2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final

December 2020 2003 All-Ireland Football Championship final 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Armagh 40px 0–9 Tyrone 40px 0–12 28 September 2003 Croke Park Dublin Brian White (Wexford) 79,391 2002 2004 The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 116th final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC), a Gaelic football tournament. It was held on 28 September 2003 at Croke Park, Dublin, and featured defending champions Armagh against Tyrone. With both finalists located in the northern province of Ulster, this was the first All-Ireland SFC final to be contested by sides from the same province. Tyrone won a first title when the match finished 0–12 – 0–9 in their favour. https://www.gaa.ie/football/news/flashback-2003-all-ireland-sfc-final-tyrone-v-armagh/ Flashback: 2003 All-Ireland SFC Final - Tyrone v Armagh 10 May 2020 GAA.iel 12 May 2020 Competition structure the competition All-Ireland Senior Football Championship county sides County (Gaelic games) Each of the 32 traditional counties of Ireland is represented in the sport by a county team. Apart from Kilkenny, they all participated in the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Teams from the "overseas counties" of London and New York were also involved. Every county team in Ireland is located in one of four provinces; London and New York were allocated to the western province of Connacht for the purpose of this competition. The All-Ireland SFC was preceded by four provincial championships – knock-out competitions contested by county teams in the same province. The four winning teams progressed to the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. The remaining sides, apart from New York, entered the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers, with the last four remaining teams there also contesting the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Then followed the semi-finals, and then the final, Joey Mccann Background the sport and the terminology used in this article Gaelic football thumb|County Armagh (orange) and County Tyrone (red) shown within Ireland|alt=County Armagh and County Tyrone shown within Ireland This was the first final between two counties from the same province;McHugh Michael Ulster's Gaelic glory; Armagh and Tyrone fans begin scramble for tickets to GAA final Belfast Telegraph 1 September 2003 in this case, Ulster. This was only possible because of the qualifying system introduced in the 2001 championship.Regan Claire Ulster exodus - Thousands of fans flood south for epic GAA clash Belfast Telegraph 27 September 2003 Previously, the All-Ireland SFC was only contested by the four winners of the provincial championships, so a final between two counties from the same province was impossible. Tyrone had contested the final in 1986 and 1995 but lost on both occasions, against Kerry and Dublin respectively.Regan Claire History in making as Red and Orange set for throw-in Belfast Telegraph 27 September 2003 Armagh were the defending champions,GAA: Stevie Wonder points the way Belfast Telegraph 23 September 2002 having won their first title the year previously. They had lost the final in 1953 and 1977. No side had won consecutive titles since Cork in 1989 and 1990, while no side from Ulster had done so since Down, who won in 1960 and 1961. Tyrone had already won the 2003 National Football LeagueCampbell John GAA: How's this for the 'other' Tyrone! Belfast Telegraph 7 May 2003 and the year's Ulster Championship,Campbell John GAA: Down in the dumps; Tyrone now turn their eyes to the big prize Belfast Telegraph 21 July 2003 in what was manager Mickey Harte's first year in charge.Major influence from minor days; Sean Moran talks to Mickey Harte about some of the key factors behind Tyrone's first All-Ireland The Irish Times 30 September 2003 22 Routes to the final 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Tyrone progressed directly to the All-Ireland SFC quarter finals as they won the 2003 Ulster Senior Football Championship, through victories against Derry,Campbell John GAA: Red Hand aces in class of their own Belfast Telegraph 26 May 2003 AntrimCampbell John GAA: Red Hand men give rivals slap in the face; Tyrone prove they're a class