End of an era for Dublin as limitations exposed again

ALL-IRELAND SFC QUARTER-FINAL TYRONE v DUBLIN: TYRONE EMPHATICALLY shredded the form book in Croke Park on Saturday and in the process tore asunder Dublin's aspirations. The manner of the Ulster county's victory was accurately reflected on the scoreboard; they were by no means flattered by the final margin.

Dublin were desperately poor, producing a performance that might charitably be described as lethargic. They lacked the authority and bounce of their recent matches.

To compound their problems, they lost virtually all the personal duels. Stephen Cluxton, Shane Ryan and Bernard Brogan were maybe the only players in blue beyond reproach. Perhaps the most glaring disparity between the teams was how their skills held up in the rain and wind.

Tyrone looked and played like natural footballers, adapting easily to the demands of the day. Dublin, while physically strong and athletic, demonstrated that power and pace are not necessarily enough against a highly-skilled football team.

The Dubs simply could not accurately perform the rudiments of the game, kicking ball sloppily over the sideline or endline and once again, early in the contest, they missed some basic scoring opportunities.

The low point during that period was probably the two-on-one in front of the Tyrone goal when Tomás Quinn somehow contrived to butcher a routine pass to Diarmuid Connolly. It was a metaphor for Dublin's obvious unease on the day.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte deserves credit for his tactical acumen. He got it right in terms of personnel and game plan. The team were comfortable with what they had to do. The key to their success was the selfless running of players to support the ball-carrier going forward and to swarm back in defence when Dublin had the ball.

It came down to constant movement, intelligent, unselfish running and a willingness to back each other up in defence. Tyrone attacked as a team and they defended as a team. Their ability to interchange positions mesmerised Dublin.

The Dublin defenders were far too loose, not getting close enough to their men and guilty at times of ball watching. This meant that they were forced to lunge into tackles and consequently lost their footing time and again. They were juvenile errors.

In contrast, the Tyrone backs were far tighter to their men, shown in the number of times Dublin forwards spilled ball - they were getting man and ball at the same time. Kevin Bonner, Jason Sherlock and Connolly were largely anonymous, too easily marked and unable to contribute anything. Quinn was also fairly peripheral.

Why Bernard Brogan did not start is known only to Paul Caffrey. He is a more naturally gifted footballer than anyone else in the Dublin forwards - he showed it on Saturday - with the possible exception of his brother Alan, the loss of whom after just five minutes was a big blow. I felt Caffrey should have started Mark Vaughan too.

The Tyrone forwards lost their markers at will to gain time and space on the ball. They showed excellent control in the wet and a good awareness of running lines. Tommy McGuigan's deft, left-footed pass for Joe McMahon's goal was a classic example.

Brian Dooher was afforded the freedom of Croke Park. He wasn't closed down at all and had a huge influence on the game. It beggared belief that Dublin did not man-mark him tighter. The Ulster team flooded the midfield, breaking ball and then latching on to it. They moved the ball at speed, sweeping forward in numbers and invariably creating time and space to knock over points or, on three occasions, waltz in for goals.

There is a great understanding and trust in this Tyrone team. If a half back gets forward he knows he doesn't have to worry about losing possession because a colleague will be there to cover for him. Davy Harte's goal was a classic example of a defender supporting the attack through intelligent movement, secure in the knowledge he won't be leaving a gap behind him.

This defeat will be a huge eye-opener for Dublin and should be a concern for whoever succeeds Caffrey as manager. Dublin's skills were poor. Physique and fitness will get a team so far but you won't win an All-Ireland without the required skills base.

Dublin's lack of consistent underage success would be a concern. In Kerry a player is spotted first for his skills - not physique, power or pace. Dublin need to get away from this apparent obsession with size and strength, especially since they seem to be neglecting the skills required by players to thrive at this level. Dublin's forward play on Saturday was abysmal. There was no interplay, vision or accuracy.

It would be a pity if great Dublin servants like Sherlock and Ciarán Whelan count this as their last game in a Dublin jersey. Whelan in particular has been one of the outstanding midfielders of the last decade. A new management must start afresh and top of the agenda has to be the nurturing of natural footballers. Finding them will be a challenge.

Tyrone march on, producing their best performance in a couple of years. This game will be a massive confidence fillip and they won't fear anything that lies ahead.