28-05-2025
Eoin McElholm's jawdropping scoring stats as Tyrone end Louth All-Ireland dream
With three All-Ireland under-20 football titles in four years the Tyrone conveyor belt is rolling at a serious pace again - and the others better watch out.
More Sam Maguires seem certain to follow.
The last time Tyrone had a run of underage success like this - 1997-2001 - landing two All-Ireland under-21 titles and two minor All-Irelands - we all know what happened.
Stephen O'Neill happened. Sean Cavanagh happened. Conor Gormley happened. Philip Jordan happened. Kevin Hughes happened. Enda McGinley happened. Owen Mulligan happened. And we could go on
Their talismanic leader from those sides, the late Cormac McAnallen, who passed away in 2004, captained Tyrone to win that 2000 All-Ireland under-21 title, just over 25 years ago.
It's hard to believe the Tyrone captain passed away a quarter of a century ago, but his spirit was alive and well in Armagh City this evening.
In Eoin McElholm Tyrone have an absolute gem.
The Loughmacrory club man added another 2-4 from play in an All-Ireland Final to go with 0-7 from play in last year's under-20 final victory over Kerry and 2-5 in Omagh CBS' 2023 Hogan Cup Final win over Summerhill (Sligo).
That's 4-16 from play in three All-Ireland finals, averaging out at just over nine points per final. Let that sink in.
Talk about star quality and doing it on the big day.
Tyrone fans will be praying they AFL snipers, who have already been in touch, don't come to pick off their prime assassin.
McElholm had a Robin to his Batman at the Athletic Grounds this evening as Tyrone ran out 5-16 to 0-17 victors, or maybe McElholm was the Robin to Noah Grimes Batman.
Grimes hit an unbelievable 2-6 from play as the dynamic duo shot 4-10 from play between them. Louth struggled to get a hand on the quicksilver pair to even foul them.
And what an achievement for former Tyrone All-Ireland finalist and Ulster Championship winning player, Paul Devlin, to surpass Mickey Harte and Danny Ball's two All-Ireland under-21 triumphs and do it three times. Devlin said afterwards: 'The last three finals we've turned up in the final.'
That was exactly it. Tyrone looked entirely at home with the occasion where Louth looked jittery, and it wasn't that they played poorly.
Their midfield pair James Maguire and Sean Callaghan dominated the skys and scored some sublime points, but it was what happened on the ground that counted most.
As soon as Tyrone got any measure of parity on the kickouts they made hay to run out 14 points victors.
They were utterly ruthless. When Louth snatched at goal chances, Darragh Dorian blazing one gilt edge opportunity off the crossbar and Tyrone skipper Joey Clarke taking another off the line, Tyrone went straight up the other end and scored points.
Those two incidents, both early in the second half, amounted to an eight point swing. Had Louth hit the net with both of them they would have been 2-13 to 2-9 ahead after 41 minutes.
There can be no arguing with the winners though, and you'd fancy Tyrone would have mustered a response, so composed and well drilled were they, but that would have tested them.
McElholm twice steadied himself, showing that rare poise that marks a player out, and rolled low to the corner of the net for goals. Grimes' finishes for his two goals were also coolness personified.
Tyrone are doing some line in slippery as an eel inside forward man. For McElholm and Grimes see Darragh and Ruairi Canavan, or Darren McCurry. The small inside man is certainly back again with the three-up rule.
And Tyrone made hay here with some outstanding defending and lightning quick breaks off turnovers that created acres of space for McElholm and Grimes to do their thing.
The amount of Tyrone players who could use both hands and both feet to jink and weave in tight areas was notable too, as was their pace and athleticism.
McElholm is a star in the making and plenty of others will follow the likes of 2022 All-Ireland winning under-20 captain Niall Devlin, Seanie O'Donnell and Ciaran Daly into the senior starting line-up soon enough.
Devlin, Daly, O'Connell, and last year's All-Ireland under-20 winner Cormac Devlin, all started in last weekend's All-Ireland round robin victory over Donegal at Ballybofey.
Louth weren't without their chances, with goalie Tiernan Markey having a couple of two point frees in the first half that tailed left and wide and those goal efforts.
But Tyrone were operating on a different level and one that should have the others worried going forward.