apart Belfast Telegraph 16 June 2003 and Down. Armagh lost to Monaghan in the preliminary round of the Ulster Senior Football Championship (SFC)Campbell John GAA: Monaghan lap up a feast at Armagh; But Champs eat humble pie Belfast Telegraph 12 May 2003 and therefore entered the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers at the first round. They defeated Waterford,Campbell John GAA: Armagh break losing streak Belfast Telegraph 9 June 2003 Antrim,GAA: Antrim so near and yet so far from shocker Belfast Telegraph 23 June 2003 DublinCampbell John GAA: Orchard warriors put Dubs to sword; Sensational upset has given Armagh hope of Sam again Belfast Telegraph 7 July 2003 and LimerickGAA: Armagh machine rolls over Limerick Belfast Telegraph 21 July 2003 to join Tyrone at the quarter-final stage; the ties were played whilst Tyrone were competing in the latter stages of the Ulster SFC. Sides that had played each other in the provincial championships could not be drawn together in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals but this restriction did not affect Armagh or Tyrone.Campbell John GAA: Ulster sides ask for no final quarter Belfast Telegraph 21 July 2003 Tyrone were drawn against Fermanagh, who had unexpectedly defeated Meath and Mayo in the qualifiers, while Armagh were drawn against Leinster Senior Football Championship winners Laois. Tyrone won their game by 1–21 (24 points) to 0–5.Campbell John GAA: Tyrone are simply on their own; Red Hands look a different class Belfast Telegraph 4 August 2003 Armagh defeated Laois by 0–15 to 0–13, although the sides were level on points on nine occasions.Campbell John GAA: Armagh kept on the Laois; Cool heads see orchard county progress to semis Belfast Telegraph 4 August 2003 Even before Donegal's win over Galway, which meant three of the four semi-finalists were from the province of Ulster, there was intense media speculation about the possibility of an all-Ulster final.Campbell John Galway, Kerry worth watching Belfast Telegraph 8 August 2003 Tyrone's semi-final was against Kerry. Despite their captain Peter Canavan suffering an injury early on, Tyrone won by 0–13 to 0–6.Archer Kenny Red Hand fans can keep on dreaming; Bank of Ireland All-Ireland SFC semi-final: Tyrone. 0-13 Kerry. . .0-6 Irish News 25 August 2003 Much of the match analysis focused on the manner in which it was played.Moran Sean Style will change but fouling must be addressed The Irish Times 27 August 2003 23 It was characterised by persistent fouling (73 frees were awarded in totalHumphries Tom Tyrone's passage far from idyllic The Irish Times 25 August 2003 50) and Tyrone's defensive tactics.Cummiskey Gavin Dragging down the game of football; Gavin Cummiskey looks at a different kind of professionalism that's threatening to dominate the game of Gaelic football The Irish Times 27 August 2003 23 While many commentators expressed frustration about the quality of the game,Moran Sean Another Tyrone man goes on the defensive The Irish Times 26 August 2003 some appreciated the skill with which Tyrone employed their tactics.O'Mahony John Intensity and hunger really something The Irish Times 25 August 2003 51 Mickey Harte countered the criticism by saying: "There's no use in us playing flamboyantly and losing." Donegal were Armagh's opposition in an all-Ulster All-Ireland SFC semi-final. Armagh were behind at half-time,Moran Sean Armagh feed their hunger; Armagh - 2-10, Donegal - 1-9 The Irish Times 1 September 2003 but took advantage of Raymond Sweeney's dismissal just after the interval to finish with a 2–10 (16 points) – 1–9 (12 points) victory. Armagh may have had a larger winning margin had they not amassed 21 wides. A death threat was allegedly made against referee Michael Monahan in the closing minutes.Regan Claire Murder threat against GAA referee probed Belfast Telegraph 3 September 2003 Pre-match Brian White, who had previously refereed two All-Ireland SFC finals, was announced as the match referee in early September.Cummiskey Gavin White to referee final The Irish Times 11 September 2003 21 He had once previously refereed a game between Armagh and Tyrone – an Ulster SFC quarter-final replay in 2002. The final was highly anticipated, particularly as Armagh and Tyrone are neighbouring counties.Red Hand taxi gears up