DUBLIN’S knockout blow was always coming – and Tyrone landed it as Dessie Farrell quit as boss after last night’s All-Ireland quarter-final at Croke Park.
Six All-Irelands in a row in 2020 and a magnificent last dance under the Na Fianna man in 2023 have been followed by back to back All-Ireland quarter-final exits.
The Sky Blues have been on the ropes all summer. Last year it was Galway, this time it was Tyrone – who edged an arm-wrestle to reach their first semi-final since going all the way in 2021.
The glory days were always going to end, and last night it felt like they were firmly over after Farrell stood down as manager.
A masterclass from Red Hand stalwart Kieran McGeary was vital along with five two-pointers to Dublin’s none as McGeary, Peter Teague and Peter Harte on the double all raised first half orange flags.
But the Sky Blues folded when the chips were down. When questions were asked, only Tyrone gave answers as Farrell’s men misfired with 10 wides and only scored 0-16 from 30 scoring chances.
Cormac Costello spurned big goal opportunities at the start of each half as their night never really sparked.
The Dubs faithful came in hope more than expectation. Hill 16 rarely found voice, and the old terrace slowly emptied the more Tyrone choked the game.
When Luke Breathnach’s score got them back within a point on 64 minutes, the trademark Dublin surge never came.
Tyrone stood up to the mark instead as Ben McDonnell and the Canavans split the posts to banish the Blues and Morgan’s two-pointer just before the hooter iced the cake.
Con O’Callaghan was thrown into the fray with a strapped hamstring but not even he could save them, as they only managed 0-6 in a shocking second half performance.
Tyrone led 0-11 to 0-10 after an arm-wrestle of a first half, but it was far off the classics these two served up in their gripping All-Ireland quarter-finals 20 years ago.
Eoin Murchan peeled away from Darragh Canavan to carve open the Red Hand defence after just three minutes, but Costello failed to punish them as his low drive flashed wide.
Morgan got a hand to it and Stephen Cluxton converted the 45, but an error-ridden game unfolded from here.
The Red Hands made hay on two-pointers all the same, as the Canal end of Croker seemed to suck the long rangers over the bar.
McGeary and Teague lashed over from outside the arc before Harte did it twice.
His first orange flag sent his men 0-6 to 0-3 in front, but a rare burst of Dublin intensity minus O’Callaghan – who did not start – clawed them level.
Brian Howard pounced on a loose ball for Costello to fire over before the lively Brian O’Leary followed suit when Niall Devlin was caught in possession for Tyrone, and the Na Fianna man soon doubled his tally.
The first 20 minutes were end to end, but the damp and dreary weather started sapping the energy from the game.
Harte’s second boomer flung Tyrone ahead again before Davy Byrne’s brilliant block denied them a goal when Mattie Donnelly played Rory Brennan through.
Costello was fouled and made it 0-9 apiece from the resulting free to take his tally to 0-5.
But the Dubs had four wides and as many shots dropped short at that stage as their shooting really let them down.
Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne had an epic midfield tussle with Brian Kennedy, and managed to squirm free from the Tyrone skipper to feed Killian McGinnis in front of the Hill to score.
Darren McCurry had the final say of the half after the hooter, and it was anyone’s game with just a point in it at the break.
But slowly but surely, Tyrone wore them down. Another sliding doors moment arrived when Ó Cofaigh-Byrne played Costello in and Rory Brennan slipped – but again the Whitehall man missed the target.
Brian Howard flashed another two-point effort wide, and Tyrone smelt blood as Ruairí Canavan, Ciarán Daly and Niall Devlin gave them daylight at 0-14 to 0-11.
O’Callaghan entered the fray to the roar of the day, and waved his magic wand when he sent Mattie Donnelly out for a hotdog and fired over.
But that was it from Dublin’s king, who almost had a goal when Luke Breathnach tried to find him at the back post but Morgan flung himself the ball before it got there.
And the wides kept coming as Howard, Sean Bugler and Con all missed before Eoin McElholm danced around Kilkenny and pointed at the other end to pull Tyrone two clear again.
Breathnach got Dublin’s last of the game, and Cluxton was the next to miss when his two-point effort failed after Howard was fouled.
Tyrone found another gear, helped when Ruairí Canavan entered the fray to score 0-2.
His second when he stole it off Howard summed up Dublin’s night of misery.
Morgan’s two-point free sparked a mass blue exodus – from fans to Farrell.
It was an ugly way to bow out, but they only had themselves to blame given their poor shooting and lack of intensity – which were staples of all their success.
Dublin cemented themselves as the greatest team of all when they romped to five on the bounce under Jim Gavin, before Farrell added two to his name as boss.
But back to back last eight exits and their shock Leinster SFC loss to Meath leaves far more questions than answers in the big smoke with a new manager on the horizon and Cluxton likely to call it quits this time.
The party goes on without them – and Tyrone are invited after a four-year semi-final absence.
DUBLIN 0-16
TYRONE 0-23
TYRONE: N Morgan 0-3, 1tpf, 1 45; C Quinn, P Hampsey, N Devlin 0-1; P Teague 0-2tp, R Brennan, K McGeary 0-2tp; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O’Donnell, M Donnelly, C Daly 0-2; D McCurry 0-2, 1f, P Harte 0-4, 2tp, D Canavan 0-3.
Subs: M O’Neill for O’Donnell 10mins (blood); B McDonnell 0-1 for Brennan 44, E McElholm 0-1 for McCurry 52, A Clarke for Quinn 56, C Meyler for Teague 59 (blood), R Canavan 0-2 for Harte 63, M O’Neill for McGeary 68
DUBLIN: S Cluxton 0-1 45; E Murchan, D Byrne, S MacMahon; B Howard, J Small, L Gannon; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne, K McGinnis 0-1; S Bugler, C Kilkenny 0-1, N Scully 0-1; P Small 0-2, C Costello 0-6, 2f, B O’Leary 0-2.
Subs: C Murphy for McGinnis 44mins; C O’Callaghan 0-1 for O’Leary 50, L Breathnach 0-1 for Scully 57, T Lahiff for Ó Cofaigh Byrne 59, McGarry for Bugler 65, T Clancy for Murchan 68
REFEREE: D Coldrick (Meath)
