Tyrone 2-14 Mayo 0-15: Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher vindicate joint approach with final triumph
- Published
'Relief, ecstasy and putting to bed some yesteryears' - Logan on Tyrone's triumph
Tyrone joint-managers Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher insist they were never concerned that their shared position would inhibit the potential of their squad.
Just 10 months after taking charge Logan and Dooher led the Red Hands to a first All-Ireland title in 13 years, stylishly beating Mayo in Saturday's final at Croke Park.
The duo took on the role last November following the departure of legendary boss Mickey Harte after 18 years at the helm.
They had previously shared managerial responsibility for the county's Under-21 set-up, guiding them to an All-Ireland in 2015.
"There were plenty of comments at the time about it," said Logan.
"There was one thing I said at the time, and I read it recently, was that it's a collective. As players and as a team you rise or fall together, as management you rise or fall together, it [the role of the manager] is overstated in truth when you see the guys in the background that are doing the work.
"We gathered together a backroom team at the start of the year and I said it quietly; that it would take something to stand in the road of the type of men we had gathered together."
Logan, who tasted All-Ireland final defeat as a player in 1995, admitted to having some doubts before taking on the job alongside Dooher.
"Hindsight is always wise, and sometimes in football you have to do the mad thing," he said.
"You have to have an element of that in your head to take it on."
Upon their appointment the pair were quick to add Collie Holmes, Joe McMahon and Peter Donnelly to their backroom team as they set about preparing for the 2021 campaign.
Their journey to All-Ireland glory saw them defeat four Division One sides, more than any other team in this year's competition.
"We know each other well enough and we have a good enough working relationship," said Dooher.
"We don't take each other too seriously to be honest, but it's not about us today. It's about the group of players, and us giving them the opportunity to perform.
"To do that we got a backroom team in there with exceptional coaches."
'On-field game management more important than off-field'
Tyrone's road to lifting the Sam Maguire Cup for the fourth time was far from smooth, with a lukewarm league showing that included a humbling defeat at the hands of Kerry followed by August's Covid-19 outbreak that saw nearly 50% of the squad unable to fully train, and put one player in hospital.
After a dramatic sequence of events saw the semi-final pushed back by two weeks, Tyrone saw off Kerry in extra-time before a clinical display in the final.
The Red Hands led by two at the break against a Mayo side that overturned a six-point half-time deficit in a famous semi-final win over Dublin.
However after Ryan O'Donoghue send an early second half penalty wide, Tyrone took control of the game with goals from Cathal McShane and Darren McCurry allowing them to see out the win with relative comfort.
Dooher and Logan's side controlled the second half of the final having been let off the hook by a Mayo penalty miss
"Today's performance was outstanding, some of the last ditch defending again - the boys have turned it in all year because they're just hardened, streetwise proper defenders going toe-to-toe with their man and that stood to us and gave us a bit of a platform," Logan said.
"Then we got the shooters on and we got the goals. Goals win matches and that's the bottom line.
"On-field game management is so important compared to off-field game management so it's so important for a combination of everything."
Tyrone's win brings Dublin's spell of unprecedented dominance to an end, with the trophy leaving the capital for the first time since 2014.
At the start of the season the Red Hands were, while considered a strong side, not seen as the likeliest team to end the Dubs' domination.
"You want to do as best as you can but you take it one step at a time because there's no point in looking any further," reflected Dooher.
"It may be an old cliche but it's very true."