While they would have been seen as the outsiders of the four teams remaining at the semi-final stage, there is no doubting that Tyrone are deserving All-Ireland champions for 2021.
They outplayed Kerry in semi-final, going on to completely dominate Mayo in yesterday's final. It is quite the turnaround for a team that had been written off as Sam Maguire contenders over the last couple of seasons, and even more so when you consider the hammering they received at the hands of Kerry in the league earlier this year.
Peter Keane's side would win that game in Killarney on a scoreline of 6-15 to 1-14, with many believing this was proof that Tyrone were not ready to challenge for the All-Ireland. Their change of fortune since that day has been remarkable.
Jim McGuinness believes it may even have been the making of them.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the final, the former Donegal manager said they the chastening loss at the hands of Kerry would have helped drive this team on.
It's an interesting one, because that's probably the day that they won the All-Ireland, would be my take on that.
We (Donegal) went down to Kerry the year we won the All-Ireland (2012), we got beaten by double scores, 2-16 to 1-8. We got humiliated. And the same thing happened to Tyrone, probably even worse to Tyrone.
And if that's not a moment where you pause and reflect and decide 'we're going to go this direction, or we're going to go that direction, or we're going to double down here', it's never going to happen.
I would suggest that the reason they're standing there today as All-Ireland champions is that game had a big bearing in shaping the mindset that's required. And then obviously, that will feed the training and intensity and the energy levels and everything that goes with it.
Most people, not talking about sports teams, just drift through life and things happen at certain times in your life or your sporting career, where you've got to go 'hold on a second here, what is this all about?'
And that was a moment for that team. They had to decide if it was going to be this way and that they are an average team, or if they were going to take it on the chin, double down and go as hard as they can for as long as they can.
And they have done that every single game since.
That is an opinion shared by Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan.
Speaking on The Sunday Game last night, they admitted that the Kerry game was a key point in their season.
Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher sum up their dream debut season as joint-Tyrone managers and talk 'good cop, bad cop' roles #RTEGAA #thesaturdaygame #TyroneGAA @RTE2 @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/NSWHm3E9IF
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 11, 2021
A brilliant turnaround.
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