A TENTH Thomas Markham Cup eluded Tyrone on Sunday afternoon as the defending champions came out on the wrong end of a pulsating All-Ireland Minor Championship Final at sun-soaked Newbridge, but manager Gerard Donnelly remained full of praise for his heartbroken young charges afterwards.

The Red Hands appeared to have laid the platform to push on for victory as they eased nine points clear approaching the 40th minute, but the Rebels staged a stunning last quarter revival to take the spoils 2-16 to 1-16.

On an energy sapping day, the Tyrone players struggled to quell the Cork charge down the home straight, though Gerard Donnelly rued the fact that neither of his two key midfielders Tomas Gallen (injured) and Charlie Meenan (illness) were able to operate at full pelt.

“It’s a contrast to last year but isn’t it great to be in these games and have those lads get those experiences. It was a privilege to be a part of it again. Win or lose I always say you have to enjoy every bit of it but we would have loved a full hand to choose from today but that’s life.

“Those bits of adversity for these lads we have coped with. Ciaran (McCrystal) went off in the Galway game when we were four points down but we got through that. We had to get past Kildare on a wet night without him and we did that.

“We had other boys like Conor Fyffe who hasn’t trained much. He had a great start and it was a big loss when we had to go off because he was doing a great job on Miskella. Conall came on and did brilliant, he is a great attacker for us.

“Tom Gallen also hasn’t trained much this week with the injuries he is carrying. So when you get the news on Monday that Charlie wasn’t well and might not be able to tog out at all we knew he wasn’t going to have the energy and with the heat too here but still what a job he did for us

“It was just incredible. So while we are disappointed we are so proud.”

Sporting in defeat Donnelly took his hat off to Cork who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the second period.

“You don’t mind being beaten by a good team and this Cork team are really good. We have known that all year. You see the amount of Cork people here. Everyone talks about Cork being a hurling county but when this amount of people follows Cork to Newbridge for an All-Ireland Minor Final you know they think something of this team.

We have pushed them all the way but ultimately when you are carrying boys injured it’s tough. Our wing half forwards ran themselves into the ground trying to cover for Charlie. We had to take them two off because they gave their all.

“The only disappointment is that we lost because these boys fought with everything they had. Yes it will be a disappointed changing room but I hope it’s not too bad because the boys can be so proud of what they did.

“We knew we were going up against a damn good team and a really good midfield but I just would have loved to see our two lads at full pelt against them because I feel that is where we would have won the game.”