The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

DUBLIN V TYRONE: THEY’VE only ever met six times in the championship – and four of those were in the last seven years – but …

DUBLIN V TYRONE:THEY'VE only ever met six times in the championship – and four of those were in the last seven years – but that only tells part of the Dublin-Tyrone football rivalry. Their league clashes have proved just as memorable, although not always for the right reasons: on that note, here are six of the best, including the best of the worst.

2005 All-Ireland SF quarter-final replay, Croke Park

Tyrone 2-18 Dublin 1-14

Owen Mulligan had scored what some people still claim was the goal of the decade to help reduce a five-point half-time deficit to draw Tyrone level and force the replay, but Dublin failed to match their performance the second day, played out in front of another capacity crowd of 81,882.

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Dublin scored 1-14 – just like they did in the drawn game – but conceded a massive 2-18, their then highest giveaway rate in the championship since 1978, when Kerry hit them for 5-11. Tyrone were helped by a raft of Dublin errors, not least for the second goal when Seán Cavanagh easily won a kick-out in the 50th minute, offloaded to Mulligan, who bumped off an opponent before spinning into position and driving past Stephen Cluxton.

With that Tyrone were up 2-11 to 0-11 ahead, and it was game over. Tyrone marched on to beat Armagh in the semi-final, and ultimately topple Kerry in the All-Ireland.

TYRONE: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Lawn, M McGee; D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan; E McGinley, J McMahon; B Dooher (0-3), B McGuigan (0-1), S Cavanagh (0-2); R Mellon (0-2), S O’Neill (1-3), O Mulligan (1-7). Subs: S Sweeney for Lawn (23 mins), B Meenan for Sweeney (53 mins), E Bradley for McGee (62), P Donnelly for McGinley (67).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; P Andrews, P Griffin, S O’Shaughnessy; S Ryan (0-1), B Cahill, P Casey; C Whelan, D Magee; C Moran (0-1), C Keaney (0-5), B Cullen (0-1); J Sherlock (0-1), A Brogan (0-2), T Quinn (0-2). Subs: S Connell (0-1) for Brogan (26 mins), D Lally for Magee (ht), M Vaughan for Quinn (57), D O’Callaghan for Lally (59), D Farrell (1-0) for Keaney (67 mins).

2006 NFL Division 1A, round one, Omagh

Dublin 1-9 Tyrone 1-6

Disgraceful and shameful was the theme of this one, where in front of 12,000 spectators and a live TV audience, both teams were reduced to 13 men after Dublin’s Alan Brogan and Denis Bastick and Tyrone’s Colin Holmes and Stephen O’Neill were sent off after a shambolic breakdown in discipline.

Match referee Paddy Russell also booked nine others (Paul Copeland, Barry Cahill, Peadar Andrews, Ciarán Whelan, Kevin Bonner, Ryan McMenamin, Michael McGee, Dermot Carlin and Brian Meenan) and afterwards admitted he was frightened for his safety, and considered abandoning the match.

Whatever football was played seemed secondary: as early as the fifth minute a free-for-all broke out, and from then on it was one ugly incident after another. Amazingly, Tyrone scored just one point in the second half and that didn’t come until the 69th minute by which time Dublin had secured the points. None of the hefty suspensions that followed actually stuck, and the game remains better known as the Battle of Omagh.

DUBLIN: P Copeland; N O’Shea, B Cahill, D Henry (0-1); P Casey, C Goggins, P Andrews; C Whelan, D Bastick; D Murray, T Quinn (1-7), B Cullen (0-1); D O’Callaghan, K Bonner, A Brogan. Subs: D Lally for O’Callaghan (51 mins), J Sherlock for Bonner (55), S Ryan for Murray (65 mins).

TYRONE: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Gormley, M McGee; D Harte, C Gourley, D Carlin; B Meenan, C Holmes (0-1); R Mulgrew, G Cavlan, S Cavanagh; R Mellon (0-1), S O’Neill (1-2), O Mulligan (0-1). Subs: J McMahon for Gormley (ht), K Hughes for Meenan (ht), B McGuigan for Mulgrew (55 mins), P Donnelly (0-1) for Cavlan (60 mins).

2007 NFL Division One, round one, Croke Park

Tyrone 0-11 Dublin 0-10

The first official floodlight game was played in the proper spirit and in front of 81,678 – the highest attendance for a football league fixture.

The game itself was marked by a Dublin collapse of sorts. Leading 0-7 to 0-2 at the break, then newcomer Diarmuid Connolly was causing Tyrone plenty of problems – although this was short-lived. Tyrone responded in the second half with points from Owen Mulligan and Ray Mulgrew, before Dublin hit a fatal 15-minute scoring drought during which time Tyrone won the match. Three points without reply swung the game in Tyrone’s favour. They had trailed for 63 minutes, yet inflicted another heavy psychological defeat on Dublin – to add to their All-Ireland semi-final collapse against Mayo the previous summer.

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry (0-1), N O’Shea, P Griffin; P Casey, C Moran, G Brennan; D O’Mahony, D Magee (0-1); D Murray, A Brogan (0-1), D Connolly (0-3); D O’Callaghan (0-2), K Bonner (0-1), C Keaney (0-1). Subs: S Ryan for Magee (48 mins); B Cullen for O’Mahony (53); B Brogan for O’Callaghan (61 mins); C Goggins for Murray (65 mins).