for Sam Maguire's fare Regan Claire Belfast Telegraph 27 September 2003 Police Service of Northern Ireland Deputy Chief Constable Paul Leighton estimated that 40,000 fans would travel from Northern Ireland to Dublin,Police in All-Ireland traffic warning Regan Claire Belfast Telegraph 26 September 2003 despite each competing county only being allocated approximately 10,000 match tickets. Declan Martin, policy director for Dublin Chamber of Commerce, expected the revenue generated in the city as a result of the final to double because two sides from Ulster were involved.Ulster GAA fans' huge cash boost for Dublin Regan Claire Belfast Telegraph 15 August 2003 Road signs in the Pomeroy area were painted in Tyrone colours leading up to the match. This was condemned by the Roads Service, who said the signs would cost thousands of pounds to replace.Call to stop painting road signs Belfast Telegraph 20 September 2003 In Strabane, a sculpture was covered in Tyrone kit.Unionist gets shirty over 'GAA sculpture' Belfast Telegraph 25 September 2003 Ulster Unionist Party councillor for the town, Derek Hussey, responded by saying: "I know it is a unique sporting occasion, an all-British All-Ireland final, but the hysteria that has developed around the whole event is intimidatory to some people." John Boyle, a native of Armagh and owner of Boylesports, expressed an interest in placing a £250,000 bet with nine other businessmen, each of whom would contribute £25,000, on Armagh winning the championship.Bet plan stirs up GAA Khan Frank Belfast Telegraph 8 September 2003 The winnings and the stake would have been given to the Armagh squad.Bookie bets GBP 250,000 Campbell Brian 4 Irish News 8 September 2003 GAA president Seán Kelly denounced the idea: "Playing is a voluntary activity and should have nothing to do with gambling. Such bets put too much pressure on the players and are somewhat obscene." The GAA was also critical of tickets for the final being sold in newspaper columns and on online auction sites.E-touting of final tickets criticised McCann Darran Irish News 12 September 2003 1 Match Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin and Ian Pearson of the Northern Ireland Office were at the match, as were eight family members of victims of the Omagh bombing, who sat in the Hogan Stand as guests of the GAA. Donegal musician Mickey Joe Harte sang Ireland's national anthem, "Amhrán na bhFiann", before the match.McGregor Roddy Singer excited about All-Ireland privilege Irish News 5 September 2003 In the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final, held just before the senior game, Laois and Dublin drew, each side scoring 1–11 (14 points).Roche Pat Murphy makes late call, Dublin 1-11, Laois 1-11 The Irish Times 29 September 2003 The starting line-ups for the senior game were released several days before the match; both sides chose to start with the same fifteen players that had started their respective semi-final wins.Neighbours keep familiar look for showdown Moran Sean The Irish Times 24 September 2003 Peter Canavan had recovered sufficiently from the ankle injury he sustained during Tyrone's semi-finalCanavan on the right road O'Riordan Ian The Irish Times 17 September 2003 to captain them. He was the only player in their starting line-up who had played in the county's last All-Ireland final. Ciaran Gourley, who was also an injury concern for Tyrone, was deemed fit enough to play. Brian McGuigan was suffering from the flu but started. Armagh had no injury concerns and twelve of their starting fifteen had played in the final the previous year – only Paul Hearty, Andy Mallon and Philip Loughran were debutants, Summary Both sides played defensivelyMinor objections to an ugly spectacle Humphries Tom The Irish Times 59 29 September 2003 which led many commentators to bemoan the poor quality of the match.Fitting reward after hard struggle Moran Sean The Irish Times 52 29 September 2003 Beautiful struggle but an awful game Humphries Tom The Irish Times 29 September 2003 50 There were frequent pauses for injuries and accusations of diving. However, some analysts commented on the genuine desire to win both teams displayed. Numerous goal opportunities were missed, most notably by Tyrone, although only a block from Conor Gormley prevented Steven McDonnell