Jack O'Connor impressed by Tyrone's consistent underage success

Irish Examiner

09-07-2025

Jack O'Connor has plenty to be going on with but he's hardly oblivious to the developing Tyrone tsunami on the back of consistent underage success.
O'Connor's Kerry go into Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final with four wins from the last five games against the Red Hands, but it's been a very different story at underage and colleges level, where the Ulster county continues to sweep the board.
O'Connor might be right — his focus on Malachy O'Rourke's side is obsessive right now but having coached at schools and underage level himself, the Kerry manager is impressed with the successes Tyrone are racking up in the age grades.
'They obviously have very good people involved in coaching up there,' O'Connor said in Tralee. 'The schools seem to have got their act together in a big way and they are consistently competitive in the school system and that feeds into the minors and U20s.'
He underlined his point: 'They have really good structures and really good people involved in coaching in the schools. I'm not saying they're not good people involved in the schools down here. But that's what it comes down to, it comes down to the quality of the people involved in coaching.'
A couple of top U20 talents have already made an impact on Tyrone's senior progress to the All-Ireland semi final, such as Shea O'Hare and latterly Eoin McElholm.
And there were standouts also on show in white and red as Tyrone pipped the Kingdom to the All-Ireland MFC title in Newbridge on Sunday — for instance, midfielder James Mulgrew.
The Kerry manager knows too that Tyrone's midfield is strong, they have lethal senior forwards to manage this weekend, and plenty of impact off the bench. He wouldn't be human if there wasn't a hint of envy at Malachy O'Rourke's options, while he manages a Kerry squad that is down to the bare bones.
Is the long list of Kerry injuries down to the hard running involved in the new game, or just plain rotten luck?
'There is probably is a bit more high-speed running, particularly in the middle eight,' O'Connor mused. 'Before these new rules it was a slower game. There were periods where teams could almost rest with the ball, if you know what I mean. You could foul tactically before as well to slow down the play. Now there's no such thing as a tactical foul because you can move the ball on straight away.'
There is another consideration, one that the Kerry manager is loathe to get into, at least while the championship is still ablaze.
'It's well documented that Kerry players aren't getting enough of an off-season,' he winced. 'We have three championships down here. (Inter-county) players are playing into November when you're already starting pre-season training. It's very tricky.
'I don't think players are getting enough of an off-season. You might get away with that for a few months but then it comes back to bite you because if you haven't enough of an off-season, you haven't enough of a pre-season. Somewhere along the line, something is going to have to take a hit there. But that's for another day. That's a bigger argument and it's not for me to solve.'