.Anthony Maher, in action with Tyrone’s, Tiernan McCann during the semi-final back in August. Photo by Dermot Crean.
IN the depths of winter and the championship far behind us, some people just can’t let things lie and get on with it.
According to Tyrone GAA county secretary Dominic McCaughey – who was writing in his annual report – in this year’s All-Ireland semi-final referee, Maurice Deegan, denied Tyrone a second penalty after a “clear foul” with five minutes to go.
The match was an enthralling encounter with Kerry running out four point winners by 0-18 to 1-11.
Kerry followers may be forgiven for getting a sense of déjà vu, as a similar line was trotted out by the Cork County Board back in August after the drawn and replayed Munster Final.
Continued below…
On that occasion the awarding of a ‘soft’ penalty after James O’Donoghue was fouled in the drawn game and the torrential rain in the replay keenly contributed to Cork’s exit.
The Tyrone administrator even manages to give the rain a mention as well, Dominic McCaughey writes:
“Played in incessant rain, Tír Eoghain displayed outstanding skill, fierce determination and relentless intensity but the inability to convert several goal opportunities and a number of missed free-kicks, together with a few highly-questionable refereeing decisions resulted in a very narrow defeat.”
“In the closing stages of the game, the failure to award a penalty to the Red Hands for a clear foul ensured the opportunity of appearing in a first final since 2008 slipped away, for another year.”
Just to refresh your memory this is the “clear foul” that constituted a certain penalty. Instead of a spot kick, Tyrone attacker, Padraig McNulty was given a yellow card for a dive.
Kerry v Tyrone, All-Ireland semi-final, penalty shout.
There is no denying a bit of bad blood between Kerry and Tyrone. The one thing we can say to Mr McCaughey is, time is a great healer.
Former Kerry star, Barry O’Shea, saysthe game on Sunday will be tight and not easy on the eye…
THE players and management might say it’s just another game, but we all know it’s not.
The game has an edge to it, there’s an undertone to this game. It’s not an ordinary game because of the history that has transpired between both counties.
It might seem that Eamon Fitzmaurice, has sprung a few surprises, leaving Aidan O’Mahony, Bryan Sheehan and Paul Geaney out, but no matter who they pick, there are going to be good players sitting on the bench.
A lot of people would say it’s risky going into a game without your first freetaker, but I’ve heard rumours Sheehan has a hamstring problem, so if he does they’re right not to play him.
Donaghy comes in for Geaney – who didn’t have best game in a Kerry jersey against Kildare – but he gives us a great option off the bench.
Aidan O’Mahony got married last week, so maybe that had a bearing on him not being picked. He’s not a drinking man or anything, but he had a few days off so it wouldn’t have been ideal preparation.
The story with organising a wedding in the middle of the championship came down to him thinking he would be retired, but obviously it didn’t pan out like that.
There could be other reasons for not starting O’Mahony also, maybe Fitzmaurice is thinking the way Tyrone play with their running game. Maybe it’s a case of horses for courses.
Crowley coming in doesn’t weaken the team, we’re lucky we have loads of options. Nowhere is this more reflected than the fact our three top scorers in the championship, Bryan Sheehan (0-14), Paul Geaney (2-8) and Barry John Keane (2-7) are sitting on the bench.
That alone tells you how strong this team is, I don’t think any team in Ireland can do that.
Tyrone people are delighted to be playing Kerry, they feel they have this thing over us. The defeats in 2003, 2005, 2008, have left their mark, but that Tyrone team were a serious side.
Even though the current crop are good, they’re not as good as the team that blazed a trail for them in the last decade.
Tyrone play exceptionally defensively, they’re a more defensive team than Donegal were last year. They get loads of players back, while Donegal have a system of bringing a certain amount of guys back and leaving a few forwards up.
At times, Tyrone can have their whole team inside their own 45, but the difference with them is they have explosive pace to get out and attack. Guys like Tiernan McCann, Peter Harte and Matty Donnelly, will run like greyhounds out of defence and will go very hard at you.
It’s very, very hard to stop a guy running like a train straight at you. Especially in GAA, where there is no defined tackle, most defenders end up fouling a fella coming through and it only takes a slight touch to knock a guy over.
Tyrone, along with being very good at not giving away fouls inside the scoring zone, are masters at gaining frees inside it. I won’t say they dive, à la Tiernan McCann, but they do make the most of contacts should we say.
It’s something referee Maurice Deegan will hopefully be vigilant of.
To win this, Kerry have to be very patient, they will have to move the ball fast, moving quickly from defence to attack.
Good accurate kicking will be very important, long 40 yard passes that will open the Tyrone rearguard, because no matter what happens, the ball will always move faster than the man.
It’s going to take a lot of patience, because at times it’s not going to happen, they’ll just have to be patient and work the ball around. Just like the All-Ireland Final last year, sometimes it may be very difficult to watch.
Tyrone leave two men back at all times, you won’t see Colm Cavanagh, contest a kick out all day, he will head back into defence every time. They will always be covering at the back.
