Kerry wary of unpredictable Tyrone in familiar clash

RTÉ News​

4 days ago

In Jack O'Connor's fiery post-match press conference following Kerry's dismantling of Armagh - almost as explosive as his team's second half performance - he was quick to draw a comparison with the summer of 2009.
The '09 All-Ireland victory, O'Connor's third as manager and the first of his second stint in charge, has latterly gone down as one of the more famous Kerry triumphs of modern times. It is perennially invoked as a reminder that Kerry retain the capacity to go from nought to sixty at any moment, regardless of how sluggish their form.
Indeed, this may be when they're at their most dangerous.
"I said in the dressing room after the Cavan game, 'Lads, I've been here before where we've been written off, to f**k. Completely written off," O'Connor told the media in the bowels of the Hogan Stand.
"And a Kerry team written off in Croke Park are dangerous because it just takes a bit of the heat off. It allows them to play with a kind of freedom and abandon."
As was noted after that, the psychological context for the semi-final against Tyrone would be very different.
After Kerry had devoured Dublin in the 2009 quarter-final in a performance comparable to their second half against Armagh a fortnight ago, they put in a flat showing in a forgettable semi-final win over Meath, who ironically appear in their first semi-final since that year on Sunday.
Four years ago, they entered the 2021 All-Ireland semi-final as even bigger favourites against Tyrone than they are this weekend.
The game was of course delayed by a fortnight, coming in the wake of the famous game of brinkmanship by the Tyrone management, when they threatened to forfeit an All-Ireland semi-final if it was not postponed by a further seven days to allow them to recover from a Covid outbreak which had hit the squad following their Ulster final victory.
The GAA had originally insisted on a hard-line around re-fixtures in the Covid years, and it was a Kerry statement agreeing to a second postponement that allowed the association to backtrack.
We know what happened then. The Tyrone players were considerably less waylaid by their Covid ordeal than many had imagined beforehand and Kerry proceeded to butcher a host of opportunities in the first half - most infamous was Paul Geaney rounding the keeper only to pass to Stephen O'Brien, who was standing in the square when he palmed home.
A brace of goals from Conor McKenna - temporarily back home in between Aussie Rules stints - and another from Cathal McShane saw Tyrone nab a 3-14 to 0-22 victory. Tommy Walsh's wayward late equaliser attempt in the dying seconds of extra-time would be his last act in a Kerry jersey.
Tyrone's wins over Kerry in 2003, 2005 and 2008 are perhaps more celebrated but none had come so far out of leftfield as that one.
Peter Keane cut a broken figure in the press conference and the wheels were quickly in motion for his removal. O'Connor, having given an indication of his interest, swiftly bid Kildare adieu and was back in Kerry for a third term within a matter of weeks.
Tyrone's All-Ireland title defence in 2022 was even more abject than their efforts in the 2000s. After 2023 and 2024 saw little improvement, there was an inclination to write off their fourth All-Ireland as a fluke and an outlier in a strange year. A case of them capitalising on a power vaccuum at the top.
Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan had delivered the ultimate glory in their first year but things petered out after that.
Malachy O'Rourke was installed as their first ever outside manager, though his association with the county is long-standing, having lived in Ballygawley since the 1990s, winning two Tyrone titles with Errigal Ciarán as a player.
The general perception is that they haven't set the world alight and that inconsistency has remained a constant companion. They achieved the unique feat of being relegated from Division 1 with seven points and were pipped by Armagh in the Ulster semi-final.
A landmark win over Donegal in Ballybofey indicated they'd turned the corner only for them to produce an insipid display in losing at home to Mayo by seven points the next day out.
Beating Dublin in the championship is no longer the statement it was even 12 months ago, though Tyrone produced a strong second half and final quarter to canter home by seven points in the finish. The eventual margin was a touch flattering due to a late two-pointer from Niall Morgan.
The Tyrone-Dublin quarter-final was a strange, flawed game in which the Dubs' were undermined by chronic shooting and not for the first time this summer. Tyrone had lived on scraps in the first half, keeping themselves alive with two-pointers, two of them coming courtesy of Peter Harte.
Their highly vaunted inside forwards, Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry, had been mostly kept quiet though the younger Canavan, Ruairí, and Under-20 star Eoin McElholm, were especially effective when introduced late on as Dublin started to leave gaps at the back.
Kieran McGeary also demonstrated some of the form which saw him win Footballer of the Year in 2021, with a strong display both in and out of possession.
Kerry are again without Diarmuid O'Connor, with Tom O'Sullivan ruled out with injury after departing in the first half in the Armagh game.
In midfield, Joe O'Connor has been a powerhouse, both aerially and going forward for Kerry. He's going up against Tyrone's retro twin-towers midfield pairing of Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy. The latter were successful against Dublin's Peader Ó Cofaigh Byrne, whose influence was heavily curtailed in the quarters.
In his named team, O'Connor has opted to drop Mark O'Shea, another big kickout option, for the pace of Micheál Burns at wing-forward.
David Clifford bagged a hat-trick in a thrilling league game between the sides in Pomeroy, as the visitors came away with a three-point win. It was in part Kerry's reputation for goal-scoring that presumably persuaded Armagh to defend so deep, allowing Sean O'Shea in particular to make hay from two-point range.
Kerry have already demonstrated the fallibility of the form-guide and O'Connor is understandably on his guard against a Tyrone team coming in "under the radar."
"They will be tough and anyone who underestimates them will learn about of the weapons they have starting with their goalkeeper. There's a big mobile midfield and some sharp forwards along with a good defensive system. We are under no illusions that this is going to be a tougher game than Armagh in many ways."
Kerry: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Mike Breen, Gavin White (c); Sean O'Brien, Joe O'Connor; Micheál Burns, Seán O'Shea, Graham O'Sullivan; David Clifford, Conor Geaney, Dylan Geaney;
Subs: Shane Murphy, Killian Spillane, Evan Looney, Armin Heinrich, Tom Leo O'Sullivan, Paudie Clifford, Mark O'Shea, Tomás Kennedy, Tadhg Morley, Paul Geaney, Tony Brosnan.
Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Padraig Hampsey, Niall Devlin; Peter Teague, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seanie O'Donnell, Peter Harte, Ciarán Daly; Darren McCurry, Mattie Donnelly, Darragh Canavan.
Subs: Oisin O'Kane, Aidan Clarke, Michael Rafferty, Frank Burns, Michael McKernan, Ben McDonnell, Michael O'Neill, Conor Meyler, Eoin McElholm, Mark Bradley, Ruairi Canavan.