from equalising for Armagh in the 68th minute. Tyrone led 0–8 – 0–4 at half-time; five of their points were scored by Peter Canavan from frees. He was replaced during the interval due to a relapse of his ankle injury during training, although he did return to the pitch for the final few minutes. Diarmaid Marsden was controversially sent off in the second half following an off-the-ball incident, leaving Armagh with only fourteen players. Marsden was approached by Philip Jordan. Jordan fell to the ground feigning injury to have his opponent sent off.Breheny Martin Tyrone player mocked Marsden after wrongful dismissal in 2003 final http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/tyrone-player-mocked-marsden-after-wrongful-dismissal-in-2003-final-26782128.html independent.ie 7 January 2014 Marsden was subsequently cleared by Central Council when video evidence proved that Jordan had feigned injury. Armagh managed to stay within two points of Tyrone at times, but were ultimately unable to catch Tyrone. At the final whistle, Tyrone fans invaded the pitch and remained there for an hour.Fifty years on... the dream comes true 5 Irish News 29 September 2003 In his speech after lifting the trophy, Peter Canavan dedicated the victory to every Tyrone team he had played on, the 1986 team (beaten in the final by Kerry) and every player who had played on teams without success.Worth the wait The Irish Times 30 September 2003 He also spoke of his father, who had died over the summer, and of Paul McGirr, who had played alongside many of the Tyrone team before he died in a freak accident aged 18.Tragedy casts shadow for Tyrone GAA team https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12161491 BBC News 11 January 2011 Details 28 September 2003 Armagh football 40px 0–9 – 0–12 Tyrone football 40px Diarmaid Marsden (0-1) Oisín McConville (0-3, 3 frees) Steven McDonnell (0-2) John McEntee (0-1) Paddy McKeever (0-2, 2 frees) Peter Canavan (0-5, 5 frees) Gerard Cavlan (0-1) Enda McGinley (0-1) Brian McGuigan (0-1) Owen Mulligan (0-2, 2 frees) Stephen O'Neill (0-2) Croke Park, Dublin 79,39114 years on, the God of small forwards gets hands on Sam Humphries Tom The Irish Times 29 September 2003 Brian White (Wexford) Armagh kit _shoulder_stripes_white_stripes _white_sholderg _shoulder_stripes_white_stripes _whitetop2 FF8C00 FF8C00 FF8C00 FF8C00 Armagh Tyrone kit _fredrikstad11h _genoa1112t _fredrikstad11h _Caiman12Home _goyang13h Tyrone Armagh:1 Paul Hearty 2 Francie Bellew 3 Enda McNulty 4 Andy Mallon 5 Aidan O'Rourke 6 Kieran McGeeney (c) 7 Andy McCann 8 Philip Loughran 9 Paul McGrane 10 Rónán Clarke 11 John McEntee 12 Oisín McConville 13 Steven McDonnell 14 Diarmaid Marsden 15 Tony McEntee Substitutes: Paddy McKeever Kieran Hughes Barry O'Hagan Manager: Joe KernanTyrone:1 John Devine 2 Ciaran Gourley 3 Cormac McAnallen 4 Ryan McMenamin 5 Conor Gormley 6 Gavin Devlin 7 Philip Jordan 8 Kevin Hughes 9 Sean Cavanagh 10 Brian Dooher 11 Brian McGuigan 12 Gerard Cavlan 13 Enda McGinley 14 Peter Canavan (c) 15 Owen Mulligan Substitutes: Stephen O'Neill Colin Holmes Chris Lawn Manager: Mickey Harte References:https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/3147218.stm Tyrone are All-Ireland champions 28 September 2003 11 June 2013 BBC Newshttp://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/gaa-history/final-teams/0/0/0/0/3/ Recent Final Teams gaa.ie 11 June 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130411040347/http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/gaa-history/final-teams/0/0/0/0/3/ 11 April 2013 Post-match Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Murphy congratulated Tyrone on their victory.Regan Claire Party on, Tyrone; Thousands prepare for historic homecoming Belfast Telegraph 29 September 2003 The Ulster Council of the GAA congratulated both sets of fans, in particular the Tyrone fans who formed a guard of honour for the Armagh players as they returned to their team bus.Fans get a pat on the back Irish News 30 September 2003 Joe Kernan, manager of Armagh, also praised the opposition fans: "...when the final whistle went and all the Tyrone supporters came running past me there wasn't one bad word said. To me that was great."Kernan decides to remain as manager for a third year; Joe Kernan talks to