TYRONE: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C McGinley, M McGee; D Harte, D Carlin (0-1), M Penrose; M Murphy; S Cavanagh (0-2); O Mulligan (0-4), R Mulgrew (0-2), C Cavanagh (0-1); R Mellon, C Donnelly, E McGinley. Subs: C McCullough (0-1) for Donnelly K Hughes for Murphy (both ht); C Gormley for Penrose (46 mins); T McGuigan for McGinley (65 mins).

2008 All-Ireland SF quarter-final, Croke Park

Tyrone 3-14 Dublin 1-8

Dublin had come to the All-Ireland quarter-final in apparently good shape – after hammering Wexford in the Leinster final – and yet were heavily beaten, making it seven losses from eight quarter-final appearances against either Kerry, Armagh or Tyrone when it mattered. Played out in heavy rain, the 12-point defeat also marked the end of Paul Caffrey’s reign as manager.

As a contest it was over early in the second half, as Tyrone went on the rampage, from their resurgent and bearded corner-backs Ciarán Gourley and Ryan McMenamin to the fiery attacks of Davy Harte, Tommy McGuigan and Colm McCullagh. Seán Cavanagh helped himself to 1-2, while Brian Dooher once again defied his age.

Tyrone went on to defeat Kerry again in the All-Ireland final.

TYRONE: J Devine; R McMenamin, Justin McMahon, C Gourley, D Harte (1-1), C Gormley (0-1), P Jordan; C Holmes, E McGinley (0-1); B Dooher (0-3), B McGuigan, Joe McMahon (1-1); T McGuigan (0-2), S Cavanagh (1-2), C McCullagh (0-3). Subs: M Penrose for T McGuigan (56 mins), D McCaul for Jordan (62 mins), R Mellon for Dooher (64 mins), K Hughes for Holmes (65 mins), O Mulligan for B McGuigan (67 mins).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry, R McConnell, P Griffin, C Moran, B Cullen, B Cahill (0-1); C Whelan, S Ryan; D Connolly, J Sherlock, K Bonner; A Brogan, C Keaney (1-1), T Quinn (0-2). Subs: B Brogan (0-3) for A Brogan (6 mins), P Casey for Connolly (47 mins), M Vaughan (0-1) for Sherlock (53 mins), B McManamon for Quinn (53 mins), E Fennell for McConnell (62).

2009 NFL Division One, round one, Croke Park

Tyrone 1-18 Dublin 1-16

Another historic game – this time to kick-off the GAA’s 125th celebrations – brought out the best in both teams on a cold night night in Croke Park. It took two late scores from Seán Cavanagh and one gem of a score from Stephen O’Neill to seal the points for Tyrone, after Dublin’s brave second-half comeback under new manager Pat Gilroy. O’Neill stole the show, kicking 0-8 in a superb man-of-the-match display.

TYRONE: J Devine; M Swift, Justin McMahon, M McGee; D Harte, R McMenamin, P Jordan; E McGinley, A Cassidy; T McGuigan (0-1), C McCullagh (0-3), Joe McMahon (0-1); S O’Neill (0-8), S Cavanagh (0-4), O Mulligan (1-1). Subs: PJ Quinn for M McGee (57 mins), K Hughes for A Cassidy (62 mins), M Penrose for C McCullagh, C Cavanagh for T McGuigan (66 mins), C Holmes for C Cavanagh (67 mins).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; P Andrews, D Bastick, A Hubbard; B Cullen, G Brennan (0-1), B Cahill; R McConnell, C Whelan (0-1); J Brogan, D Henry (0-1), T Diamond; C Keaney (0-5), J Sherlock (0-2), B Brogan (1-5). Subs: S Ryan for R McConnell (20 mins), P Flynn (0-1) for S Ryan (46 mins), K Bonner for T Diamond (52 mins), B McManamon for J Brogan (65 mins).

2010 All-Ireland SF quarter-final, Croke Park

Dublin 1-15 Tyrone 0-13

At last a memorable quarter-final display from Dublin over what had now become the old enemy. As a contest it was close throughout, but ultimately deciding by Dublin’s more clinical finishing compared to Tyrone’s 17 wides. Dublin led by 0-6 to 0-2 after 22 minutes, before Tyrone scored five unanswered points to lead by one. They also led by 0-8 to 0-7 at half-time and by 0-10 to 0-8 after 41 minutes before Dublin put on a spurt.

They went back in front 0-13 to 0-11 after 54 minutes, but Tyrone equalised again 10 minutes later before the match-winning score arrived in the 65th minute when Eoghan O’Gara scored Dublin’s goal, and they added two more points to win by five.

DUBLIN: S Cluxton (0-1); M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon (0-1); B Cahill, G Brennan, K Nolan; M Dara Macauley (0-1), R McConnell; N Corkery, A Brogan (0-1), B Cullen (0-1); D Henry, E O’Gara (1-0), B Brogan (0-9). Subs: P Flynn for Henry (36 mins); C O’Sullivan for Cahill, E Fennell for Corkery (42 mins); C Keaney (0-1) for Alan Brogan, A Brogan for Cullen (63 mins).

TYRONE: P McConnell; C McCarron, J McMahon, R McMenamin; D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan (0-2); C Cavanagh, K Hughes; B Dooher, B McGuigan (0-1), Joe McMahon; M Penrose (0-5), S Cavanagh, O Mulligan (0-5). Subs: D Carlin for McCarron (24 mins) S O’Neill for Davy Harte (half-time); E McGinley for Hughes (60 mins), P Harte for Penrose (63 mins).

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics