Former Tyrone star Peter Canavan believes his native county will rue Sunday's Ulster SFC defeat to Donegal, with the Tír Chonaill men failing to hit the heights achieved a week earlier in their shock win over league kingpins Derry.
Donegal proved profligate in front of the posts at Celtic Park, registering 15 wides in a tight game at Celtic Park, but Canavan opined that playing a second extra-time encounter in as many weeks, allied to injuries and a depleted bench, impacted Tyrone's ability to capitalise on chinks in Donegal's armour.
The two sides were level on nine occasions, with Jim McGuinness's charges eventually prevailing by 0-18 to 0-16 after the match had finished 0-14 apiece in normal time.
"The Cavan boys had something to do with that last week, the fact that the game did go to extra-time," the RTÉ analyst told viewers of The Sunday Game. "And not only that, we had two players injured, one last week and another during training this week.
"That meant that our bench was weakened, and the bench needed to be used much better today than it was because a lot of those Tyrone players, I thought from half-time on, you could see the difference.
"A number of the Tyrone players were beginning to tire badly and it gave Donegal the impetus to drive forward.
"So from a Tyrone perspective, immense disappointment. Donegal were built up after last week, it was a great chance to get at them, and I don't think they played anywhere near the level that they played last week against Derry.
"When Tyrone reflect and look back on that, it will be one that they definitely let slip.
"They were in really good positions at different times in the game – half-time, midway through the second half, even in extra-time. Their game management at key times let them down and it has cost them a place in the Ulster final."
Peter Canavan felt Tyrone 'were in really good positions at various stages' against Donegal while @CianMackey added that Tyrone teams of the past would not have 'let teams back in' after building up an advantage #rtegaa #thesundaygame pic.twitter.com/oF9QQU2yPl
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 28, 2024
Canavan's fellow pundit Cian Mackey identified a worrying recent pattern for all associated with the Red Hands, namely an uncharacteristic inability to preserve and build on leads.
The former Breffni men forward said: "They were eight points up against Cavan. They let Cavan back into the game.
"They went into the second half three points up, let Donegal back in, went back three points up again and let Donegal back in.
"Tyrone teams don't do that in general. So there's definitely something a wee bit wrong in Tyrone at the minute."
Watch the Munster Football Championship final, Kerry v Clare, and the Connacht Football Championship final, Galway v Mayo, on Sunday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch the Munster Football Championship final, Kerry v Clare, on Sunday from 1.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch the Connacht Football Championship final, Galway v Mayo, on Sunday from 3.40pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
