Two brilliant second-half goals gave Tyrone a 2-11 to 0-12 victory at Croke Park.

Martin Penrose and Peter Harte found the net for the winners, who were inspired by a Man of the Match performance from Owen Mulligan. Superb Tyrone notched 2-8 in the second half as they taught Kildare a footballing lesson.

The O'Neill County rolled back the years with a vintage display after the interval, having been outclassed in the opening period.

Looking ominously powerful, Kildare dominated the second quarter to lead by 0-6 to 0-3 at the break, with Tomas O'Connor and Mikey Conway particularly effective. Tyrone had started purposefully, leading by 0-2 to no score as Stephen O'Neill showed well in the opening minutes, but the Leinster county took control and reeled off five-in-row to leave the O'Neill men floundering at the break.

A disappointing crowd turned out at Croker in the rain for this opening game of the 2012 national football league - the first part of a double-header also boasting Dublin V Kerry.

Tyrone - wearing all red - made three changes to their starting team with Conor Clarke, Sean O'Neill and Aidan Cassidy all in from the beginning. James Kavanagh and the impressive Mikey Conway both posted early misses for the Short Grass County, one dropping short and one flying wide

At the other end, in the third minute, Tyrone captain Stephen O'Neill showed the way as he turned to float over the first score of the day, an excellent point into Hill 16. A good start from Mickey Harte's men, who just had six of the players in action who featured in last summer's All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Dublin at this venue.

Kildare - who were the Lilygreens today - were awarded a sixth-minute free 40 yards out when Tomas O'Connor was fouled and Conway failed to make it count with his left boot. The profligate shooting was contagious as Martin Penrose also missed one for the O'Neill County a couple of minutes later.

Padraig O'Neill added another Kildare wide on ten minutes - no return from five attempts for Kieran McGeeney's men. When Stephen O'Neill converted a twelfth-minute free after a foul on Owen Mulligan, the Ulster County's advantage was doubled - but the 2005 Footballer of the Year missed his next effort 30 seconds later.

Pascal McConnell ended up in possession again at the end of Kildare's next attack. Both defences were on top in the early stages as the players struggled to cope with the slippery conditions. But targetman O'Connor drew another foul from Peter Hughes and this time Eoghan O'Flaherty popped the ball between the posts from 13 metres.

Eighteen minutes in, Conway tapped over a routine free from close range to make it level scores, 0-2 apiece. Sean O'Neill was having an influential evening for the Red Hands but Kildare were back on terms and their fans were encouraged as the talismanic Johnny Doyle was thrown into the fray after 20 minutes - his first appearance of the year.

All Star Peter Kelly raided forward and fisted the Leinster county ahead for the first time after Michael Murphy shipped a heavy knock from O'Connor. And corner forward Padraig O'Neill eschewed a goal chance as he blasted a fourth Kildare score over the bar with McConnell narrowing the angles effectively: 0-4 to 0-2.

Peter Hughes registered Tyrone's fifth wide in the 26th minute when he hooked his shot a couple of feet off target and, worryingly for them, they had gone 15 minutes without a score. Meanwhile, Conway's second score and rapidly-improved Kildare's fifth in succession made it a three-point match.

Clarke's heavy tackle on Alan Smith drew a few gasps from the soggy spectators and Tyrone were completely out of sorts, turning over a lot of ball from unforced errors. Mulligan converted a free to give them their first score in 20 minutes and Mickey Harte introduced a couple of subs from the bench - including Ronan O'Neill, donning 27 - in an effort to spark his team to life.

Strong and determined, Kildare's go-to man O'Connor was winning a lot of ball and he drew yet another free, which Conway clipped nonchalantly over the bar to extend the Kildare men's half-time lead to double scores, 0-6 to 0-3.

Stephen O'Neill dropped a 35-metre free short four minutes after the restart, following a Brian Flanagan indiscretion, but the same player redeemed himself with an excellent score from play when his marker Kelly was caught out of position.

