate. It seems inevitable the next step will be to recruit players at a younger age, when they will be forced to depart before completion of studies or, less importantly, the minor championship is complete.
For now we can be content that two teams of proven quality collide in tomorrow's All-Ireland curtain-raiser.
Mayo have more pressing concerns than their counterparts; the jewel in their crown, centre forward Aidan O'Shea, had a cast removed from a broken hand only in the past 24 hours. The damage happened during the Connacht champions' emphatic dismissal of Kerry in the semi-final replay on August 30th, and time is against the young playmaker. Mayo desperately require his footballing intelligence, making it almost inconceivable that he will not feature.
There are also high expectations that Mayo's sturdy full back Kevin Keane can put the shackles on Coney, much as he did on Kerry's primary attacker Barry John Walsh. It looks certain to be the game's pivotal head-to-head. The free-taking accuracy of Tyrone's Conor O'Neill and Mayo's Aidan Walsh will also be telling.
The decisive mini-battle, however, will occur around midfield. Ger McDonagh and James Cafferty make up the Mayo partnership - though McDonagh is a viable option at full forward - that must dominate Martin Rogers and Niall McKenna (son of the Tyrone legend Eugene) to have any chance of maintaining a consistent supply line.
Recent history and pedigree favours Tyrone. St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon are the current Hogan Cup champions and were led by Ryan Pickering, Tyrone's stand-in captain until Ronan McNabb's return from a groin operation.
Ciaran Girvan, McKenna and Gavin Teague also added an All-Ireland colleges medal to their McRory Cup success. They seek the full set.
Tyrone minor teams have an ingrained winning mentality to fall back on as well, with three All-Irelands titles dating back to 1998, when many of the current senior team finally shook off the Laois hoodoo.
Mayo's failure in national finals is well documented. The minors last tasted success in 1985, losing four finals since - in 1991, 1999, 2000 and most recently to Down in 2005.
If O'Shea recovers and can perform despite a period of inactivity, Mayo have a decent chance of ending the drought. It would also complete a Connacht three-in-a-row following on from Galway last season and Roscommon in 2006.
Tyrone are boosted by the return of captain McNabb for a first championship start following a groin operation, replacing Kevin Mossey, who was recently laid low by appendicitis Mayo had 10 points to spare on Kerry the last day and their need for success appears greater. It's just that Tyrone are more accustomed to procuring silverware in the modern era.
And then there is the matter of Coney leaving a lasting imprint before he departs these shores.
The bookies have Tyrone as two-point favourites; that seems about right.
TYRONE:T Harney; F McQuaid, G Teague, R Pickering; S McCrory, P Harte, R McNabb; N McKenna, M Rogers; C Girvan, D McNulty, M Donnelly; K Coney, P McNeice, C O'Neill.
MAYO:R Hennelly; D Dolan, K Keane, J Broderick; S McHale, E Reilly, S Nally; J Cafferty, G McDonagh; C Freeman, A O'Shea*, R Geraghty; J Carney, A Walsh, A Corduff. *subject to fitness test
Referee:R Hickey (Clare).
