By Barry O'Donnell
And so Tyrone's whistle-stop 'back-door' tour secures a third booking, with a Croke Park date on Saturday afternoon against Mayo in Round Three of the Qualifiers their latest assignment. (Throw-in 4pm)
Having accounted for Leinster opposition on successive Saturdays, Micky Harte's charges will be looking to maintain that winning momentum in Dublin at the hands of the dangerous westerners and continue their quest to reach the latter stages of the All-Ireland race.
The Red Hands whirlwind schedule right now gives the management little time to ponder on the strengths and weaknesses of recent performances let alone scrutinise and plot the downfall of upcoming opposition.
Westmeath's stubborn resistance in Omagh last Saturday afternoon, even with just thirteen men in the last quarter, was to be expected and while Tyrone toiled for long periods, they eventually took the spoils in an efficient if not enterprising fashion.
Even the dynamic Dubs have struggled to wrest clear of the vice-like grip imposed by the Lake County in their two clashes this season, such is the tenacity and defensive discipline of Tomas O'Flaherta's troops.
Harte therefore will be content to have overcome such an obdurate hurdle, no matter about the lack of aesthetic quality, and the Errigal man will also be relieved to hear that Sean Cavanagh's injury is not as bad as first feared.
Tyrone's talisman was stretchered off just over half an hour into the hard-earned win having landed awkwardly as he challenged Denis Glennon in the lead-up to the Westmeath goal. There was concern he had seriosuly damaged his neck, which was supported by a brace but after a hospital scan it was discovered that he had merely sustained whiplash and heavy facial bruising.
However Cavanagh's brother, Colm, who replaced him as first half substitute, will definitely miss this weekend's clash after dislocating his shoulder.
On the back of two fairly solid victories, the Tyrone line-up is unlikely to witness any significant alterations for Sunday, even if the introduction of Joe McMahon around the middle in the second period against Westmeath helped to swing the possession stakes back in favour of the home side.
With players of the physique, athleticism and big match experience of James Nallen, David Heaney and captain Ronan McGarrity operating amid the centre field sector for Mayo, it will be an area where Tyrone will need to impose themselves, though Harte will be taking encouragement from the blossoming midfield partnership between Enda McGinley and Ryan Mellon.
The forward unit spluttered somewhat on Saturday, aside from a few cameo moments of class and pedigree from the McGuigan brothers which ultimately made the difference, but given Mayo's traditional emphasis on positive attacking football, Tyrone's own marksmen should have a bit more space to exploit on Sunday if on their game.
Further back the defence more or less picks itself at present and even if young PJ Quinn did endure a torrid first half hour initially against the marauding Denis Glennon, the Moortown lad displayed more composure and command as the contest unfolded.
Another plus point is Justin McMahon's steady, unfussy progress guarding the edge of his own square but again the Omagh player and his defensive colleagues, must be on their toes against a Mayo attack which on its day, with the likes of the Mortimer brothers firing on all cylinders, can be as explosive as any team in the country.
This will be Tyrone's third competitive outing since Saturday July 19, and fifth in total of the season, whereas in stark contrast the westerners have only played two Championship matches over the last couple of months and one of those was a cakewalk over woeful Sligo. Whether the Red Hands will benefit from having a greater competitive edge as a result of this congested period of games or Mayo capitalise on a superior freshness from resting up, only time will tell.
Mayo are themselves hoping to bounce back from the disappointment of missing out on the Connacht title against arch rivals Galway earlier this month in the provincial decider but John O'Mahony's mercurial charges are capable of anything.
The stirring 2006 All-Ireland semi-final comeback triumph over Dublin, after trailing by eight points, demonstrated them at their vibrant thrilling best, yet lamentable collapses to Kerry in the 2004 and '06 Sam Maguire showdowns, underlined their maddening inconsistency. So will Tyrone come up against Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?
The counties have clashed regularly in the league over the past decade (most recently at Healy Park in April when the home side prevailed 0-15 to 0-13). However the last two Championship clashes between the counties both ended in victories for Mayo, the 1989 All-Ireland semi-final and more recently the 2004 All-Ireland quarter-final.
Four years ago the Connacht men, then managed by John Maughan, ended Tyrone's reign as All-Ireland champions with a richly deserved 0-16 to 1-9 victory playing with a level of confidence that has rarely been seen from Mayo teams at GAA headquarters in the past. There has been a few notable changes in terms of personnel within the camp since that famous triumph and probably the most high-profile absentee at present is bleach-haired playmaker Kieran McDonald who has had a very public spat with O'Mahony.
A quick glance at the beaten provincial finalists that Tyrone could have been paired with suggest that they should be reasonably pleased with Sunday's televised draw, despite Mayo's proud tradition and history. Certainly Wexford were widely regarded as the 'weak link' on the back of their annihilation against Dublin in the Leinster showpiece, while Kerry were the short straw whom no-one wanted. Mayo stood somewhere in between.
All four of this weekend's Round Three Qualifiers matches are to be played at Croke Park, and have a significant Ulster involvement. Tyrone's game on Saturday will be preceded by the meeting of Down and Wexford (2pm), while on Sunday the double bill features Kildare against Fermanagh and then Monaghan up against Kerry.
