Tyrone must try and emulate the ruthlessness of the all-conquering Dublin side if they are to hold on to their Ulster and All-Ireland titles according to goalkeeper Niall Morgan.
The Red Hands got their 2022 Championship campaign off to a winning start with a workmanlike showing as they defeated Fermanagh by seven points in Brewster Park last Saturday night.
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Fermanagh had led by three points at one stage in the first half, but Conor Meyler’s goal before the break moved Tyrone into a lead they never lost.
Substitute Liam Rafferty added a second goal for Tyrone, but the hosts struck for two late goals via Josh Largo Ellis and Conall Jones.
Conor McKenna was also controversially sent off in the closing stages for Tyrone, who have indicated their intention to seek a hearing for the Eglish clubman ahead of their forthcoming quarter-final clash with Derry in Omagh on Sunday week.
“That is where we definitely have to get better. For want of a better word, the professional side of things need to be improved,” stated Morgan.
“Whenever Dublin were on top they kept that up for the full game and didn't allow the opposition a sniff.
“They were ruthless and that's what we have to be in terms of finishing games out and not letting teams back into it and put a better gloss on the scoreline.
“In fairness it's best to take them on board now. If Fermanagh had stopped playing with 15 minutes to go we wouldn't have any learning to take from the second half in particular.
“The way the game was played was ideal for us. We learned from the game whereas if we had went out and Fermanagh had sat back and laid down, nobody would have learned anything.
“Fermanagh will have seen how they got joy against us and Derry will take encouragement from that too. It's up to us to take it on board, those mistakes, and be ready for the next day.”
Playing an extra game in the preliminary round in the most competitive of the four provincial Championships isn’t ideal and Tyrone will look to up their performance considerably for the challenge of Derry in the next round.
Yet, Morgan feels the extra game time might be of benefit to the Red Hands, who have now won their last three competitive outings following a stuttering start to their 2022 season.
“You don't like being the first team out but whenever you get the win you don’t mind," said Morgan.
"We have got a game under our belts. We are moving forward.
“We had a strong finish to the League as well. But it's good to get the Championship season going.
“That is what everybody looks forward to and hopefully the weather picks up too and we can have an enjoyable few weeks to look forward to.”
The Edendork clubman also expressed his hope of a swift resolution to the ongoing expenses dispute between the GAA and the GPA, but added that limiting panel sizes to 32 remains the biggest issue.
"It's not just the mileage. That is a sub-issue,” added Morgan.
“The biggest issue is the 32 man panel problem. At least with the mileage question everybody is being treated the same.
“At least now the conversation is happening whereas beforehand that wasn't the case.
“The way it works is that the GAA puts forward a charter and the GPA have to agree to it before it is sent out.
“The GPA didn't agree to this charter because of the inequalities in it. The GAA basically said well tough and sent it out anyway.
“So not only did they bypass the GPA who hadn't agreed to it but they also by-passed another part of the protocol which is Dispute Resolution. The fact was they took the law into their own hands so at least now the Dispute Resolution is happening. Once that happens there is only going to be one winner.”
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