CAUGHT RED HANDED

Dubs guilty of an error-strewn display & Tyrone make them pay

- BY PADDY TIERNEY

TYRONE are back in the last four of the All-Ireland Championship for the first time since 2021 following a gutsy seven-point Croke Park victory over Dublin.

The game proved to be Dessie Farrell's last as he stepped down after six seasons in charge of the Dubs.

It was a reign that yielded All-Ireland titles in 2020 and 2023.

Although the winning margin flattered Tyrone, the Dubs never led in the second half and missed several goal chances during a cagey, error-strewn contest. The pace and impact from the Tyrone bench proved vital in the closing stages with Eoin McElholm, Ben McDonnell and Ruairi Canavan (two) helping the Red Hands over the line before Niall Morgan's two-point free put the gloss on it.

The big news before throw-in was that Con O'Callaghan was deemed not fit enough to start with Brian O'Leary also replacing Lorcan O'Dell.

Peter Harte was drafted in for Mark Bradley for the Red Hands and he was among a plethora of two-point scorers for his side as they made a strong start at GAA headquarters.

Darren McCurry took a quick free to Kieran McGeary and the former Footballer of the Year raised the first of four orange flags for Tyrone in the opening half.

His half-back colleague Peter Teague quickly added another before Harte’s two-pointer put Tyrone 0-6 to 0-3 ahead after 10 minutes.