James O’Donoghue and the Gooch will probably have at least two guys on them every single time they get near the ball. So it’s going to be frustrating for a lot of guys, but it’s a day for winning rather than putting on a show.
A lot of people are saying Kerry will win by five or six points, but I think that’s an awful lot against a team that plays so defensive and a side that’s also scoring big.
I think the bookies are more accurate with their prediction of a three point winning margin. I think Kerry will do it by a couple of points, but it’s going to be very, very tough, it will take a long time to break them down.
It will be very similar to the Donegal game last year and may even be worse, because Tyrone bring even more bodies back and leave no space what so ever.
But Tyrone do have to come out at some stage to score, so if Kerry can turn them over enough and seize the opportunities, they should get over the line.
The greatest rivalry of the Noughties will be renewed again on Sunday and Kerry fans will be praying they’ll finally get the better of Tyrone in Croke Park for the first time since 1986. Gavin O’Connor looks at why a win over the Red Hand county means so much…
1. They’ve beaten us when it has mattered
Let’s get this one out of the way first; losing in Croke Park to Tyrone in 2003, 2005, 2008, was heartbreaking.
The three games took on a life of their own; 2003 was an ambush, 2005, Tyrone were the much better side and in 2008 they stopped us doing a three in a row, with Sean Cavanagh the instrumental man in the end.
If Declan O’Sullivan’s late goal chance in 2008 hadn’t have been saved…a kick of a ball was all that was in it. Ouch, that day really still stings.
Fortunes have changed since. Tyrone have not beaten Kerry since 2010, twice in the league and once in an All-Ireland qualifier.
The worst aspect of the beatings in the last decade is we can never go back to them. They are set in stone and no amount of wins over Tyrone in the future will ever change what happened.
If you’re in the mood for torturing yourself…
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2. They can rub it in like no other
Any Kerry person who’s had to run the gauntlet of sneering Tyrone supporters after a defeat will know what we mean, unfortunately these are the ones you remember.
The majority of their supporters are good GAA people, the likes of which can be found the length and breath of Ireland, but there is an element there that really wants to ram home a win.
The hostility perhaps, comes from Kerry being held up as the perceived bastion of purity when it comes football, despite some ammunition to poke holes in that theory.
Tomas O’Se got a superb now almost forgotten goal in the 2005 All-Ireland final
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3. The Tactics
When Pat Spillane produced the line “puke football” during the 2003 game, he attracted the ire of an entire county.
This could be seen as the opening salvo in the rivalry. Though Spillane having a county at his throat was no surprise, his beliefs on ‘moddren football’ have not changed one bit since.
Swarming blanket defences, the liberal definition of the tackle and 13 men inside their own 45, are aspects of the game that, let’s face it, Kerry have taken on board when necessary. This doesn’t sit well with many fans, despite the success.
The great Mick O’Connell had this to say recently in an interview.
“I think the game as it is being presented is something that doesn’t please me anyway, and that’s just a very personal opinion. They talk a lot about speeding up. There was a friend of ours here, he was a great sprinter, I don’t think he was a good footballer.”
The famous passage of play in 2003, that arguably changed Kerry football forever.
4. The Antics
Not to be confused with tactics, which are done within the rules of the game, the antics, are just cheating.
Tyrone feel they are the victims of a witchhunt following the Tiernan McCann affair and his subsequent eight week ban (overturned last night).
The Red Hand do have cause to feel aggrieved over the severity of the ban – and they will point to Aidan O’Mahony’s tumble against Cork in the 2008 semi-final – but they and their followers must face up to the fact that they are the common denominator when it comes to a lot of the controversy we have seen this year.
When it comes to meetings between our two counties, some of things our players faced, will not be forgotten easily.
You best not mess with my do…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Aqyr433a4
5. We love when they eat their words
In February 2014, former Tyrone player Brian McGuigan had this to say about Kerry football…
“Kerry need to forget about success or All-Irelands for the next six or seven years and instead just concentrate on getting their underage structures and development squads right. We all know Kerry pride themselves on their naturally gifted footballers but the modern game has such an emphasis on intensity and work rate, which means so much time needs to be spent on strength and conditioning.”
Fast forward six months, Kerry are All-Ireland Champions.
Barry John Keane, playing in the quarter-final against Kildare two weeks ago. Photo by Dermot Crean.
TICKET information has been released for Kerry’s All-Ireland Semi-Final against Tyrone in Croke Park on August 23.
Prices as follows…
Hogan Stand (No Concession) – €40
Cusack Stand – €40
Hill 16 – €25
Tickets go on public sale at Austin Stack Park next Tuesday, August 18 at 2pm.
They are also available to purchase from the Kerry GAA Store in Killarney, Centra and Supervalu Stores around the county and online at tickets.ie.
Family Tickets…
Family Tickets- Cusack and Davin Stands
Adults – €40 Juveniles – €5
Students & Senior Citizens…
Cusack & Davin Stand Only. Purchase full price tickets and get rebate of €10 with valid I.D. at Block D, Stiles 1 to 5 in the Cusack Stand (Rebate can only be claimed on entry into the stadium via BLOCK D)
