The Red Hands lost their captain and vice-captain to injuries in the first half of Sunday’s Ulster SFC clash against Armagh and went on to lose by one point after extra-time
Malachy O’Rourke said criticism of the Tyrone team “didn’t sit well” with his players as they came agonisingly close to beating Armagh at the Box-It Athletic Grounds on Sunday.
The home side were odds-on favourites on the basis that they had a strong League campaign in Division One whereas the Red Hands picked up just five points in a disappointing Division Two campaign.
However, the League form went out the window as the two teams traded blows in a pulsating Ulster SFC dogfight that almost went all the way to a penalty shootout.
That was probably the least Tyrone deserved, but Niall Morgan couldn’t find the target with a last-gasp ’45.
O’Rourke said that he was pleased with the character displayed by his team in the wake of some stinging criticism.
“We knew that the performances during the year weren’t good enough and we weren’t happy with it, but there were different factors playing into that,” stated O’Rourke.
“We were determined to come here today and put on a big performance. We had a number of setbacks during the game, but we just showed great resilience to bounce back each time. I’m just glad that people showed, a lot of people outside who are critical of a lot of things in the camp, that there’s a bit of faith and a bit of spirit there and a bit of quality there as well.
He added: “It’s just annoying, I suppose, for the group and annoying for the lads involved who are putting serious commitment in.
“But look, that’s the way of the world and we just have to put up with it. But at the end of the day, it was up to us to try and answer that as best we could. At least with regards to the effort and application, I think we couldn’t have asked for any more.”
“I know the character of the lads is there, I know they’re working very hard. It wasn’t sitting well with them, some of the criticism we were getting, but look, we have to take it in the chin and go on. Just disappointed, obviously, we didn’t get the victory out of it.”
The Tyrone boss added that Darragh Canavan picked up a hip flexor injury while the full extent of Brian Kennedy’s injury isn’t known.
“I was just saying that I think some ligament injury. I’m not sure exactly what it is,” O’Rourke said of his captain.
“I think Darragh is possibly a hip flexor. It wasn’t a contact injury. It was more something that he made a pull.
“Again, we’ll just have to wait and see how long they’re out for. Kieran McGeary I think was more a dead leg. It should clear up that wee bit quicker.
“We’ve a mounting injury list. We’ve a couple of lads who weren’t able to talk out today. I suppose the break will do us good from that point of view.”
Kieran McGeeney, meanwhile, was relived to see his side progress, admitting it wasn’t Armagh’s “finest day” while he also questioned how Tyrone were completely written-off in the build-up.
“I’ve been watching football for almost 40 years now. I’ve yet to see Tyrone put out a bad team,” said McGeeney.
“A bit like Kerry last year, you always have to be careful who’s writing the stories.
I think when we were 7-1 up, we stopped playing well. We started getting sloppy. We just gave the ball away a lot.
“Didn’t test them at different times but you have to give credit to them. They were able to slow the game down, get vital scores at different times. A couple of two-pointers. It’s not our finest day but credit has to be given to Tyrone too. They came here, written off and fought and fought.”
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