Ian O'Riordan about the sending-off of Diarmuid Marsden and players diving The Irish Times 30 September 2003 22 Crowds gathered across Tyrone the following day to celebrate the arrival of the Sam Maguire Cup. The players' homecoming began at Aughnacloy, before moving on to Ballygawley and Omagh, where upwards of 40,000 fans gathered.Omagh turns red and white as cup hits town Cardwell Peter Belfast Telegraph 30 September 2003 Despite their defeat, Armagh were greeted by hundreds of fans on the Louth–Armagh border on their return.McGonagle Suzanne Fans welcome defeated but defiant heroes onto home turf Irish News 30 September 2003 In the early hours of the Tuesday after the final, Tyrone footballers sought refuge in Donegal, a town in a neighbouring county across the border. Tyrone manager Mickey Harte had planned this in advance of the final to give his players a reprieve from the fuss that would occur in the event of a victory. They left the Sam Maguire Cup in Aghyaran, home to team sponsor Willie John Dolan; Dolan was given charge of the trophy.Vincent Hogan Vincent Hogan https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/vincent-hogan-a-year-on-from-his-most-chastening-defeat-mickey-harte-continues-to-defy-his-critics-37272047.html A year on from his most chastening defeat, Mickey Harte continues to defy his critics Sunday Independent 1 September 2018 1 September 2018 Armagh manager Joe Kernan claimed he would have resigned had his side won, but defeat encouraged him to continue. He lauded his players for their effort nonetheless, saying: "..we've won an All-Ireland, and got back to the final. I think that's a phenomenal achievement." He added that he was confident Armagh would win another title in the future. Of the match itself, Kernan said: "I think if Steven McDonnell had got that goal towards the end, even with the man down I think we would have won the game. Big matches hinge on certain things and that was one of them." McDonnell applauded Conor Gormley's tackle which prevented him from scoring: "...I'd say it was one of the best tackles ever." The match received extensive media coverage in Northern Ireland, especially from the predominantly nationalist Irish News.Northern attitudes still slow to change Keenan Dan The Irish Times 30 September 2003 22 The Belfast Telegraph dedicated several pages to the match the following day, including the front and back covers, whereas The News Letter, a largely unionist publication, had sparse coverage, highlighting traditional attitudes to Gaelic games in Northern Ireland. About a week after the final, a family in Coleraine were targeted in an allegedly sectarian attack, thought to be because they were flying a Tyrone GAA flag from their home.Second attack forces family to flee Doyle Simon Irish News 3 October 2003 9 Two years later, Peter Canavan's return from injury as a substitute in the final ten minutes finished 14th in RTÉ's 2005 series Top 20 GAA Moments.Canning Margaret Gaelic's 'Babe Ruth' loses top score title The Irish News Match controversies Joe Kernan was adamant that Diarmaid Marsden did not deserve to be sent off and criticised players for pretending to be injured during the game. The player himself also disagreed with the decision: "The umpire said I struck him but I just saw the man coming towards me and it was more a case of getting myself out of the way or protecting myself." He added: "I'd never been sent off for Armagh before and to be sent off in an All-Ireland final is hard to take. Hopefully I won't be remembered for that. And I wouldn't like to end the career on that note." Kernan and Marsden contested the decision and subsequent ban, but the GAA's Games Administration Committee upheld the penalty.O'Riordan Ian Marsden's case to go further 14 November 2003 The Irish Times 24 However, after taking their case to the Central Council, the ban was overturned.Moran Sean Marsden wins appeal over ban The Irish Times 8 December 2003 54 References All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Finals All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Finals Category:All-Ireland Senior Football Championship finals Category:GAA finals at Croke Park Category:Armagh county football team matches Category:Tyrone county football team matches Category:September 2003 in Ireland