Two of this season's most disappointed senior managers have positioned themselves to earn consolation at under-21 level. Tommy Lyons's Dublin eliminated All-Ireland champions Tyrone at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday and will meet Galway, managed by John O'Mahony in the All-Ireland final next month.
It was an impressive display from Dublin, apart from a final-quarter flit when they appeared to have declared like a cricket team. Duly invited, Tyrone made a game dash for the deficit, which at one stage stood at seven points - 1-12 to 0-5 - and succeeded in getting it down to four before referee Pat McEnaney, a late replacement for Roscommon's Gerry Kinneavy, whistled it up.
The victory, before 5,000 spectators, which sets up the county's first final at this grade in 22 years, was built on a strong performance around the middle, lively forward play and some fine score-taking.
The county's hurlers will have mixed feelings at the news that their most prodigious talent, Conal Keaney, ended up with four points from play and may find his talents at the centre of the sort of tug-of-love that is generally won by the senior football team.
In the matter of the frees, Mossie Quinn, the St Vincent's shootist initially belied his reputation as a prospective prince of place-kickers. However, heavy rain at the start left the field slippy and a blustering wind made place-kicking difficult. He responded by inventively chipping a close-in free to Keaney who had taken up a better angle and who pointed. After the break, however, Quinn rattled off a three-point sequence from play that broke any lingering promise of a Tyrone comeback.
The Ulster champions, pursuing a third successive All-Ireland, played with the wind in the first half but apart from the busy, bleached head of Eoin Mulligan and Paul Rouse's presence, there were few signs that the advantage was being exploited.
Whereas the deep-lying captain Enda McGinley worked hard throughout Dublin senior Darren Magee was the star at centrefield and the Leinster champions maintained a good flow of possession.
Alan Brogan played exceptionally well, getting onto plenty of ball and using it astutely. In the sixth minute, with Tyrone a point ahead, Brogan created the goal. From the left he placed a precise ball into full forward Graham Cullen who, although well covered by Kieran McCrory, managed to pop the ball to Declan Lally and he finished well to give Dublin a 1-0 to 0-1 lead. Tyrone would trail for the rest of the match.
A succession of well-taken points from Magee, Keaney, Lally and Brogan pushed out Dublin's lead and at half-time they were 1-6 to 0-4 ahead with wind advantage to come.
Although Martin Penrose's free cancelled Keaney's early score, Tyrone had no answer to a string of five points, which put the match beyond them. Their late flurry of activity saw determined attempts from Penrose, Mulligan and McGinley to rescue their title.
They outscored Dublin by 1-4 to 0-1 in the final quarter but the goal came too late - Seán Kavanagh taking advantage of some bumbling defensive work in the 59th minute to drive the ball to the net. But they couldn't make any further inroads.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; N Kane, D Corcoran, P Griffin; P Casey, B Cullen, B Cahill; D Magee (0-1), S Walsh; L Óg Ó hEineachain, C Keaney (0-4), D Lally (1-1); A Brogan (0-1), G Cullen, T Quinn (0-6, one 45, one free). Subs: C Murphy for Walsh (half-time); M Lyons for G Cullen (56); A Cleere for Casey (58); D O'Mahony for Lally (60).
TYRONE: J Devine; F Donnelly, K McCrory, D Carlin; D Harte, M Anderson, J McMahon; P Donnelly, E McGinley (0-2); S McNally, E Mulligan (0-4, three frees), J McGuckin (0-1); M Penrose (0-1, a free), P Rouse, S Cavanagh (1-0). Sub: M Donnelly (0-1) for McGuckin (half-time)
Referee: P McEneaney (Monaghan).
