A look back under the sun The Sunset Grande Hotel, Jamaica - there is no better time or place to be sitting down and reflecting on a hectic 2005. At the time of writing the Tyrone squad are currently relaxing here on this exotic Caribbean island, basking in the glory of All Ireland success- a just reward for our efforts over a long but successful championship campaign. This type of trip does not come around too often and at various stages in the 2005 championship it looked like we could be going on our summer holidays much earlier than expected. In particular our games with Cavan, Armagh and Dublin had us hanging on by our fingernails at times. But a mixture of strong character, luck and no shortage of skill got us through these critical moments. At the start of the championship in 2005 all the talk from the pundits was about the big three - Kerry, Armagh and Tyrone. At the end of the year they can say they weren't far away and if anything the gap between these three and the rest may have widened. Pre-championship it was Armagh setting the pace - their performances in the National League semi-final and final were simply breathtaking. However a couple of stuttering displays against Donegal (draw) and Derry indicated that perhaps they weren't invincible after all. As the year progressed it was much harder to give a qualitative assessment of how good Kerry were. They did not qualify for the National League semi-finals but were winning all their games in the Munster championship with much to spare without ever having to move up a gear. It was hard to ascertain if Kerry were that good or if the opposition was that weak. Either way they were still playing with much confidence and like a team that was fully focused on retaining their All-Ireland crown. After the provincial finals most pundits would have placed Tyrone at the bottom of the 'big three'. The justification for this was simple- we failed to beat Armagh after two games, we were struggling to finish off teams when ahead and we were not a settled team - key positions were still up for grabs. The backdoor system provided Mickey Harte with the opportunity to chop and change and to make the necessary adjustments that would turn our season around. Both the All-Ireland semi-finals were indicative of how Tyrone and Kerry were playing all year. Tyrone had to scrap and fight for every ball. We had to show great resolve to come from behind and win in the dying seconds. Like so many other games last summer we won but only just - we were pushed to the limit. Kerry on the other hand cruised to a facile victory over their near rivals Cork. We still never got a chance to see them play under real pressure. The stage was now set for a Tyrone and Kerry final. The last time these two counties met in the decider was in 1986 when Pat Spillane inspired a famous Kerry comeback. As a 15 year old standing in the Hill that day I envied those Tyrone players. Nineteen years on I would get my chance not only to emulate them but to possibly take it a step further. Like in '86 with so much hype beforehand the game itself seemed to be over in a flash - the fact that the game was so compelling and free flowing no doubt contributed to this. Whilst Kerry played exceptionally well in patches Tyrone performed with more consistency. The fact that we had competed in so many tough games this year stood to us. On the contrary Kerry had not been really tested - they never had to dig too deep. The talk was all the games during the summer would leave us tired. Comparisons were made to Meath in '91 and how they lost in the final after a long campaign. We did not feel tired. Our training was always sharp and ball related. If anything we were peaking for the final. After taking part in ten championship matches, many of them real crackers, the title of All-Ireland champions was well earned by this Tyrone team. Apart from Tyrone, there are other counties that can look back on '05 with some satisfaction. Monaghan and Dublin are the two that made the most progress. Seamus McEnaneys approach has worked wonders for Monaghan. He has got his players playing with fire in their bellies once more and their Division 2 league title will give them great confidence in the year ahead. The Dubs too have made progress under Paul Caffery. They showed character to win Leinster - they hung in and fought when the chips were down - not qualities that I would have attributed to Dublin in recent years. They showed these same traits in their games with Tyrone and much more. In the first game they came from two points down in the final minutes to salvage a draw. In the replay they were eight points down in the second half - they replied with five unanswered points to really rattle Tyrone. Their score taking in these games was of the highest quality and I believe if they can tighten things up at the back then they have the potential to be pushing for All-Ireland honours this year. Wexford and Cavan are counties that will also reflect on 2005 with much optimism and will be looking forward to 2006 with renewed hope. Like so many of our games this summer, the year also ended with its fair share of controversy. The International Rules Series in October provoked much anger and debate. This topic I covered in my last article but despite calls for the abandonment of the series I will expect to see the Aussies on our shores next October. No sooner had this debate fizzled out when it was All Star selection time. Just like the hurling All Stars the football recipients also gave cause for a few eyebrows to be raised. The selection of yours truly at centre half forward came as a surprise to most people and none more so than to myself. In my opinion, the best centre half forward in the country this year by a long distance was Brian Mc Guigan so not hearing his name called out was a major surprise. Like every year the final 15 provokes great debate and like most years you could easily pick another 15 instead. Dublin, Cork, Derry and Galway can all have good arguments as to why no-one from their county received one. Despite receiving eight All Stars, Tyrone can still feel disappointed for the boys that didn't. Enda Mc Ginley for example has been one of our most consistent players this year - in the early part of the season he was our best player! Yet his versatility between forwards/midfield may have resulted in him losing out. It is a fabulous honour to receive an All Star- but it is still an individual award - winning a coveted All Ireland medal will be the highlight of the year for the eight All-Star recipients from Tyrone. The one award that can not be argued about was the player of the year. The GPA and the Vodafone player of the year deservedly went to Stephen O'Neill. Both Colm Cooper and Ryan Mc Menamin were in contention but in 2005 Stevie was in a class of his own. As the year progressed we got used to Stevie making difficult scores look easy. His consistency was remarkable even the odd day when he only scored five or six points supporters would say he had a quiet game. This year Stevie has developed into a real leader. He now revels under pressure and when Tyrone really needed him he stood up. It was a privilege playing alongside him at this stage of his career. I'll not be tempted to say he's at his peak because one of his many qualities is his willingness to learn and improve. He will not be fazed by what people say about him or by winning all the various awards. He just loves playing football and loves playing for Tyrone. I've enjoyed watching from the pitch, now I hope to enjoy watching him from the stands! With the Christmas turkey well and truly digested big plans will be put in place in many counties for the year ahead. Will Stevie O'Neill and Tyrone be as successful in 2006? - time will tell. Jamaica has to be navigated first. With a few of our players still on a 'high' retaining the Sam Maguire will not be easy. We return home on Wednesday 4th January, training resumes 7.30pm on Thursday 5th. That will certainly bring them back down to earth! As for Chris Lawn and myself - Thursday night 7.30pm - What's happening in Coronation Street this weather? Tweet

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