Suddenly, Tyrone hit the front. Moving the ball at pace and with conviction, Peter Harte placed Penrose, who finished to the net in the 41st minute: 1-4 to 0-6. Game On! The evergreen Doyle brilliantly drilled over the equaliser within seconds - a magnificent score from the Kildare legend.

Ronan O'Neill placed Mulligan and the Tyrone stalwart put the O'Neill County back in front before the former added another - 1-6 to 0-7 and clearly there was still life in Tyrone!

At the Hill 16 end, Padraig O'Neill delivered the next exceptional score - another stunning point - and Kieran McGeeney now replaced Smith with Eamonn Callaghan. Conway and O'Connor almost conspired to conjure a Kildare goal but Pascal McConnell thwarted them only for Eoghan O'Flaherty to drive a beautiful '45'over the bar to level the scores again, 1-6 to 0-9.

Kildare goalkeeper Shane Connolly also did well under pressure after a skied kick from Penrose and Kildare lost full back Ciaran Fitzpatrick to a hand injury (replaced by Morgan O'Flaherty) moments before Conway dropped over another classy free off the outside of his boot to put Kildare back in front after 51 minutes.

Corner back Damien McCaul burst through the Kildare defence to point as Tyrone went toe-to-toe with their opponents, that point culminating from a short Mulligan free. Kildare followed up with a Kavanagh miss.

Then came another brilliant Tyrone goal, this one finished to the net by brave centre back Peter Harte, who surged through to finish in style after a sumptuous pass by the wonderful Mulligan - a lethal combination of youth and experience: 2-7 to 0-10.

Back on his favourite stomping ground, Mulligan added another great point to put the northerners four ahead with eleven minutes left. What a recovery from Mickey Harte's men!

Niall McKenna - son of Eugene - came into the action and Hugh McGrillen's foul on Mulligan presented Stephen O'Neill with a routine free, which he measured to perfection to make it 2-9 to 0-10. And veteran attacker O'Neill added another as Tyrone's second-half tally rose to 2-7. They were now six points ahead, 2-10 to 0-10. Kildare didn't know what had hit them!

Stephen O'Neill somehow missed a glorious goal chance at the end of another excellent Tyrone move, hitting the green flag, and Conway replied with his fifth point at the other end. And a Conway free reduced the margin to four with three minutes left.

Tommy O'Neill fired a left-footed shot wide of goal from 22 yards after a good pass from the industrious O'Connor and Tyrone threw in Sean Cavanagh for the last few minutes. O'Connor next picked out Callaghan but Kildare missed another great goal chance.

Three minutes of injury time were to be added and Ryan McMenamin came in for the closing seconds as the Ulster representatives held on gamely to their lead. Mark Donnelly tapped over a late, late insurance point for the victors and the final whistle sounded after five additional minutes.

Tyrone - P McConnell; A McCrory, C Clarke, PJ Quinn; C McCarron, P Harte (1-0), Sean O'Neill; M Murphy, A Cassidy; Mattie Donnelly, P Hughes, M Penrose (1-0); O Mulligan (0-3), Mark Donnelly (0-1), Stephen O'Neill (0-5). Subs: D McCaul (0-1) for Quinn, R O'Neill (0-1) for Hughes, N McKenna for Cassidy, R McMenamin for Mattie Donnelly.

Kildare - S Connolly; P Kelly (0-1), C Fitzpatrick, O Lyons; B Flanagan, T O'Neill, E O'Flaherty (0-2); D Flynn, R Sweeney; T Moolick, M Conway (0-6), P O'Neill (0-2); J Kavanagh, T O'Connor, A Smith. Subs: J Doyle (0-1) for Moolick, H McGrillen for Flanagan, E Callaghan for Smith, M O'Flaherty for Fitzpatrick, R Kelly for Flynn. Tweet

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